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Give me a better word.

reggaenaut said:
Words have connotations and over time audiophile has garnered some very negative ones.....snobbery....excessive tinkering and tweaking reducing the chance of enjoying the music.

Audiophile: one who plays music so he or she can find a reason to F%#K with the equipment.
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If you can afford the gear, desire or want the gear, by all means purchase the gear and enjoy it. If enjoyed, and not bragged about or used for some kind of self imposed status symbol, and if you got it for the quality of the listening experience, fine. Nothing wrong with that.

I personally don't like messing with equipment at all. I'd rather just listen to it. Hook it up, play it, and hope it just doesn't malfunction. That's what I'm looking for!!!!!!!!

All I'm trying to do, and 'still trying to do' it seems, is get quality gear, new or used, together...that "just doesn't malfunction"! My problem is: The old stuff is tooooo old and the new stuff is junk and just falls apart. The new equipment has the lifespan of a knat.

Now my 'brand new NAD CD player' is giving me problems. It never ends. I know one thing for sure, I'll never buy any NAD ever again. 4 CDs play fine and the 5th one jams, like that (CDs are perfect). It is under warantee. NAD told me that it needs a 'new transport system, send it in'. Wonderful. More broken brand new stuff. Another item 'broken brand new', like the new Sony DVD player I bought that malfunctioned and I ended up smashing on the driveway one night. That was satisifying, not smart, but satisifying just the same. Just got a new $200 Sony digital camera...broken brand new. Took it back. I can list many more items, I just don't understand what it is about 'new' stuff?

I REALLY MISS the 70s when you could buy 'really quality gear' and it worked for 30 to 35+ years and sounded superior to today's equipment. (Sorry, to me they just 'sounded better', better quality componets, better engineering, better circuit design, better transformers, hand built, better enjoyment, better everything, and they just - didn't - fall - apart - brand - new). You bought it, it worked, perfect.

Anyway...If you can afford the new expensive audiophile gear, buy it to enjoy it. I think that may be ONE of the sore spots with the term "audiophile". The greater majority of people, by far, like maybe 98%, can't afford audiophile equipment. It's like audiophile is more associated with a wealthy person's game, like having a Ferrari. Something like that.

For us regular folks, all we really can do is get a 'nice sounding quality system' together, maybe an excellent TT and really nice cart, some very nice sounding speakers. But it's stuff we can afford. So are we, or can we, or can we ever be audiophiles too? Can we get in the "audiophile club"??? ...I know I'm not an audiophile, and don't really care to be. I'm happy being a Sansui Guy!!! LOL. I just like listening to music and don't analyze anything. I listen for enjoyment.

But...when my present amp breaks down guess I will be getting a Bryston. At least they have 20 year warrantee, or whatever it is. I could really use that and I've heard those Brystons really sound like the old Sansui gear, which is the sound I enjoy, audiophile or not.

So that's what I think about audiophile.

Audiophile is the best word for audiophile.
 
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What you audiophiles need is a friendly logo for baseball caps and T-shirts...something like the word "AUDIOPHILE" with it's letters are arranged in a big friendly smile, and underneath in even bigger and friendlier letters the words "DON'T PANIC".

Or... you could safely maintain your secret identities and hope Hollywood doesn't discover you and use your depraved idiosyncrasies as fodder for a new line of Frankenstein-like horror films. I can see it all now:

AUDIOPHILE
BRIDE OF AUDIOPHILE
YOUNG AUDIOPHILE
HOUSE OF AUDIOPHILE
ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET AUDIOPHILE

and...

AUDIOPHILE MEETS THE WOLFMAN

(Oh, the humanity!):thmbsp:
 
I like the '50s expression, "hifi buff."

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TejasRichard said:
Well, next time you're in Texas, come through austin and we can drink some RealAle and have a couple of hand-cut ribeyes :D
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We actually may be delivering one of our cars there this summer and, yes, taking the long way through Texas. :)
 
ec1st said:
What you audiophiles need is a friendly logo for baseball caps and T-shirts...something like the word "AUDIOPHILE" with it's letters are arranged in a big friendly smile, and underneath in even bigger and friendlier letters the words "DON'T PANIC".

Or... you could safely maintain your secret identities and hope Hollywood doesn't discover you and use your depraved idiosyncrasies as fodder for a new line of Frankenstein-like horror films. I can see it all now:

AUDIOPHILE
BRIDE OF AUDIOPHILE
YOUNG AUDIOPHILE
HOUSE OF AUDIOPHILE
ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET AUDIOPHILE

and...

AUDIOPHILE MEETS THE WOLFMAN

(Oh, the humanity!):thmbsp:
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:lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
SadSongPilot said:
I don't consider myself an audiophile, and hope I never do. After reading threads about different sounding cables, and expensive power conditioners. And the cherry was the ability to hear an audible difference, and even have a break in period, with an AUDIO RACK! No thanks. I don't want to be lumped in with that group. :screwy:
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Have you heard their equipment on that rack in their listening room? Can you cite scientific evidence against audio racks affecting reproduction of sound on equipment sensitive to certain resonances? I haven't, so I'm not going to judge their equipment.

