Real or Surreal. Do you throw accuracy out the window for "better" sound?

@rcm1203 

That last comment was way off base. As a 13 year old I cleared driveways of snow to get the money to buy my first real HiFi gear, Dynakits that I had to build. I usually bought used gear like my first real turnable a TD124 mk2. I have always made my own interconnects and build my own subwoofers. The best equipment is not cheap, it is also not hyper expensive. That Luxury HiFi stuff is the equivalent of a HiFi Rolex and IMHO a waste of money. 

This is still an interesting and friendly thread. I'm not offended and I am not trying to be offending. Our viewpoints simply differ on what constitutes a person's belief that they are in fact an 'audiophile'. 

That Luxury HiFi stuff is the equivalent of a HiFi Rolex and IMHO a waste of money. 

Yes it is but IMO not a waste of $$ if you have the means and makes one happy. I'd love to own/buy Boulder gear but I'm just a poor working soul that has to support a family and know my own priorities. If I win the lottery then I'll first spread some wealth to family and friends and buy some "luxury" hifi gear. 

“Down with flat”.

It is true that you have not claim anything and just give an opinion...😊

Though, i dont consider as you do , that audiophiles are occupied with the gear more than with the music...

Those who purchase without end dont LEARN...Obsessed people are not audiophiles...

Real audiophile like music first but dont accept to listen music on mediocre gear then they buy synergetical gear and once it is done they studied the problem : acoustically, electrically amd mechanically...but one day their audio journey in search of minimal acoustic satisfaction is done they are no more bothered by the sound ... They had learned how to do the optimization and installation once for all and they can do it for any system at any price...

Obsessed compulsive people are lost in a string of upgrades with no end , no satisfaction and no musical learnings...They listen their gear and buy recorded audiophile  album  to listen through their gear... 😊 I am an audiophile but i love music first and i listen anything i love even badly recorded..

i am done listening my gear because i dont need to at all now, my job is done ... I listened music all my life but sometimes on crappy system or not well embedded one , even with very good gear at the times; i did not know what to do and most people around me did not know what to do too EVEN THE CLAIMED audiophiles who start my first purchase with Tannoy...They were GEAR FOCUSSED , they think buying the costlier gear was enough...They even build their own speakers and put them in a room with no acoustic embeddings... That was it...Vibrations ? electrical noise floor ? optimization of the components ? they never adress this and never taught me this... Because of their example i bought some Tannoy and never learn how to embed them rightfully for 45 years... I sold them few years ago without having benn able to  listen to them at all in their optimal level as most people do... I will learned it alone after my 65 years birthday by reading acoustics science articles which inspired me my experiments with among other things Helmholtz resonators and i studied many "tin foil hat" audiophiles too and that gave me too many ideas... I studied vibrations control in headphones and speakers... I designed my own homemade EMI control... etc

True audiophile learn and study and experiment way more than they purchase...

Obsessed people purchase way more that they experiment and studied...They even laugh at those who experiment and call them "tin foil hat" because they are very proud of their gear...Their gear is all they have...Especially costlier one... 😁

i am glad with my music sound and my learnings.. I can replace my actual gear with other gear and i will know what to do....I dont need to brag about my gear choices ...

It is easy to spot those who never learn anything because they are unable to make a low end system sound good, by modifications and optimization and also simple tweaks in the electrical,mechanical and acoustical working dinmensions... They are like sellers and they will say to you : this system is low-fi , you can do nothing for it... This system is hi-fi , buy it...

Those who spoke like that know nothing sorry...

Sound serve music and a minimally acoustic satisfaction level can be reach with relatively basic good synergetical low cost system in a DEDICATED ACOUSTIC ROOM ... Mine cost me 700 bucks ( 2/3 vintage)...

Give me a 500 thousand bucks system i will do what i learned in the last 10 years and it will sound way better than the same in a plug and play condition in average living room ...

«A bundle of straws of different size well located can change the sound of a system/room»-- Anonymus acoustician

😁😊

@mahgister

I did not say they are not related. The vast majority of audiophiles love music. The vast majority of music lovers are not audiophiles.

@asctim

That was tongue in cheek. The problem really is that I have to beg, borrow and steal to get the equipment I want, at least until recently.

What I really want is a certain sound and image quality. It is not imaginary even though most of the time I have to imagine it. It is an audiophile process, not a music lover process and I am not on any antipsychotics......yet. I also have a clear path to that goal. I know exactly where I am going and why.

Throwing accuracy out the window most often produces inferior sound IME.