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Are Audiophiles Obsessive Nuts?

The following is from the website of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/select/0898/tube.html

Agree? Disagree? Why?

“High-end equipment is aimed at the most obsessive audiophiles, famed for worrying about small details which most people ignore or cannot even hear...

“The rise of high-end sales was influenced by the statements of subjective audio reviewers, whose nontechnical and rarely rigorous listening tests at times encouraged near-hysteria among magazine readers. A positive review in a powerful magazine such as Stereophile can trigger hundreds or even thousands of unit sales, and turn an unknown manufacturer into an instant success. A negative review can sink a small firm just as easily (and has done so)...

“Much of high-end is conducted in a gold-rush fashion, with companies advertising exotic connecting cables and acoustical treatment devices while making wild claims
about the supernatural results achieved. The result: negative comments from the professional engineering fraternity. Items have been published in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, in electronic-industry journals such as EE Times, and elsewhere that attack the methods and conclusions of the audiophiles...
plasmatronic

Showing 2 responses by gregm

gregm
3,411 posts
 
In 2 above, I mean "...musician friends belonging to the "others" category..."
Sorry.
gregm
3,411 posts
 
Meta, I think the word you want is "observe", as in S-Holmes' caveat to Watson: "you see but do not observe, my dear Watson" (about the number of steps leading from the entrance to the living room: Watson saw these many times a day...).

Certain thoughts come to mind.

1. Comparing & contrasting undefined "audiophiles" with "others" (??? ditto) is a sophism at best; hi-end purportedly strives to reproduce music at home better than (i.e. the "hi-end of) other equipment (hence the old word, fidelity). Henceforth, we either we define premises, perhaps by comparing, amongst music lovers, those that have invested (time, effort, mega$$) in their home reproduction system and those that have not --- or IMO we are confusing the issue.

2. If the above holds, how is it that musician friends can (have, and still do) help me with pre-amplifier choice, speaker placement, placing cones under the CDP (including the best "sounding" point to place said cones!), and LP vs. CD preferences?

3. The article may be paying only lip-service to users' (consumers') opinion: anyone remember "new coke"? Maybe not a top example, but that, too, measured better on ALL tests -- except in the market.
Also, I beleive that audiophile go looking for "things" of which "others" are not aware could be experienced during reproduction.

As to mags making the bags (of money) for unknown manufacturers... a good review is good publicity and, ofcourse, introduces the brand if little known. BUT, if the product does not deliver, I doubt its manufacturer will end up with millions.

Very interesting post, Plasma.
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