[JoshK]

Agreed - an audiophile is someone trying to get closer to the heart of the music via high fidelity playback.

Unfortunately, I more often see the opposite.  The stories of buying music just because it is suppose to sound good saddens me.  I did that once as I too got wrapped up in the showing off the gear.  But that is proof in my mind that it is about the sound/gear and not about the music. 

Enjoy the music.  Spent your energy tracking down great artists you do not yet know and keep the audiophile pursuit as a hobby that punctuates your love of music and doesn't hinder it.

[ted_b]

I believe most of us are both (music lovers and audiophiles).  This topic is about the habit; the affliction of audiophilia, not about loving music per se.  We all know we should just chill and enjoy the music.  That's the "music lover" side of the equation.  That's not the topic of this thread, though, at least as I see it.  So, in a sense, Josh, we agree.  There's not enough emphasis on enjoying the music...but that's why audiophiles pursue gear, not music. 

[Rasta]

Labels, classifications - all signs of the Western mind.  Just enjoy what you do!  Who cares what you call it?

[Steve]

Agreed - an audiophile is someone trying to get closer to the heart of the music via high fidelity playback.

I agree with Lonewolf and Tyson, Imo it is about getting as close as possible to live out the real thing. The closer I come, the more I enjoy and appreciate the music. 

Steve

[JohnR]

IMO an anyone who has an interest in high fidelity reproduction of the music he/she loves is an audiophile.

That works for me, and in any case, is basically what the dictionary says. I've never understood why people feel it necessary to claim themselves to "not really" be an audiophile or to try and use the term in a disparaging way. If you're reading or posting on AudioCircle, you're an audiophile. You may or may not be a "music lover" - honestly I fail to see the point of trying to make this distinction. Do what works for you, don't let others tell you whether you like it or not.

[Wind Chaser]

At some point, for some people the term "audiophile" became a negative connotation.  The article Ric posted in THIS THREAD  is worth reading and ties into this discussion.

[JohnR]

Like I said - enjoy the hobby for what it is - don't let others tell you what you like and don't like.

[werd]

I believe most of us are both (music lovers and audiophiles).  This topic is about the habit; the affliction of audiophilia, not about loving music per se.  We all know we should just chill and enjoy the music.  That's the "music lover" side of the equation.  That's not the topic of this thread, though, at least as I see it.  So, in a sense, Josh, we agree.  There's not enough emphasis on enjoying the music...but that's why audiophiles pursue gear, not music.

Yes if i may add to this. One person may go from nothing to a $50k set-up in one purchase. This person may or may not be an audiophile(hard to tell). One person may have accumulated thousands of recordings over the years and play them on modest gear. That person may or may not be an audiophile. Or you can have the guy that has spent the last 20 years accumulating gear and music, buying and selling over and over again. Continually looking for the pieces of gear that they can identify to their tastes. This person is definitely an audiophile.

[Wayner]

You are an audiophile if:

Most of  your spendable income is on music or hifi equipment.

The first thing you do when you come home from work is put on the hifi.

You use the hifi to block out the neighbors noise.

Your pissed off all day when your favorite album has a new tic or scratch.

You are pissed off when some little FUCK drives by your house and has his POS car stereo playing at max volume with max distortion going, playing some crappy rap music.

You make DIY cables, then decide they are shit, and put your other "ordinary" cables in and then decide they are "shit".

You buy and sell equipment more then your stupid  brother buys and sells stock.

You belong to the AC.

You know the web address of every e-retailer that sells either equipment or software.

You or your significant other make the hifi system the merge point for music and discussion.

You dust the area yourself.

You mark what cable goes where.

You seperate power cords from signal cords.

Anyting that doesn't have to do with music or HIFI is put in a different room.

When you use hockey pucks for isolation feet.

When there is several pounds of plasticlay at your beck and call.

When your closets are full of HIFI equipment others would dream of having.

When your trips involve going to find music or listen to some new HIFI.

When you lay awake at night and wonder what's not working right.

