Whatever that means...

"If you want to fight a cult, you've got to form a cult."

An oenophile to own the right  to be one must develop his taste  sense and learn about geology, geography, agriculture, chemistry, physiology etc ...

An audiophile must study the basic of the related  audio fields which most important one is acoustics ...

It could  certainly not necessarily  be someone owning 40 headphones and 35 speakers... Being a collector or a consumer does not define audiophile status no more than owning a  costly wine cave if we could purchase it ...

An audiophile is mostly someone who study , think and experiment about the best way to use any system at any price because acoustics and psycho-acoustics dont change their principles with the gear price scale ...

With all the posts received, we can safely say that

- insert your own phrase preceding “phile” …( eg audio, music, lifestyle, digital, tube, basshead , blah, blah …) , and,

- now we have a intuit variant of a cult following in a common hobby that may wreak havoc on your pocketbook in its worst addiction form…

 @samureyex 

I think the word is oneophile.

For me an audiophile just means a person that likes audio a bit more than the average person, regardless of gears.

If someone really enjoys the taste of wine I call them Winephile. If they drink it everyday I call them an alcoholic 😅🤣😅

I don't know what defines an audiophile, but I'm pretty sure I am one.

I don't think I heard the word audiophile until I was 45 or 50, a couple of decades ago. Over time it came to mean to me someone who loved gear more than music, a gear head with money always looking for the next thing.  I didn't grow up in a wealthy family but we did have a stereo,  one of those crappy furniture consoles. My parents liked music from Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson to Sinatra, Como and Englebert. In my neighborhood I  heard Hawaiian music, rock, blues and big band from my friends houses. Because I kept sneaking over to a neighbors to plunk on his ukulele and piano, my parents found some free music lessons  for me. That neighbor played blues and slide guitar and introduced me to that music and lent me records as I got older. When I used the stereo so much I  "blew it up", probably a few tube's went, my dad got a new Zenith fold up stereo. That sent me down the music junkie path, buying records with my paper route money, buying a cheap guitar then better ones. In HS I worked in a record store and my money went to savings (my dad was an accountant so 20% had to be saved and I had to track what I spent) records and guitars but when I  graduated because I did well I was given my first personal stereo from Scott, BIC and Bose. A few years later I  was offered a job as a part time sales rep for audio gear in the Navy PX. That opened up the world of audio gear to me. I did that for 3 years and upgraded my gear on rep discounts getting Marantz, SAE and JBL speakers. Then I kept those for 30 years. I never thought about upgrading as it worked. I just bought lots of mysic. I was given a CDP by a friend in NYC when that technology was introduced byt still played records.  The only thing I ever really lusted after  was a McIntosh amp like my HS girl friends dad's system. In my mind it sounded fantastic. About 20 years ago my amp started acting up and I figured it needed replacement. I bought  a Teac amp from Costco  and it sucked.  On a business trip, I walked past an audio store and decided to go back after my meeting. I was blown away by what I saw and heard. Things had changed from the gear I sold in college, all these new brands but also old tech like tubes. The guy I spoke to wasn't busy so he heard my story and stared explaining what had happened in the intervening 30 years. He was great and never pushed me. In fact, he had an old McIntosh amp that he played for me, a 275 tube amp  but would not sell it to  me. He instead suggested I read some magazines and listen to more gear suggesting I  would likely end up upgrading everything I had. He told me to bring in my own music to listen to. He started me on the path to not only upgrading my whole system but learning all about audio gear, hearing great gear and understanding I could have that without being rich. It was that first taste of the drug to turn me into an audiophile. I have spent $20-25k on new to me gear, some new some used. It has given me hours of enjoyment  but I dont see it as an endless quest. I could buy gear costing 5x what I  have spent but it is not necessary. I'm,mostly happy. I don't have a perfect room, not even a dedicated one so I  can only go so far. Since there are no new stores near me I cant get too tempted. Instead, I get more excited for the music especially hearing new stuff.I still like hearing music in my car or in my yard. So I think I am a failed audiophile or a wanna-be. I still get excited hearing great new gear at some audio salon like Overture in DE or Audio Connexxion in NJ. But I  know it will  never sound as good in my house and I will be frustrated.  I also know that I would rather spend  money on good wine, eating out, travel, more music, live concerts and supporting causes  important to me. I love music but I am a failure as an audiophile...though not entirely without trying. 

