Types of Audiophiles


The Purist

A good stereo should be a transparent window into the recording session with no opinion or distortion of it’s own

 

The Dynamics Fanatics

A good stereo is like a thrill ride at a carnival. If I’m not jumping it isn’t worth listening to.

 

Live and Let Live

It’s all good man, put your money where your heart lies.

 

The Bean Counter

Buys gear like he’s stocking a used stereo store. Purchase price and retail value determine what comes and goes out.

 

The Canners

I bought my balanced headphones specifically so you wouldn’t ask me questions while I’m listening to dub step.

 

The Scientist

You can’t prove you have a soul so all your opinions are meaningless.

 

The Blind Follower

Can’t hear a difference between amp A and B so he wants to know if he should spend 5x more on B and will wait to be told which to get.

 

The Brand Loyalist

Falls in love with the idea of a brand or designer and changes his job to accommodate the demands of his audio jewelry

erik_squires

"Mirror, mirror, on the hook,

whose output stage is about to cook?"

*...the silver backing begins to swirl, slowly forming copy...*

Please refer to the 'magic 8 ball' for further analysis.

 

I first spent a fair amount of time reading reviews, studying options, listening to set ups in show rooms, etc. I was intensely focused for a couple of months, like studying for an important final exam. Then I assembled a pretty high end system with a reasonably generous budget, helped by the availability of pricy but nicely-discounted equipment. And lucky me, after it was fully assembled, my system sounded great, just as I hoped.

Next, I listened to a wide variety of my music, grazing and sampling scores of sources. Yup, across the board, my set up continued to hold up.

Now, I don’t think much about equipment at all.

My almost exclusive measure is simple:

Does it sound like the performer is IN THE ROOM?

(Of course, the quality of the recording is very important for optimizing that singular measure of realism).

That said, my sole question now is: DOES IT SOUND LIKE IT’S IN THE ROOM?

If it does, I’m happy. Very happy.

Is there a category for people like me who want just one thing: 

Does it sound like it’s IN THE ROOM?

THE HOARDER: 4 BASIC AMPLIFIERS, 3 PRE-AMPS, 5 TURNTABLES, 7 SETS OF SPEAKERS, 3 SUBWOOFERS, 4 SACD PLAYERS.

Okay, this sounds like fun.

My Stereo Can Beat Up Your Stereo

All my stuff is bigger, badder, and better looking.  Including me.

The Bait and Switch

You get lured in with the promise of an evening of musical bliss.  Then the subject abruptly changes to laser prostate surgery, politics, and/or his guitar/car/wine collection.

The Genre Narcissist 

The only music that exists are genres he prefers.  All others are completely invisible and/or intellectually and culturally insulting.

The Multitasker

The guy who can critically listen while sumultaneously returning texts, play tug of war with the dog, and use the camera on his phone to check for nosehairs.

Good topic, Erik