When you wonder why most of your music is British.

When you wonder if you have enough beer to last the rest of the LPs.

You wonder why the wife has been listening for 6 hours with you.

You wait for the UPS or FEDEX or USPS delivery. Looking every 5 minutes.

You fuck around with Zerostats.

You wonder if there is a better cleaning solution for your LPs.

You could care less what the neighbors are doing (unless they want to hear music).

Almost every bill on your VISA is for an audio related item.

Your best friend is also into HIFI.

Your wife wonders where are you bound.

You worry if you have enough replacement stylus for your favorite cartridge.

Your pissed that your favorite band isn't in the rock and roll hall of fame.

You get pissed off when the album side is over and you have to flip.

You hate other people that think their system is better then yours.

When the wife looks at you funny when you bought your new "favorite album". (bitch).

When you get the ruler out to see if the speakers are equally spaced.

When you use a different ruler to see if the first one os right.

When you argue on a forum with another memeber about which thing is BS or not.

When you finally go to bed and wonder if you left anything on.

[Browntrout]

Audiophile is a rather strange term but I guess if you really really like good music then I guess you qualify. Music is like love, it's the expression of emotion, some men try and destroy it (music) by involving business and appearance though.
  High Fidelity has to be a good thing in all aspects of life?
  Being an audiophile has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with how much money you have or how many records you have it has all to do with an uneerring persuit of perfection however you go about it, it's the intention that matters above all else.

"When you wonder why most of your music is British"
LOL Wayner, really, don't you know why most of your music is British? It's because you don't listen to enough classical music.

[pardales]

  Some very funny stuff guys! 

[ted_b]

When you finally go to bed and wonder if you left anything on.

When you finally go to bed and make sure you left EVERYTHING on (a real audiophile never turns off gear for fear it will need to settle in another 24 hrs after turn on).   

[Niteshade]

I wish Jeff Foxworthy would jump in here.... 

[werd]

You know you are an audiophile when you will float your leaky boat. The cost of decent repairs or a new boat will get in the way of those new speaker mods or cd player. This doesnt apply to boat motors, we always fix those.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Wayner...man, that's all fantastic. I can relate to everything you said. Well, with the exception of the vinyl stuff, but I still understand. Good stuff, good stuff Wayner.
Although, it sounds like you're becoming a little "bitter". 

- You know you're an audiophile when you're willing to spend a weeks paycheck to tame a very narrow frequency range that doesn't sound "right" to you.

- You know you're an audiophile if you have ever argued the virtues of which blanket is the best one to drape over your television.

- You know you're a hopeless audiophile if you've removed your television from the room because a TV doesn't belong between speakers in the first place.

- You know you're a hopeless audiophile if you get pissed when your next door neighbor is using that damn electric lawn trimmer because it's dirtying up your AC power.

Bob

[Jason T]

In my opinion an Audiophile is
someone that wants to get the exact picture and feel of what the artist of the music wanted them to see, hear and feel.

[dflee]

Thanks to everyone who has posted thus far. It has helped in the form of really enjoying my system for what it is and what it will become. My first experience with great music came via 8 track and I learned quickly to get past the process and hear the likes of Cream, Santana, The Dead and many others for what was an incredible time. Through my wife, I have learned of many other genre of music and love every minute of it. I'm beginning to feel like audiophiles are trying to recreate that magical moment over and over. In some sense we are junkies in wanting that feeling again and it boils down to what degree we will take to get it.
I hope to continue to read the great input on this thread.

As Always
Don

[hdspeakerman]

I think that music lovers listen to a lot of music on the same equipment where an audiophile will listen to the same music on many different pieces of equipment searching for some synergy that transcends the some of the parts.  Once my wife's dad showed me a cartoon in several parts where a man changed his audio system many times searching for "the Best".  No matter what changes he made he was never happy.  As his room filled up he took his first equipment and put it out for the trash pickup.  The next day he saw the trash man putting it up in the cab of his truck, very excited to be taking it home with him.