In Latin the term Audio is a amalgamation of two words, which basically translates to be able to hear a range of Sounds.

In Greek 'Phile' is from the term for being attracted to.

A Hybrid word used since 1950's until today to describe music that is Broadcast, it is also from a similar Period that High Fidelity was used, both are designed to be used to define a particular area of Marketing Demographic, and the influence is that some want to be labeled such a Type of individual in relation to how they make decisions about a purchase. I sense it gives a purpose to the reasons to spend monies on a means to be entertained using recorded music.        

Being an 'audiophile' has a more negative conotation these days. And I can see why.

Collectors should stick to stamps, coins, art, and beanie babies. Car collectors are OK if they drive them at least a thousand or two miles per year or they are truly art (the multimillion dollar ones that belong in a museum) investments. Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed.

If you say you are one, then you are one.

To me it is about getting the best sounding issue/pressing available of my favorite records without paying for the collector aspect to it. For others that are not among my top 50/100, making sure the pressing sounds very good.

I despise collectors - they purposely drive prices up. When the record manufacturers like Acoustic Sounds, Music Direct, Blue Note, Speakers Corner, etc. come out with reissues I am happy, When they overproduce them and I can get an overstock or great price especially from  a speculator who never opened it hoping for big investment gain, I am really happy (brand new Kind of Blue UHQR 45 for $120 for example a while back on eBay).

Can anyone else chime in with some of the more ridiculous qualifications people have come up with for calling oneself an "audiophile?"

a) A true audiophile shall only buy things from a guy who put something shoddy together in his garage (to provide true audiophile elusivity). When the shoddy does fall apart, garage guy will be long gone and the true audiophile will have a big paperweight.

b) A true audiophile shall know nothing about setup, acoustics, etc, focus only on optics and it will all sound like crap.

c) A true audiophile shall keep himself very tool/feature deprived in the name of purity and his cluster may sound ok with 3 audiophile recordings on repeat. Play anything else and the naked emperor will be in town full bloom.

d) When a true audiophile’s gear, his lack of common sense, etc keeps him in a state of constant disgruntlement, he shall blame everything on the cable (it’s all the cable’s fault) and keep buying wire for 10k, 20k, etc to fix all his problems.

etc, etc , etc

I could go further on the list and all the way to x, y, z, give you a sum total of 26 true audiophile qualifiers, but you get the idea..

Like many others, I’ve been listening to music since the early sixties. I had one of those suitcase record players that I traded for a mismatched pair of tube amps. Then I found Halfler kits and there was no going back! I have bought, swapped and sold equipment for almost sixty years and buying music along the way. Having all the equipment in the world is meaningless without the music!

True you have to have 1 million dollar system. That BS.

I have more than 1M of sound equipment but I don't want to be called an audiophile  because I've come to find out being and "audiophile" means you have to believe in things that are not true. It's more than a hobby it's like a cult. I'm sad to say. 

I'm not all that offended by the term 'audiophile', for lack of a better label. At the end of it all, we're all guys (and gals) who like good audio equipment to hear the best possible sound we can squeeze out of a musical recording. So if I'm an audiophile, so be it. I'm sure the coffee cup wanted a better name, but at at least everyone's on the same page when you hear the term 'coffee cup'.

I don't have a million dollars to spend on equipment but I love reading about it.Iv'e alway bought and trade up in equipment, love audio equipment. love music all kinds ect.rap a crapa.Listen to all kinds in different formats. I'm 72 been listening to good equipment since my Sept father would play,Bwy shows,all kinds of music from Classical  to Sinatra.An audiophile  who cares.I'm a music and equipment lover.

Someone who understands the science of sound, and knows that expensive cables don't improve sound at all.

