According to Merriam-Webster's definition: "Audiophile: a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction".
Merriam-Webster says it's all about enthusiasm. That specifically doesn't say anything about actual audio acuity/Golden Ears (nor about a whole lotta other stuff... ;~).
I do kinda wonder - what did you really expect for responses? Do you consider yourself an audiophile? And do you know how much audio acuity you've lost since you were ~17 and how has that affected you as a potential audiophile? You didn't live your formative years w/ earphones jammed in and cranked up, did you?
Since we're here on AudiogoN I'd sure hope you receive many enthusiastic responses. For many/most, this hobby almost by definition ain't about being rational so probably enthusiasm is the next best alternative...
Merriam-Webster says it's all about enthusiasm. That specifically doesn't say anything about actual audio acuity/Golden Ears (nor about a whole lotta other stuff... ;~).
I do kinda wonder - what did you really expect for responses? Do you consider yourself an audiophile? And do you know how much audio acuity you've lost since you were ~17 and how has that affected you as a potential audiophile? You didn't live your formative years w/ earphones jammed in and cranked up, did you?
Since we're here on AudiogoN I'd sure hope you receive many enthusiastic responses. For many/most, this hobby almost by definition ain't about being rational so probably enthusiasm is the next best alternative...