[Atlplasma]

Nice article by Fred Kaplan on Slate. 

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/02/audiophiles_neil_young_s_pono_has_brought_unfair_scorn_for_lovers_of_high.html

[Tyson]

The comments, as always, are priceless.

[rollo]

Loved the last paragraph. My sentiments exactly.


charles

[MegaHz]

Nice find. 

[Folsom]

I can't even bring myself to read it. It looks like victim-feminism-whatever-else-is-on-slate with that stupid title. Repugnant. Even if I agree in some form I find that sort of click bate, bias-confirmation, form of journalism to be significantly less important than the dog shit I narrowly avoid stepping in.

[Tyson]

I can't even bring myself to read it. It looks like victim-feminism-whatever-else-is-on-slate with that stupid title. Repugnant. Even if I agree in some form I find that sort of click bate, bias-confirmation, form of journalism to be significantly less important than the dog shit I narrowly avoid stepping in.

Agreed, it's heavily biased.  What is a better one?

[charmerci]

I can't even bring myself to read it. It looks like victim-feminism-whatever-else-is-on-slate with that stupid title. Repugnant. Even if I agree in some form I find that sort of click bate, bias-confirmation, form of journalism to be significantly less important than the dog shit I narrowly avoid stepping in.

Hmmm, having a bad day?

" But the mainstream media run rave reviews of high-priced restaurants and luxury cars, and breathless style-section profiles of the hedge-fund managers whose walls are flush with de Koonings and Rauschenbergs. Audiophiles, meanwhile, are portrayed as obsessive nerds, insufferable aesthetes, hopeless nostalgics."

[InfernoSTi]

People who complain about audiophiles don't know saltwater aquarium hobbyists or muscle car hobbyists: they make our expensive systems seem like child's play...

[Folsom]

I don't need group-support to enjoy my hobby.

It's an absolute waste of my life to believe I owe anything to weirdo's that want to get all up in my business; since they don't got their own it seems. My validation is my enjoyment. It isn't my responsibility to explain to a trained pleb culture of cheap beer and Beats headphones why audiophile anything; if anything I can set a good example of less-than-skin-deep role model for others.

The answer is clear.

[charmerci]

I don't need group-support to enjoy my hobby.

It's an absolute waste of my life to believe I owe anything to weirdo's that want to get all up in my business; since they don't got their own it seems. My validation is my enjoyment. It isn't my responsibility to explain to a trained pleb culture of cheap beer and Beats headphones why audiophile anything; if anything I can set a good example of less-than-skin-deep role model for others.

The answer is clear.

Cool, that makes sense....though that Taylor Swift video....

[asliarun]

A lot of the criticism that audiophiles face had little to do with the pursuit of high fidelity audio, and a lot to do with really questionable products. Stones that improve sound just by being present in a listening room, $1000 Ethernet cables, props that hold up cables so they don't touch the ground, cables that are directional, cryogenic treatments, etc.

Sorry, maybe some of the examples I gave may even have some scientific basis. If so, apologies.

But this industry gets scorned mostly because of completely over the top, ridiculous sounding products priced at bizarre levels that still find some buyers, even some people that feel passionately about them.

And the defence I hear is almost always exotic physics. Quantum physics, skin effect, illustrations of waveforms, sampling theory, the classic jagged digital waveform, etc.

[JLM]

Seems to me that we each has their own "level of satisfaction".  This can be based on open mindedness, intelligence/experience, economic value system, interests, lifestyle, or particular sensitivities.  Beyond that level, the quality of the product/service is not appreciated.  We're all at different stations in life and are individuals with our own values that can change over time.  So one shoe can't fit all.  Like I tell wifey, I could be out bowling (that involves eating unhealthy food and drinking too much beer).

