Are Audiophiles Obsessive Nuts?

Docwarnock, very true, "there is no shortage of hucksters". Unfortunately, this is a reality in our society, that generalizes way beyond audio. "Caveat Emptor" has always been true. But if someone is willing to pay $80,ooo for an amp, and derives great pleasure in the process, who are we to say....

I thought we agreed on honey roasted nuts?

All I can say is "Let those who can hear....hear" those who cannot.....just try and listen.

What's an audiophile?
What's obsessive?
What's a nut?

High end audio. I am not for it. I'm not against it. Quite the contrary.

You can't really trust your eyes and ears, and that's what hardcore audiophiles can't or don't want to understand. A good system sounds better than a poor system, that's a given. The problem is that any perceived difference between two systems has to be explained to ourselves, and where some feel confident that they have magical, mystical powers, others are convinced that their own judgement, their own senses, may not be the final or best arbiter. In their purest form, the former mindset has probably given us mentalists and ufologists, and the latter, persons who have made their mark in pure or applied sciences. Pushed to the limit, in their own respective ways, both often, if not invariably, are "obsessive nuts" (your expression not mine). The more pointed question, however, is whether we are dealing with someone who is more "obsessive" or more "nuts".

While, a person may be of the egotist/magical/mystical shool or of the objective/scientific school and be properly qualified as "o.n.", I feel the former is way more nutty than the latter, while both can be equally as obsessive, it's much more of a challenge, requiring equipment, personnel, labs, anechoic chambers, listening rooms and human aural guinea pigs to really act upon a scientific bent, leaving aside the prerequisite of a scientific foundation built over the years with talent and studiousness. No immediate gratification there if you ask me. On the other hand, any one with a vivid imagination, a fondness for argument (some ability in that matter helps, but is not essential) and an ego that makes him/her (although it seems audiophilia is a male concern... thorny subject with which the ten foot barge pole owners may wish to dwell and comment upon) believe that they, and a very few other initiates, can hear things no one else can, may opine in the "subjective school" to his/her hearth's content. There is nothing more practical than a good theory. So if you can't objectively and rationally, based on proper, repeatable observation under controlled conditions explain what, and hopefully why, something is happening what great purpose is there? It doesn't advance the art that much. Sure, there can be a gap between the observation and the scientific explanation, but first you have to be sure there is an observable phenomena, which is exactly what is usually missing when things are done in a haphazard way, and then the explanation has to make some sense in the overall context of science generally. Failing that, all we have are people having fun making freewheeling comments to flatter their egos and make them feel that they are rising above the group by being an initiate. Add to that the power of suggestion introduced by other well meaning audiophiles and the specialty press and the need to justify the money you spent as more than a con, and not much good can come of it, except for the fun factor. I'm just happy to know that in our modern western world, everybody is entitled to his/her own ridiculous opinion. It's just that the more serious ones usually advance society more than the crackpots, and I'm not talking about the essential and very rare genius that sets the scientific world on its collective ear, precious persons such as those are few and far between, (some genuine hard working audio tweaks are certainly among them) and should never be confused with anxiety laden cone owning, power regulating, cable sniffing, 200 hour speaker burners.

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC, not just hot air, and that includes mine. No hard feelings. I'm ok. You're ok. OK? I'm just more right (or is that to the right?) than you, that's all.

Yes, your baloney sounds more scientifically right than my baloney. I congratulate yourself. But easy is better than complicated! Dale
psss. There really is a spiritual world. I know this because music is spiritual. Did you know that?