I think it has become that way. Some people flaunt that they have high end systems and they listen to certain kinds of music and I think it puts the hobby in a negative light at times.
Sure, some of the larger-than-life celebrities of the Hi-Fi world can be eccentric, and yes, snooty. But that's a personality trait, not a trait of the gear itself. I don't begrudge those with the resources to invest big money into their stereo systems, and I rarely run into audiophiles, journalists or retailers who look down on me because I don't have such resources. And when I do, I simply don't care.
I am very active in my local audio club. Through my contacts with other regional clubs, I have noticed that the culture of each club differs dramatically. Our club is as unpretentious as can be. With a few exceptions, most of our members are dreamers, DIYers and/or music lovers. Nobody is ever looked down upon because their system didn't cross the six-figure threshhold. We hold our meetings in a variety of venues, but many meetings are held in members' homes with modest, but lovingly assembled systems. I don't think any new visitor to one of our meetings would have described our club as "snooty". On the contrary, we have a good time, joke around a lot, and generally treat each other with respect. That doesn't mean we don't offer constructive criticism of the systems we hear, but it is never along the lines of "you can't get good sound unless you spend six figures". I think we may have lost a member or two over the years because there aren't enough really high-dollar systems in the club. I suppose for someone with one of these systems, listening to much more modest systems could be somewhat uninteresting. But some of our members do have very expensive systems, and not one of them ever belittles the less expensive rigs in other members' homes.
As for the music, we make room for everything. Would a rap CD clear the room and send people heading for the food table? Sure. But I do the same when a drum or organ "spectacular" starts, or opera, for that matter. So what? Let someone who likes that stuff enjoy the sweet spot for a while. Later, I'll wait my turn and put on a Porcupine Tree or Reverend Horton Heat CD, and the organ, drum solo, and opera afficianados can grab a bite to eat and have a chat in another room. I might get some groans from some for my musical choices, but that's done in a spirit of friendship. Heck, I've turned a few of the members on to PT and other artists. Music is highly personal, and discovering new music through the club is one of the more rewarding aspects of belonging to it. I barely listened to jazz or classical when I first joined. Now, I have a growing collection of both. All thanks to a group of very welcoming, non-judgemental, non-snooty audiophiles.
I have ran it to great people in this hobby who loved the music and the sound. A friend of mine and dealer David Baskin passed away a few months ago. Amazing raidho d5 and all soulutions electronics. $500,000 system great listening sessions I would tell him about jazz he hadn't heard. We would go down for a listen every few months. Great dealer and not snooty. Lol. Some people are about the hobby. Some dealers and some hobbyist. I've met some good down to earth folks in the hobby. However, you run into the high brows every now and then. Someone's car, audio system or cigars don't impress me. It's about the 5 or 6 hour listening sessions with your audio friends and enjoying whatever music you like to play. If your circle is snooty and that's what you like them enjoy your company. If it's a classic common man group enjoy that too
I would come to Newport with my jazz and blues and they would play it. I wouldn't bring my rap CDs. They are for my enjoyment. I don't seek the approval of others to enjoy what I enjoy. It's for me. Not to fit in. I listen to opera, classical, jazz, hip hop, r&b, blues, rock and pop. I enjoy the Tord gustaven project (If I'm spelling it right) as much as I enjoy miles and my old school hip hop. I listen to a Spanish singer Buika even though I don't speak spanish because of the emotion of her voice and the talent of the musicians. I love Dave Holland and Pepe Habichuela "Hands" because I respect the musicians and how well they play. I don't need the acceptance of a bunch of snooty folks to make me feel refined. Lol. I don't fit into your rap lover thug box I'm so sorry. I really don't care to fit at all. You should try not fitting. It's very liberating. 1977 I was a 5 year old kid riding in my grandfathers Cadillac listening to Lightnin Hopkins Blues songs. Simple hard working factory man and his grandson listening to the blues. I would never seek the approval of folks who don't matter much to me. In rap if you have spit a excellent verse of poetry you drop the mike and walk away. Picture that right about NOW!
