Not sure about the Audiophile Life; I'm definitely on the outside looking in on that one.
Just as a "by the way" - SkyFi Audio in Glen Rock NJ was born of the ashes of the old Stereo Warehouse on Broadway, so there's one less hifi store in New York (wink). SkyFi have the SW neon sign blazing in side their store, and a boat load of new and used equipment there too; all, well most, way out of my price range. I do get a lot of joy out of listening to them though. (that wasn't a plug for SkyFi, it was a plug for NJ high-end hifi stores - shout out to Audio Connection and Audio Nexus also).
Someone mention love of the sound as a contributing factor (and I guess the pursuit of that sound), while I do love the sound, I love good music even more. I have a few albums that to my ears were shoddily recorded but had contained fantastic songs...I sometimes get frustrated that those songs weren't presented in the best light (sound) possible, but I'll never not play them because the sound isn't right; the songs are just too good (to me)!
I met a guy in a Best Buy of all places who figured me to be a kindred spirit based on the handful of cables I was about to purchase (go figure, in Best Buy; tells you a lot doesn't it...LOL). We proceeded to have a lengthy discussion about audio and audio equipment and audio engineering, this conversation went on for ages (we closed the store!!). My take away from that was, I am me and that guy is an audiophile (when you're familiar with the designers and the movements of the various engineers ("...yeah, he started out here (company A) before he got his own thing going (well known company B). You are in deep my friend, thanks for the education but unless that lottery win comes my way (and that will like the virgin birth as i don't play), I'll be scrounging near the bottom of the barrel for scraps (decent mid-fi sounding scraps mind you - nudge nudge, wink wink).
Just as a "by the way" - SkyFi Audio in Glen Rock NJ was born of the ashes of the old Stereo Warehouse on Broadway, so there's one less hifi store in New York (wink). SkyFi have the SW neon sign blazing in side their store, and a boat load of new and used equipment there too; all, well most, way out of my price range. I do get a lot of joy out of listening to them though. (that wasn't a plug for SkyFi, it was a plug for NJ high-end hifi stores - shout out to Audio Connection and Audio Nexus also).
Someone mention love of the sound as a contributing factor (and I guess the pursuit of that sound), while I do love the sound, I love good music even more. I have a few albums that to my ears were shoddily recorded but had contained fantastic songs...I sometimes get frustrated that those songs weren't presented in the best light (sound) possible, but I'll never not play them because the sound isn't right; the songs are just too good (to me)!
I met a guy in a Best Buy of all places who figured me to be a kindred spirit based on the handful of cables I was about to purchase (go figure, in Best Buy; tells you a lot doesn't it...LOL). We proceeded to have a lengthy discussion about audio and audio equipment and audio engineering, this conversation went on for ages (we closed the store!!). My take away from that was, I am me and that guy is an audiophile (when you're familiar with the designers and the movements of the various engineers ("...yeah, he started out here (company A) before he got his own thing going (well known company B). You are in deep my friend, thanks for the education but unless that lottery win comes my way (and that will like the virgin birth as i don't play), I'll be scrounging near the bottom of the barrel for scraps (decent mid-fi sounding scraps mind you - nudge nudge, wink wink).