What makes / defines an audiophile ?

The wife's just going to bed, and you wonder.... Do I go to bed too and maybe get lucky? Or do I listen to some music? - because getting lucky isn't a sure thing. And choosing the music.

To me it goes something like this. A music enthusiast is one who's primary interest is listening to and enjoying the music, hardware is secondary. An audiophile is an obsessive compulsive hobbyist at LEAST as MUCH INTERESTED in the gear that makes the music as enjoying the music for music sake. And finally the Audioholic, one who has an extreme case of audiophilia. New gear coming and going, trying every new tweek that comes down the pike. In long term debt. Has severed relationships and become isolated from others because of this extreme obsession. Dreams about new gear at least once a week. This individual has no more than a 10% cost ratio of software to hardware.

WHEN YOU HAVE A DOCTOR OR LAWYER AT YOUR MERCY BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE AUDIO PIECE HE OR SHE WANTS BAD.

Is a male. Is the inverse of a music lover (Uses $20,000 worth of stuff to listen to a $200 stack of recordings (and usually a handful of CDs & records in that stack are listened to over and over again)as apposed to $200 worth of stuff to listen to $20,000 worth of recordings). Half of equipment is actually in use. Great sound but never satisfied. Has a hard time listening to a track all the way thru. Hides equipment (ESPECIALLY the shipping boxes)from the significant other and substitutes it into the system on the sly. Speaks to other audio geeks over the phone in hushed/muted tones so that the significant other wil not notice that he is talking to another audio geek (but the significant other knows it anyway). Is making the significant other even more irratible as he is now looking at wide screen TVs. Denies that he is an audiophile and says it's "just a hobby".

What *makes* someone an audiophile? That part is easy and the dictionary describes it best. American Heritage says it's "a person having an ardent interest in stereo or high-fidelity sound reproduction." (Note that the word "music" is not used!) What *defines* an audiophile? This is a bit more complicated, but I believe an audiophile is defined by what they've spent on their system. This investment is not strictly monetary nor do all the parts have physical substance. It includes the minutes and hours, the blood, sweat and tears, the sacrifices made in other parts of life. Yes, it's a package deal and why all the answers above are so different, but still so much the same. It's what each of us makes of it and why we all receive a fair share of return in entertainment, pleasure and joy from the "investment."