Pbb's explanation that "High fidelity is an ersatz", as convenient as it seems, may be a pretty good insight. Re-creating music via high fidelity equipment is rather sort of an ongoing science experiment to which there is no conclusive answer. There is no one definitive solution and all results are highly subjective. Evaluation involves extended and focused listening - and not necessarily to music but to 'sound quality'. How frustrating and cumbersome it must seem!
The appeal of a high performance car or a fine wine seems rather straightforward by comparison.
There is one audio manufacturer that stands out as breaking the audio = geek rule - Bang & Olufsen. It's a very high prestige product and it's even an instrument of seducing women. But audiophiles are generally not interested in it because it represents poor value in terms of sound quality for the dollar and you can't tinker with it. It is first a work of art and a visual statement. It plays music rather well, too, and can set quite an ambience it the right minimalist space.
I think the level of geekiness depends on how obsessive one gets about gear (how much time one spends switching out power cords) - vs. - buying excellent, unobtrusive gear and letting music enrich your life.
The appeal of a high performance car or a fine wine seems rather straightforward by comparison.
There is one audio manufacturer that stands out as breaking the audio = geek rule - Bang & Olufsen. It's a very high prestige product and it's even an instrument of seducing women. But audiophiles are generally not interested in it because it represents poor value in terms of sound quality for the dollar and you can't tinker with it. It is first a work of art and a visual statement. It plays music rather well, too, and can set quite an ambience it the right minimalist space.
I think the level of geekiness depends on how obsessive one gets about gear (how much time one spends switching out power cords) - vs. - buying excellent, unobtrusive gear and letting music enrich your life.
