Would you rather be a golden-ear audiophile or cloth-ear music lover?

[IAtaman]

Audiophile is a misnomer in my view. Maybe a better name would be pettygearphilia. What is the percentage of audiophile forums that are about discussing gears and squeezing the last drop of "excellence" by better cables, accessories, caps, opamps etc vs conversations on high quality recordings or good albums? These people don't like audio, they like fiddling with audio gear- not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[dasdoing]

Taken to the extreme "cloth-eared"= deaf

"cloth-eared" is figuratively here

 

[-Matt-]

Audiophile is a misnomer in my view. Maybe a better name would be pettygearphilia.

Yes, I agree, and it is crazy. I prefer the more literal meaning...

audiophile = one that loves sound (could even be sounds heard in the natural environment).

To the current meaning which relates more to sound reproduction:

And more recently...

These people don't like audio, they like fiddling with audio gear- not that there is anything wrong with that.

We ought not to use the term audiophile in this perverse and pejorative way.

(Perverse because the word that literally means "lover of audio" is now used to describe someone who "doesn't like audio").


Reference for the above definitions:

audiophile | Etymology of audiophile by etymonline

"enthusiast of high-quality sound reproduction," 1951, originally in "High Fidelity"… See origin and meaning of audiophile.

www.etymonline.com

 

[Deleted member 21219]

(Perverse because the word that literally means "lover of audio" is now used to describe someone who "doesn't like audio").

Correct. That's the reason I avoid the term, and view it with mistrust. That's why I said that I'd rather be a cloth-eared music lover; to me, the term "audiophile" is pejorative.

Jim

 

[-Matt-]

If the question was:

Which would you prefer to be labelled as?
or
Which describes you more accurately?

Then (due to the pejorative use of the term audiophile) I could understand the majority voting for "cloth-eared music lover".

But the question was actually:
Which would you rather be?

...and so (to me) the cloth-eared / golden-eared part relates to the actual functioning of your ears.

Given the choice, I'd rather have well functioning ears than be deaf anyday, and I wouldn't care about the label.


Guess what... someone "enthusiastic about sound reproduction" with well functioning ears might actually be a "music lover" too!

We should challenge rather than perpetuate the falsehood that being enthusiastic about sound reproduction and being a music lover are mutually exclusive.

 

[IAtaman]

We should challenge rather than perpetuate the falsehood that being enthusiastic about sound reproduction and being a music lover are mutually exclusive.

I don't think a lot of people think that being enthusiastic about sound reproduction and being a music lover mutually exclusive, quite the opposite, I think a lot of people here would claim to be both. I for one do. But, as you pointed out, depending on who is using it, audiophile does not mean that.

 

[-Matt-]

Dictionary definition of audiophile:
"Enthusiast of high-quality sound reproduction"

I don't think a lot of people think that being enthusiastic about sound reproduction and being a music lover mutually exclusive...

@IAtaman 's definition of audiophile:

These people don't like audio, they like fiddling with audio gear- not that there is anything wrong with that.

Do you see the contradiction?

You state that audiophiles don't even like audio which certainly excludes them from being music lovers.


@IAtaman, sorry to pick on your responses. It is the shift in meaning of the term audiophile that annoys me. (You certainly understand my position, and perhaps even feel the same; not that we can likely do anything about it now).

 

[egellings]

Ad another entry to the list of replies. Label it "Both".

 

[-Matt-]

Ad another entry to the list of replies. Label it "Both".

I'd argue for multiple choice, tick all that apply:

Which would you like to be?
cloth-eared,
golden-eared,
audiophile,
music lover,

Don't think you'd see many selecting cloth-eared then.

(Of course I realise that this wouldn't include the OP's false dichotomy).