My interpretation of the word "audiophile" is to mean "high end" audio. When I was in "mid fi", I was simply a music lover with a stereo. After my mid fi pre went "belly up", I wandered into a high end emporium. I could not believe the music that could be derived from a black disc if you had a Koetsu cartridge, with Sota, ARC and B & W. Carmen McRae was so real on the soundstage, I wanted to walk up and kiss her. That's when I became an audiophile.