@perkri     +1   Some of us get it!

If youʻre a true audiophile, then you just HAVE to make sure that everyone knows that yours is bigger than theirs.

If you are on this site, and participate in discussions about gear in order to improve your listening experience, you are an audiophile.

People change the meaning of words to suit their own purposes, which is hilarious, because words have specific meanings. 

“I care about the music first, so I’m not an audiophile” I love the air of superiority and the not so subtle subtext of “I’m better than you because I only care about the music” Makes me laugh.

Wonder why audiophile became such a dirty word? Is it ego? Do people think they are beyond being defined? Is it fear or insecurity? Why do people feel the need to change the meaning of a word to suit their own needs or shortcomings? 

Nowhere, in the definition of the word audiophile, does it place a hierarchy on its use. Meaning, you can care more about the music than how it sounds. But if you care at all about the reproduction of your music, guess what. You’re an audiophile.

From Websters dictionary:

audiophile

noun

au·​dio·​phile ˈȯ-dē-ō-ˌfī(-ə)l 

: a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction
 

The term has pretty much been lost to a universal assignment addressing people with more money than brains.  I prefer to consider myself a musicphile because I just do what any actual audiophile should do, and listen to what sounds good to me.  But the majority of people can't come to terms with this because the latest magazine is telling them that they need a brand new piece of equipment that somehow plays audio so differently then every other piece of equipment made over the last 50 years.  I ran into a guy on Reddit who kept going on about how his particular headphones are some of the best ever and his conclusions are backed up by math and experience.  He just couldn't come to terms with the fact that we all hear differently and that his affection for his headphones is not universally shared.  *shrug*

Ok- you want good tunes that sound great!  Whether from. Headphones, a killer system or somewhere in between 

I'll take my music anyway I can get it. But honestly, I will still prefer to hear it through a good sounding system. Just don't call me an audiofool, I much prefer audiophile.

The definition of an audiophile is when the LOVE of music inspires you to delve even deeper into the mystery of music through the use of artificial reproduction.  For all the infatuation that we have for music, no one that I am aware of has ever managed to explain how and why music affects us as it does.  To have the power to bring that into our daily lives is what inspires one to become an audiophile. 

Hearing subtle yet dramatic and transformative differences switching out one expensive Ethernet cord for another. 

Unless you have tubes and a turntable! :)

@bolong 

""Audiophile" is now similar to terms such as "conservative" or "liberal." it means so many different things to so many different people that it has become a throwaway expression."

Pompous: Having or showing the attitude of people who speak and behave in a very formal and serious way because they believe that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people.

Not sure without reading all posts above... but IMHO an audiophile is someone who relentlessly pursues the best sound of their favorite musical genre/s they can attain.

The question strikes me as an invitation to a "no true Scotsman" fallacy.

(No "true Scotsman" puts sugar in his porridge, wears anything under his kilt, etc.)

Just be who you are and stop worrying about what others do, assuming they don't mean to kill you or forbid you and yours from living your life.

In general the world would be a better place.

Unfortunately it is a bit like a black and white cookie. A very two-sided term: it can certainly mean one who loves audio, but it also carries a pejorative connotation of elitism, conspicuous consumption, and in some cases scientific rejection.

I suppose that is just due to the various personality types that make up the group, and the dynamics of paying a lot for something and then feeling the need to defend it.

I always love to see nests of cables and stacks of components next to records and CDs strewn about as indicating a true music lover who doesn’t think of the pristine equipment aesthetic, and the image it projects, as the highest priority.

While I am very interested in audio quality, I always try to distance myself from the audiophilia characterization because of those connotations. I am a music lover who is secondarily interested in how different gear works and interacts. More of a gearhead concept.

Either way, it’s all a tempest in a teacup. 99.999% of the world doesn’t give a hoot.  And I may be a few 9s short. 

Have something custom made for your Hi-Fi rig and or music collection.

Secondly wonder why all the music you love isn't as popular as it should be.

 I'm guessing a good definition might be :Audiophile- an old white couch potato with age related hearing loss spending a lot of money on overpriced highly resolving equipment ?

