A lot of good comments here.
I'm not sure if I would conceder myself an audiophile or not, but I know what I like and what moves me. It has taken me 3 decades to really satisfy my ears, and I'm still not done.
I learned many years ago not to bring up and discuss this hobby with anyone. If I'm now asked anything about my system or equipment, and that is very very rare, I down play it and keep my comments short and simple.
I also found that most people can go listen to a $100,000.00
system and then go to Best Buy and listen to one and then not be able to tell you if one sounded better then the other one or not. If they do remember that one sounded better or more pleasing to them they can't tell you why.
I have one room in my house set up to A/B different networks, drivers, horns, speakers, and sometimes amps. I compare a lot of drivers and horns. I found that most people can tell the difference in equipment only if they can A/B them. Sometimes all it takes is a quick flip of the A/B switch. Other times I have to replay the sound or sounds over and over again for some people to pick out the difference and discribe it to me.
My kids grew up helping me listen to and compare different equipment this way. It is refreshing for me to listen to the adjectives that a non audio person will use to discribe the sound. I may say muffled, they would ask if I stuffed a sock in the throat of the horn. Sorry, I'm getting off of the subject so I'll end now.
I'm not sure if I would conceder myself an audiophile or not, but I know what I like and what moves me. It has taken me 3 decades to really satisfy my ears, and I'm still not done.
I learned many years ago not to bring up and discuss this hobby with anyone. If I'm now asked anything about my system or equipment, and that is very very rare, I down play it and keep my comments short and simple.
I also found that most people can go listen to a $100,000.00
system and then go to Best Buy and listen to one and then not be able to tell you if one sounded better then the other one or not. If they do remember that one sounded better or more pleasing to them they can't tell you why.
I have one room in my house set up to A/B different networks, drivers, horns, speakers, and sometimes amps. I compare a lot of drivers and horns. I found that most people can tell the difference in equipment only if they can A/B them. Sometimes all it takes is a quick flip of the A/B switch. Other times I have to replay the sound or sounds over and over again for some people to pick out the difference and discribe it to me.
My kids grew up helping me listen to and compare different equipment this way. It is refreshing for me to listen to the adjectives that a non audio person will use to discribe the sound. I may say muffled, they would ask if I stuffed a sock in the throat of the horn. Sorry, I'm getting off of the subject so I'll end now.