Am I right for this forum?

And yet...my system cost me less than $3,000 in total. I don’t lust after any particular "upgrade," even though I read reviews and all the many accounts of improvements in "SQ" documented in this forum.

So...am I an "audiophile," or not? Do I belong here, or not?

I’m listening right now to a wonderful bit of Mozart. I also love Tool. And Christy Moore. And Eva Cassidy. And so many others. I agree with Nietzsche: without music, life would be a mistake. But am I an audiophile? Do I belong on this forum?

Any sympathy here? Anyone else feel alienated from the "audiophile community" despite loving the miracle of audio technology?

Hmmm....I can really enjoy listening to a 100 dollar speaker on my deck. I can also enjoy listening a to 30k speaker in my listening room. But, since my 100 dollar speaker is so enjoyable, it didn't make the 30k speaker real stupid. I could give a rats-behind if some forum shrew  thought i didn't belong because i am able to really enjoy a 100 dollar speaker.

Nevertheless, this is an enthusiast forum. 

- Are you the type of troll who goes to some food enthusiast forum and says..."i'm very happy eating a wendy's sh-burger. Any sympathy for me?"

- Are you also the type of guy who goes to some car enthusiast muscle car forum and says..."I have a Pontiac Sunbird and it runs great, takes me from point A to point B, easy to fix. I don't wish for anything better. Any sympathy for me?"

In that manner, it kinda sounds like a trolly post. But, if it wasn't, why do you need some internet audio nerd's acceptance so badly?

Why don't you quit worrying about nothing and  get better at playing your cello instead??

P.S.

Eva Cassidy? kinda boring...Tool? kinda untalented...Seems like you need better taste in music dude... Add that to the getting better at cello 'to do' list. 😑

- Are you the type of troll who goes to some food enthusiast forum and says..."i’m very happy eating a wendy’s sh-burger. Any sympathy for me?"

it is very characteristic of trolling method too to use extreme comparison to disparage someone experience and stir a pot as you just did ...😁

I am here to socialize around sound and music interests ... The OP too ...

I think it is better to look less "smart" and suspicious and more empathic...

By the way it is not the OP who use 100 bucks speakers , it is myself , i heavily modify them thanks to Helmholtz observations... And i am perfectly happy with the balanced natural results... I feel more wise and creative  than buying a costlier pair of speakers as such and plugging them in the wall , is it a problem for your refined "taste" ?

I dont like sarcasm aimed at other people expanse...

I hate to say it but you probably don't belong here.  For the first thing your stereo setup was WAY TO NEAT  Where are the jumble of wires the size of fire hoses strewn all over the house?  Where are the special power plugs "required" to provide pristine electricity to your components?  Where are the snarky responses to your choices in music?

Look at who's here and who's not.  I actually met with Chuck "Millercarbon" at his house for an extended listening sessions.  I mean I was there all day.  He fed me, talked music with me and actually demonstrated the sound difference power cables made.  He took his speaker wires off of the lifters while the song was playing so I could and did hear the affect they had on the overall sound.  He hosted a meet with whole bunch of other hobbyists and we spent the day totally immersed in the hobby.  If he doesn't "belong here"  who does? 

Like Chuck you appear to be willing to enjoy your system and wish to talk about it.  I'm not sure that kind of talk is appreciated here so yeah maybe you don't belong.  As for being an AudioPhile  If you break the word into it's components

Audio:  As pertaining to sound
Phile:  An affinity for something

It looks to me that you fit the description but apparently that doesn't mean you should be a part of this forum.

Cheers and you're doing better than me as I had to look up who Stuart Smiley was.

😊

For all of us concerned the first definition of individual stupidity was given by Carlo Cippola an italian economist read attentively his laws and pay attention to the third one :

«

These are Cipolla’s five fundamental laws of stupidity:

1. Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
2. The probability that a certain person (will) be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places, and under any circumstances, to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.

Corollary: a stupid person is more dangerous than a pillager.