What Is An Audiophile?

[Sal1950]

I like this simple definition:

"An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction."

Right on point for me.
It also separated the audiophile from the audiophool.

 

[dorakeg]

I think for most situations it ought to be "Someone who is willing to spend extra money to get better sound quality", since questions around buying gear drives most discussions of sound quality.

I personally don't think that is sufficient to be considered audiophile. This is because willing to spend extra money does not mean the person is really interested in audio. I would consider it just normal consumer behaviour about pay more money for better quality/features etc etc....

I would say that apart from spending extra money, the person would need to have an interest in it and willing to invest some time and effort in the interest. Something similar to a Hobbyist or enthusiast.

 

[kemmler3D]

I personally don't think that is sufficient to be considered audiophile. This is because willing to spend extra money does not mean the person is really interested in audio. I would consider it just normal consumer behaviour about pay more money for better quality/features etc etc....

I would say that apart from spending extra money, the person would need to have an interest in it and willing to invest some time and effort in the interest. Something similar to a Hobbyist or enthusiast.

It's a fair point. Maybe a better way to frame it would be "someone who is willing to spend more TIME seeking out better sound quality"?

 

[antcollinet]

That would exclude everyone on ASR who owns a turntable, because as I keep getting told here, nobody here claims that a TT is a path to very high fidelity.

The "high" in high fidelity is not an absolute.

Back in the 70's and 80's vinyl was the highest fidelity generally available in the home. It is just as high today, or higher (with modern electronics). The fact that there are even higher fidelity formats doesn't negate that.

Further - anyone who uses both vinyl and digital can be said to be interested in different levels of high fidelity - including the highest.

 

[Pancreas]

I’m autistic and have perfect pitch so i crave high fidelity but money is a concern lol

 

[Yasuo]

Definitely not my signature!

 

[WillBrink]

I prefer to term "Audio Enthusiast"...

Ohms

That's the term I tend to use and favor.

 

[Aleksandar RS]

I don't understand why some people have a problem with someone spending more money (their own money) to enjoy, in their own opinion, perfect sound. If you enjoy (by enjoying the sound I don't mean delighting in graphs and measurements) some cheap Chinese devices, I respect that.

The only important thing for audiophiles is to enjoy perfect sound. Or more precisely to the subjective perception of perfect sound.

 

[fpitas]

I don't understand why some people have a problem with someone spending more money (their own money) to enjoy, in their own opinion, perfect sound. If you enjoy (by enjoying the sound I don't mean delighting in graphs and measurements) some cheap Chinese devices, I respect that.

The only important thing for audiophiles is to enjoy perfect sound. Or more precisely to the subjective perception of perfect sound.

There are a lot of people here who spent enough to buy a small house. I don't think that's the problem they have with "audiophiles".

 

[Aleksandar RS]

There are a lot of people here who spent enough to buy a small house. I don't think that's the problem they have with "audiophiles".

To make sure there is no confusion, I did not think that the owners of cheaper devices do not have money for more expensive ones, but rather buy cheaper ones because they think that more expensive devices do not bring anything better.

 

[fpitas]

To make sure there is no confusion, I did not think that the owners of cheaper devices do not have money for more expensive ones, but rather buy cheaper ones because they think that more expensive devices do not bring anything better.

I fit in that category, if you mean don't throw money at crap that doesn't work any better.

 

[bodhi]

There are a lot of people here who spent enough to buy a small house. I don't think that's the problem they have with "audiophiles".

I think the category with most snake oil aficionados in it nowadays is actually some head-fi youngsters with just above entry level gear like HD6XX, Schiit Magni etc. Buying veil lifting cables and the like is more affordable than going the way of diminishing returns and buying 1-2k headphones.

Buying stuff that doesn't do anything is no more sane if it doesn't cost that much. Price to performance ratio is still infinitely poor.

 

[MattHooper]

I like this simple definition:

"An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction."

For reasons similar to the ones given by Newman, I've said before:

I think the definition "An Audiophile is someone who is enthusiastic about high quality sound reproduction" is probably the best catch-all for what ties audiophiles together. Some do this by seeking accurate equipment, others look for or accept some level of coloration. Insofar as "high fidelity" is a synonym for "accuracy," seeking merely "accuracy" doesn't cover all this. That's because "accuracy" doesn't necessitate "good sound." (Your source may have poor sound quality - reproduce that with "high fidelity" and you will get poor sound. Most of us are in this for at least the potential for "better sound quality.").