So I can dismiss a $2,000 bottle of wine as a waste, because I lack the sensitivity to discern it's advantages over a $20 bottle due to lack of experience/training and it doesn't fit into my economic status/upbringing.  Similarly a European vacation may not interest me as not liking the hassle of air travel, trying new foods, total lack of interest in things foreign, or just being a home body.  If you live in a small apartment with children, a six figure audio system may not make sense.  If you're constantly on the road, a big rig probably doesn't interest you.  If you've never been exposed to good music on a good system, you can't have an appreciation. 

[steve in jersey]

There really isn't much point entering the "Court of Public Opinion" to "In defense of..  anything".

 When you take a defensive stance on anything the "instigator" has accomplished his intent to further extend interest in something that "he" may not even be that interested in other than "It was another article" (At this point it's nothing more than a "comment / opinion"
from a Journalist (& I use that term lightly as I'm consistently underwhelmed by most who call themselves this))

We kid around amongst ourselves about certain things we do as "Audiophiles". For the most part that basically doesn't leave "Our
Community" as it doesn't really pertain to most other things & people in our lives. Much of what we do is not that translatable to others
(including family). We can come close to explaining why we enjoy what we do , but it comes down to "We choose to"

We either find a "comfort level" in our "hobby" with how it ties into everything else or we abandon it for other interests. Just remember the
"Court of Public Opinion" lasts for about 15min. (as that's about the length of the "Non-Audiophiles" attention span)

[Phil A]

I've had people make fun of me and laugh and I'm fine with it.  One time I was sitting at a bar having a beer and someone was poking fun.  He ordered an Absolute Martini (dirty) and while we were talking (the bar was busy) I watched the bartender stick the cheapest vodka they had at the bar.  Halfway through his drink and while he was poking more fun, I asked him how his drink was with his Absolute and he replied it was as good as it ever was.  Then I told him and he got annoyed thinking I was pulling his leg and insisted it was Absolute.  Then the bartender apologized for being busy and made him a new drink and he didn't have another word to say about audio stuff.

[asliarun]

Seems to me that we each has their own "level of satisfaction".  This can be based on open mindedness, intelligence/experience, economic value system, interests, lifestyle, or particular sensitivities.  Beyond that level, the quality of the product/service is not appreciated.  We're all at different stations in life and are individuals with our own values that can change over time.  So one shoe can't fit all.  Like I tell wifey, I could be out bowling (that involves eating unhealthy food and drinking too much beer).

So I can dismiss a $2,000 bottle of wine as a waste, because I lack the sensitivity to discern it's advantages over a $20 bottle due to lack of experience/training and it doesn't fit into my economic status/upbringing.  Similarly a European vacation may not interest me as not liking the hassle of air travel, trying new foods, total lack of interest in things foreign, or just being a home body.  If you live in a small apartment with children, a six figure audio system may not make sense.  If you're constantly on the road, a big rig probably doesn't interest you.  If you've never been exposed to good music on a good system, you can't have an appreciation.

I do want to clarify my earlier post. I completely agree with you. A lot of what you are saying was in the article, and I wholeheartedly agree. This is a passion and a pursuit (for many of us who are constrained or haven't reached there yet). Like all passions, the first few stages are about getting to a certain level of competence. However, the later stages are about getting the extra 1% and the cost and effort to achieve that often becomes disproportionate. At any rate, there is little that someone else will understand who doesn't share the passion or hobby.

My only point was that the reason why so many people have critical things to say is because of certain products at certain price points that seem very unreasonable. Shouldn't this be something to introspect too?

A $1000 wine bottle may very well be worth the price, and some more, but if someone claims that pouring the wine into a $10000 decanter enhances the taste of the wine, what is that line that separates?

Again, I am not even being judgmental. I am only trying to form a sense of perspective for myself. I am the equivalent of a newbie wine taster with limited resources who entered a room where $100 wines are being sold (some of which I know are phenomenal), but I also see these $10000 decanters and I don't know what to make of them.

Maybe I don't have to figure it out. But anyway, just wanted to clarify what I really meant in my previous post. Was just an observation that some products in the high end category are quite exotic and the general public has a hard time understanding their price or purpose. But they don't have to. Just as they will never u derstand why someone would pay $3 million for a vintage car.