I'm sure there are people who can do either, or both, I'm just curious how some people can come to a strong opinion without supporting claims. I'm guilty of it as much as anyone. If someone comes back with a good post on why that rack won't affect the sound, then it might change my opinion, which is the real purpose of a debate, isn't it?
 
austi15 said:
Have you heard their equipment on that rack in their listening room? Can you cite scientific evidence against audio racks affecting reproduction of sound on equipment sensitive to certain resonances? I haven't, so I'm not going to judge their equipment.

I'm sure there are people who can do either, or both, I'm just curious how some people can come to a strong opinion without supporting claims. I'm guilty of it as much as anyone. If someone comes back with a good post on why that rack won't affect the sound, then it might change my opinion, which is the real purpose of a debate, isn't it?
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Some things really are just anal. Even if there are people that do them.
 
RobRoy said:
It is also at that time that I realized I had a LOT of records of really bad music recorded really well, if you get my drift (think, a lot of Sheffield records). :D
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Yea in reality "TEST RECORDS"! A lot of audio enthusiasts entered that phase: some emerged some have not.
 
I skipped ahead to the end to post. Sorry if somebody else brought this up:

phil·har·mon·ic (f l här-m n k, f l r-). adj. 1. Devoted to or appreciative of music
 
fiddlefye said:
Funny how words ending with "phile" have come to have the almost automatic connotation of snobbery thrown in when it comes to common usage. I guess much of the population just refuses to allow for one to be enthusiastic about anything not of the mainstream without labeling one a snob in the process. Sad, really!
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bluesky said:
Audiophile is already the perfect word in the English language. It is 'the word'. It's the word everyone knows internationally, even if they don't speak English. It describes the action perfectly. 'Audiophile'.

There is nothing wrong with the word. It's a fine word.

The term audiophile is fine. There is no better word.
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I agree with both posts.

The core issue here is the difference between the denotation of a word (its true and correct dictionary meaning) and the connotation of a word (its secondary, included, kind of subconscious meaning). A perfect example is the difference between "woman" and "lady". Both mean an adult, female, homo sapiens. However, there are different connotations between the two words, because there are implications that a lady behaves in a certain way, while there are different assumptions about how a woman might behave.

Words ending in "phile" have the denotation of a person who has a deep interest in or enthusiasm for or involvement in a certain area. For example, an oenophile is a wine lover or wine expert. Unfortunately, as fiddlyfye said, these words also have an included connotation of snob, uppity, condescending, etc., etc.. Unfortunate, not always accurate, but it's there.

In the meantime, audiophile works just fine for me. Bowing to the inevitable lumping of audiophiles into the snob category, I might describe myself as: "I'm an audiophile, but I'm not one of those audiophiles".:D
 
Hey, I was posting on another thread and realized that something I said there, tweaked a bit, will be a nice "pot stirrer" over here. It's regarding one of the differences between an audiophile and a music lover.

Assuming a normal person's constant budget considerations when purchasing food, gas, clothing, music and music equipment: An audiophile has to have just the right CD player. A music lover will use a $39 DVD player to play his CD's so he can buy more CD's.

:lurk:
 
reggaenaut said:
Yea in reality "TEST RECORDS"! A lot of audio enthusiasts entered that phase: some emerged some have not.
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I have a couple of sheffield records that "test record" wise, are truly amazing. One is musically as well. That's the Thelma Huston Direct to Disk. I've Got the Music in Me and Sweet Georgia Brown are amazing, both musically AND "test record" wise.

With the latter, if you have good (and powerful) electronics and large speakers, it is like having the full "big band" in your living space. Close your eyes and you can almost pick where each instrument is.
 
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bigdirty said:
A music lover will be happy using a $39 DVD player to play his CD's so he can buy more CD's.

fixed :)
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Good one. And I think you are exactly right. The devil's in the details. :)

To me, this still is the epitome of a music lover. You remember the scene and what kind of system they're listening to (just behind the door)? And definitely not audiophiles. :D

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I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I enjoy the music, but I also find pleasure in the gear reproducing that music.
 
From Merriam Webster:
Definition of AUDIOPHILE
: a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction

All you guys who keep bringing up the cost of "whatever" should actually look up the definition of the word audiophile. High-Fidelity sound reproduction means reproducing the original with a high degree of fidelity. Unless you're one of the very few people who only listen to sound effects, thunderstorms and steam train engines that means reproducing music "with a high degree of fidelity to the original". Nowhere in the definition is there any implication that the cost of any thing is related.

Maybe I should start a thread asking, "Why do so many posters here have a problem with others spending large amounts of money on anything?". It seems that some are just "cheapskates" and defend being cheap by attacking anyone who spends more money than them. In the 45+ years I've been involved with this "hobby" I've never once heard an audiophile with very expensive gear make the kind of derisive comments about other's gear that some "cheapskate" posters here routinely make. Sometimes it almost seems like sour grapes caused by jealousy

I feel I must reiterate, being an "audiophile" is not related to how much one spends. It reminds me of the "tone control" discussion. Those who use them always have lots of reasons why they need and use them. Non-users merely say "I don't need/use them".
 
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