Interesting article on audiophiles and audiophilia

Hey, look on the bright side, y'all... if it draws more ears into 'the hobby' (or 'quest', if you prefer...), then let's give it a plus, a nod, and move on.  

One could wine over the plethora of Bluetooth'd widgets that make music more 'accessible' vs. "Hey kids!  Here's what it's SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE!"   Maybe some new interest (not to mention mere cash) will inject and infect the situation the 'state of the art' is in.

Being blunt, which I'm good at...we got 'into audio' when it was Affordable.  Since then, it's gone stratospheric with regards to pricing and the apparent 'exclusivity' of items that can only be appreciated by those who've been 'in the mix' for a long time.

Now....the latter is OK by me.  I can't afford to play at those levels, but I can appreciate one's drive to attain personal perfection.  But if an article like that can trigger a certain level of interest in trying to improve one's reproduction of the medium, well, way cool...;)  LP's are enjoying a renaissance, and who knows where that'll lead....

Affordable Good Audio is a 'taste thing'.  One's trash is another's Nirvana at ear-splitting volumes. *L*  And most of us can relate to that....;)

For me it's been a lifelong curse.When I was young certain sounds would drive me nuts, fluorescent lights,screaming kids,etc. Until I hit 30+ I could hear dog whistles and out of adjustment FM carriers.  When I was a teen a car equaled freedom. I spent all my free time in mine so music was a must.Back then car stereos were pricey had about 4WPC (amps were an exotic,unreliable, bad sounding that cost 3x-4x more than my car). The car speakers then available were outrageously expensive and made hideous unlistenable noise,not music. Out of desperation and lack of funds I started building my own from old home speakers. My favorites came out of discarded console stereos They usually had 12" or 15" paper cone woofers and mid- tweets with tiny alnico magnets They didn't break my budget (free on trash days in upper class neighborhoods) the highs didn't grate on my nerves (rolled  off around 8-10K) produced great base and would play at unreal volumes powered by a 4WPC cassette/FM. Building systems for other teens became my 1st business amd I've been involved in audio part time ever since.
 .I couldn't understand why my cheapie speakers didn't get on my nerves like "good" home and car speakers ( female vocals were especially annoying) until a few years later when  I walked into a high end audio shop. The owner must have been bored or had a sadistic streak, instead of running off a  goofy, ignorant,empty-pockets  kid he took the time to let me hear some MUSIC. I sat there totally awe struck and speechless  while he cued up classical,jazz and rock tracks  on an exotic looking record player and giant speakers for over an hour. It took deep into a place deep inside that I'd only glimpsed until then while experimenting with potent psychedelics  lt left me disoriented,weak, and near to tears. He spent another hour giving me a very,very basic education on how this magic was made. I was hooked! Then he completely crushed my new found happiness and hopes for reaching audio nirvana. He let me know how much it all cost! Even the cheapest most humble entry level system was completely unattainable with my pitiful budget I left his shop in a deeply depressed state.  Ever since, I've devoted much free time, on DIY projects, bought,sold, traded gear and spent way more of my total income on this insanity than any normal person could ever imagine trying to try to get back there!  ---- Still trying! . ---- It's a curse worse than any heavy drug habit!!!. ----- Wish I'd have been born tone deaf! I'd have been far happier and had a bit of cash in my pocket for food and paying the bills.
 ----To my fellow addicts, My heart felt condolences! 

Strange choice of photo for the article - a bunch of no nonsense ATC speakers. The article is more about extreme stuff that looks as wildly different as it sounds. The author seems bemused but actually gets it!

I think audiophiles are people who use music to listen to equipment.