Music lover or audiophile?


I think you have to decide, are you a music lover or audiophile?  I know the majority will say, both.
 I’m not so sure though. The nature of audiophilia is to get in there and fiddle with the tools, like any other hobbyist.  The difference in our hobby though is that presumably, our ultimate goal is to have the best musical experience we can get. The hobbyist is never really finished. The manipulation of the materials is the fun. The music lover, however, wants to get the most out of that esthetic experience.  
By continually plying materials, the audiophile is on an endless quest for better sound.
 After years of this quest, I’ve decided I can be a music lover or an audiophile.  I’m happy listening to my system now the way it is.  So, I’ve decided to be a music lover once again.
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Showing 2 responses by kink56

If I did not love music, I would not care how well it is recorded nor would I care about getting the best sound I can from my equipment to listen to it.  It is true I am never satisfied because most recordings do not sound all that great. And the ones that do are hindered by the shortcomings of my system.  

Most hobbies have two types of participants. One goes for quantity and the other goes for every increasing quality.   For example, when I used to restore cars for a hobby, I would strive for my next project to improve upon the previous project.  

 When I was around 10 years old, I went to a friend's house whose dad had a decent stereo. I was shocked how good music could sound. I was hooked. But I started out years earlier playing music on a little portable record player. I loved music since I can remember (age 3).  And I have been striving for better sound since I have been making a living and affording to do so. 
Why in the hell would I give a damn if people think I am an audiophile?  I have been called much worse. I proclaim who I am. I AM an audiophile. Others may consider it a pejorative so what?  I do not.  If I could magically hear my music collection via telepathy and not require equipment, I would.  My goal is to have equipment that totally gets out of the way of the musical experience. It is a mean to an end, not an end in itself.