Audiophilism is a hobby

I have characterized our pursuit as a "hobby" for a long time. I don't think it's fundamentally different than someone who plays Magic the Gathering, collects autotomotons, sings in a community choir, or restores vintage automobiles.

For those of us who still listen to physical media our hobby has 2 dimensions. We collect and curate our equipment but more importantly we collect and curate our music. I can get goosebumps from listening to one of my favorite tracks on a boom box. But to hear the dynamics, frequency range, and imaging realism on my system is thrilling. Sort of like driving a really fast sports car around the track. Hobby is the best word I can use to describe what I'm doing.

@bdp24 

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We figured in a previous thread that there less than a million audiophiles in the US and of that group only a small number care enough to post about it on internet sites.

This estimate is probably off and the number is a lot higher, imo. The younger audiophile is a "home theater" guy, with a HT setup, spatial headphones, etc. I know quite a few of them in my city. They view audio as a multitasking system for their music, movies and games. Their setups tend to sound shockingly good and in many cases may beat the daylights out of some of the $$$$ channel based purist systems around here.

The older lads here probably have little to no idea about the above mentioned, play games, etc. Purist stereo rigs my be a dying breed, but, the above mentioned is not. If these uppity audio brands don’t repurpose themselves a bit, they will be closing shop soon enough.

The fact that AV forums have skyrocketing memberships and sites like Agon have dwindling membership should be initial proof.

I think it's something you do for pleasure. Is sex a hobby?

For those who say they don’t understanding the issue or “the angst,” it is thus:  

As advantageous as high audio fidelity is, the processes by which the music lover achieves such is very often deleterious to actually loving the music. It’s hard to love the music when instead of just loving it one is very pre-occupied with the scrutiny of fidelity-related minutiae.  
Non-Audiophile Fred is just sitting there loving the music.  
Audiophile Billy is sitting there fretting about the distortion, the transient accuracy, the imaging, the soundstage, on and on and on and on….

Fred is actually enjoying the beauty, wonderment, emotional richness, mental stimulation, perhaps even transcendence that music provides.  
Billy is a ball of anxiety, angst and minutiae-scrutinizing madness.
That’s the issue and “the angst.”