I've noticed that occasionally someone unnecessarily works into a comment the name/brand of some piece of equipment they own and I've wondered about it. I think it's more that they really love the piece than it is flaunting it. I'm not sure it has to do with the value of the thing, but maybe it does. I've been hanging around here more than ten years and haven't experienced a lot snootiness. I listen to a lot of different styles of music and so do a lot of others here. Some listen to one or just a few styles. If that happens to be classical it might come off stuffy sounding but I think it may be more in the ear of the beholder rather than the attitude or intent of the person in question. I have to say the pursuit of accurate reproduction of a particular style of music has made a difference in my quest for audio excellence. When I was young I boosted the bass and treble a lot, with high volume, trying to reproduce the sound of a rock band. Now I want a system that's good for acoustic combo jazz and chamber music, yet I find that same system is also good for rock, etc. as well. It's been a long journey and I'm still learning, largely from the folks here.
High end audio. High end wine. High end sports cars. High end fill in the blank.
In all cases, buying from the "high end" of the market will involve a fair bit of snob appeal. Some people drive Ferraris because they track them, some because they're beautiful cars, some because they feel good behind the wheel, and some because they like to drive around in a rolling sign advertising their liquid net worth. Without a shred of supporting data, I'd guess that the percentages are probably more similar than different across the categories I mentioned above.
Yeah, they're all probably a bit snootier than I'd prefer, but they're probably just snooty enough for their own good. That is, snooty enough to maximize the dollars. Remember, for every ten regular folks turned off by the air of superiority, all you need is one billionaire to go all-in.
I think manufactures or salespeople can become snooty. The audiophiles that I know with systems way more expensive than mine just like music and sharing it. Sometimes the technical talk goes over my head since a lot of them are advanced DIY types.
I think it would be Interesting to bring you're rap CD's or records to a huge show like Newport Beach this June and see if they will play them in different rooms. I have been going to the Newport show since it started and I have never heard a room playing hip hop or rap. I have a feeling that most of the rooms would turn you down because they don't want to chase away their clientele. Which mostly consists of a male dominated crowd 50 and up. I would Imagine some of the rooms run by younger people would be more accepting of playing rap or hip hop. It would be an Interesting experiment If you were willing to try it.
Pick any hobby and you'll find those who enjoy it for the pleasure and those who feel the need for to take it to another level. It gives them a sense of purpose, I guess.
IMHO most of the snooty attitudes that we experience come from salesmen who are pushing their own product and denigrating the product of others hoping to make folks insecure about their own stuff and buy something new from them. Most of these salesmen have humble, if any, audio systems in their own hovels.
Any other snooty folks are IMHO sad individuals who have no way of evaluating their own worth that is not based on their own experience, probably because their personality keeps others at bay. We have spell checkers now, grammar checkers to come next, and god forbid pekka checkas by next year (yeh, I know, they already abound) :-).
No, I don't agree that high end AUDIO owners have become snooty or worse, either from my hands-on experiences AND in the various AUDIO forums that I frequent .
(1) I learned from these people . Experience matters -full stop. Most of us all started out in a modest budget system and then progressively worked our way up. Some then stepped into the "high-end" strata, which I am interpreting from your post to mean high price / high performance. (2) Similarly, they don't "flaunt" their kit, but rather informally invite others -- and maybe encourage -- to expand their respective experiences. We all salivate and ogle at say, 007's Aston Martin DB9 ride or an acquaintance's high-end luxury wheels... and then still smile and slowly sigh when real life limitations relegates our dreams to our more modest family car ownership. We enjoyed the tease , I don't see this as snooty nor flaunt. (3) I never met any types with high-end systems that listens more to certain "types of music" more than anybody else. In fact, quite the opposite. And yes, I have friends with $100K systems that comparatively dwarf my own fine system, but never has any scintilla of uber-competition or arrogance ever surfaced in our common appreciation of this wacky hobby. After all, it's rewards are revealed via a journey and never ever was designed ir contemplated to be a destination
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