 

[Aleksandar RS]

I fit in that category, if you mean don't throw money at crap that doesn't work any better.

I know you fit in, and thank you for reiterating that point vividly.

Don't be so surprised that some people have more expensive devices. It's their thing, no one convinces you to behave like that. As Jim Taylor nicely wrote: "People are what people are."

 

[fpitas]

I know you fit in, and thank you for reiterating that point vividly.

Don't be so surprised that some people have more expensive devices. It's their thing, no one convinces you to behave like that. As Jim Taylor nicely wrote: "People are what people are."

Lol thanks for the sage advice. I scrape by.

 

[Pancreas]

I think the category with most snake oil aficionados in it nowadays is actually some head-fi youngsters with just above entry level gear like HD6XX, Schiit Magni etc. Buying veil lifting cables and the like is more affordable than going the way of diminishing returns and buying 1-2k headphones.

Buying stuff that doesn't do anything is no more sane if it doesn't cost that much. Price to performance ratio is still infinitely poor.

lol they have the drop versions too and probably have that Sonos soundbar too

I only have the HD598, rarely use it unless I need privacy or something. I have Genelec speakers cost $1400 pair, which is nothing in the world of hifi, but decent enough, at this point the only headphones that may be worth my time are HD800 but since i rarely use headphones, makes no sense to buy that

I have big ears, the HD598 are the most comfortable ones from Sennheiser apparently, even those I can't wear them for more than 1 hour without feeling hot, annoyed, is just a bad experience

 

[kemmler3D]

Don't be so surprised that some people have more expensive devices. It's their thing, no one convinces you to behave like that.

Not to derail the thread, but the surprising thing isn't that people will spend 5-10x on a device that isn't better than the less expensive one. That's not surprising, since subjectivity and various bias does creep in pretty readily. Same with wine or designer clothes - the expectation of quality shapes the experience.

What's different about audio gear is that its performance is measurable and quantifiable, because they're machines, and the quality people SAY they are after can be measured accurately.

The surprise happens when people SAY they're after high performance, but don't seek out, or even actively ignore measurements, and just buy something (apparently) BECAUSE it costs more, no other clear reason. This isn't most people, but it is some people, and it remains a bit of a mystery / surprise.

As for whether anyone convinces them to be like that... no, I guess not, unless they go to the wrong Hi-Fi shop, or read TAS, What Hi-Fi, Positive Feedback, or any of the other flowery advertorials disguised as reviews out there, or read any audio forums except this one and a small handful of others.

 

[Frank2]

An audiophile is someone who never loses hope that an upgrade of their playback system will upgrade the production quality of their favorite tracks..

 

[fpitas]

Not to derail the thread, but the surprising thing isn't that people will spend 5-10x on a device that isn't better than the less expensive one. That's not surprising, since subjectivity and various bias does creep in pretty readily. Same with wine or designer clothes - the expectation of quality shapes the experience.

What's different about audio gear is that its performance is measurable and quantifiable, because they're machines, and the quality people SAY they are after can be measured accurately.

The surprise happens when people SAY they're after high performance, but don't seek out, or even actively ignore measurements, and just buy something (apparently) BECAUSE it costs more, no other clear reason. This isn't most people, but it is some people, and it remains a bit of a mystery / surprise.

As for whether anyone convinces them to be like that... no, I guess not, unless they go to the wrong Hi-Fi shop, or read TAS, What Hi-Fi, Positive Feedback, or any of the other flowery advertorials disguised as reviews out there, or read any audio forums except this one and a small handful of others.

Your comment is instead kind of central to the thread. The term audiophile has been hijacked by the snake oil purveyors.

 

[Aleksandar RS]

I think the category with most snake oil aficionados in it nowadays is actually some head-fi youngsters with just above entry level gear like HD6XX, Schiit Magni etc. Buying veil lifting cables and the like is more affordable than going the way of diminishing returns and buying 1-2k headphones.

Buying stuff that doesn't do anything is no more sane if it doesn't cost that much. Price to performance ratio is still infinitely poor.

My audiophile experience runs from my first serious amplifier Sansui AU-607 in 1980 to the present day. Based on that experience (I didn't make graphs or measure anything) I write posts. But it seems that the obsession among some that everyone has to buy some audio toys, or they don't know what they are doing is too strong. I will repeat it one more time. Do whatever you want, but let others enjoy the perfect sound.