I can't tell you the number of posts I've seen that start with something like this. Why are some people so anxious to qualify this like it's some sort of title? Being an "audiophile" isn't a concrete or objective thing like the citizenship of the country you were born in or being an MA. It's reflective of your hobby or taste, much like calling yourself a "foodie." Can anyone else chime in with some of the more ridiculous qualifications people have come up with for calling oneself an "audiophile?"
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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*
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.
""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.
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.
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 ?
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*
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
You enjoy recorded music enough to also enjoy accumulating the tools needed to make listening to it a more refined experience. You may actually be having fun doing that.
The Etymology of the word means "audio lover". Based on that I'd say an audiophile is just that- a music lover who seeks to elevate the listening experience of his favorite music.
A true Audiophile builds the best system they can affford , and never is finished
say a new dac comes out that's very popular , or maybe you want to upgrade your Loudspeakers.I have been into Audio since the mid 1970s and it never ends
the closest you can get to the real event is the ultimate goal.
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