@emergingsoul ....Imho, you’re close....

What we call cavepeople were not much advanced from the critters about them.

Likely ’rhythms’ caught the ears first as being ’pleasant’ ...took a millennium for that to escalate into ’that which we do’ for whatever seemed apropos....

Sex, animal howls, beating sticks and rocks....hyping the gang into the hunt mode, be it for dinner or just the annoying neighbors....

Now? 3 piece suits, Beemers, and 100K$ audio collections...*nasty L*

You obsess about soundstage :)

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. That's a good baseline for me.

People say dinosaurs were the original audiophiles, this isn't true.

Caveman were the original audiophiles. It was due to their efforts that created interest in hearing that ushered in use of musical instruments to further sensitize that area within the brain. All this because if they didn’t develop great hearing they’d be dead because another creature would eat them and because of their desire to eat.

So surviving and eating was how this all started.

@abnerjack

It's subtle and not worth lingering on too much, but the subject of subliminal "triggers" can be fascinating. My post was intended to be more of an "aside" than some grand revelation.

A true audiophile can hear in music what most people can’t. When you can sit and feel the sound of a cymbal, bass or vocal.That can make you smile or chuckle to yourself. That's why spending and continuing to tweak a better system is so addicting.

@bolong

I agree with your thoughts regarding "phile'  usage.  It seems to me that using it      with "pedo" has somewhat tainted in when used  in combination with other words.  

You seem to be under the impression that I was "likening" audiophilia to pedophilia. I was merely pointing to subliminal influences of words.

A audiophile is also sometimes called an audiophiliac which is also the name of Steve Guttenberg's Youtube channel. What other words rhyme with "audiophiliac."

Necrophiliac

Pedophiliac

Coprophiliac

Audiophiliac is part of a word group that is rather creepy.

@bolong

Your comment was a ridiculous stretch and very disgusting.

Anyone who has actually bought a piece of audio equipment a little out of their comfort zone with the intention of making the music sound better to them.

Anyone who is reading this thread.

Anyone who buys one of many audiophile publications and believes 99% of what is said there and then buys one of the brands mentioned.

Two out of these three are required.

@wayoomuch .....Uh, yup... (it's late, and I as well.....)

...some of what I may do could classify me as an ' audio-defiler', but I'm 'up' for it.....;)

To me an audiophile is someone who cares about how the music sounds when listening. Is it live or is it Memorex? 

to me ...  the  music from my HiFi, be it ever so humble, makes a my place feel more like a home.   I love the music and the feeling of being at home.

I've also learned to take as good care of my hearing as much as possible.    I put down what ever I'm happen to be carrying and cover my ears with my hands when jets and helicopters buzz over my place.

Ron

I will approach this with a serious comment despite the OP wanting a humorous thread. An Audiophile has a stronger connotation then just audio equipment and music. Having an open mind to what is possible and avoiding negativity is imperative in having an Audiophile mindset. 

The label "audiophile" can be a badge of honor or invoke grimaces and/or mockery depending on whether interactions with others are complimentary, helpful, or condescending. When opportunity arrises, and you enthusiastically whip out your smart phone or tablet, display photos of your audio system, vacation high points, pets, and grandkids (in that order), you just might be one of "those audiophiles."

The term "audiophile" implies a degree of elevated knowledge and/or status related to the reproduction of music at home compared to the "average" music listener.  If everybody had exceptional music systems and could do a deep dive into high performance audio, we would not be referred to as "audiophiles", we'd just be called "normal."

General prerequisites for being an "audiophile" would include a highly sensitive "antenna" to pick up musical nuances often overlooked by "others", low(er) tolerance for errors and omissions in musical reproduction, an excellent command of vocabulary related to musical reproduction and equipment, and the ability to clearly communicate those observations and experiences with others -- including "non-audiophiles."  While owning expensive gear will certainly accelerate one's "audiophile qualification status" it is no guarantee that status will be sustained if the other qualifications listed above are not satisfied.