Why i'm not an audiophile
- Thread starter genxsheepdog
- Start date
Welcome to the Audiokarma community.
JohnnieO
Active Member
Like you I was once a passive listener. Anything would do. Then I stumbled apon a Marantz 10 watt receiver at a yard sale. Took it home and hooked it up to some big box Infinity HT towers I had….hooked up a CD player and dug my old CDs from the garage
And OMG. The sound was what I remembered from the 70s. Punchy.Bass powerful sound crisp highs and it was on.
I was not an audiophile then , but I am now and really you are too. It’s not a million dollar system or a golden ear as they say. It’s just the pure enjoyment of music reproduced on the best possible system you can afford without debt. In my 2 year journey I can say my appreciation of the nuances of sound and the equipment that reproduces it has increased tenfold. Hang around here for awhile and you will become a audiophile
And OMG. The sound was what I remembered from the 70s. Punchy.Bass powerful sound crisp highs and it was on.
I was not an audiophile then , but I am now and really you are too. It’s not a million dollar system or a golden ear as they say. It’s just the pure enjoyment of music reproduced on the best possible system you can afford without debt. In my 2 year journey I can say my appreciation of the nuances of sound and the equipment that reproduces it has increased tenfold. Hang around here for awhile and you will become a audiophile
I thought that sounded powerful but vocalists didn’t sound realistic and imaging was terrible.
The term 'audiophile' is another thing we never will agree upon.
As I'm seeing it, an audiophile is someone who loves sound (not music exclusively) and strives for the highest fidelity possible (within ones financial/space/and whatnot limits) of capturing and reproducing it. It's all about equipment and specs; nothing to do with the listener whatsoever. Nothing to do with listening space and position as well. Pleasant sound doesn't necessarily equate to high quality/fidelity. An audiophile may verry well be deaf.
Of course we want the music to be pleasant to our ears, and brain, but we are all built differently, so someone can enjoy a piece of music imensly, whereby for the other the very same piece is just unbereable noise, even, if the sound fidelity/quality is of the highest rate currently possible. So, who's opinion is valid?
An example...
I can't stand the sound a felt marker makes on paper; even worse, if it's dried out...and scraping along cardboard. If I were an audiophile, I would primarily want this sound to be reproduced not in a pleasant way, but the way that makes me cringe and my teeth hurt.
So...no, OP is not an audiophile, nor is this an audiophile forum. He just enjoys the music he likes, which, I imagine, the majority of us do.
My take solely.
As I'm seeing it, an audiophile is someone who loves sound (not music exclusively) and strives for the highest fidelity possible (within ones financial/space/and whatnot limits) of capturing and reproducing it. It's all about equipment and specs; nothing to do with the listener whatsoever. Nothing to do with listening space and position as well. Pleasant sound doesn't necessarily equate to high quality/fidelity. An audiophile may verry well be deaf.
Of course we want the music to be pleasant to our ears, and brain, but we are all built differently, so someone can enjoy a piece of music imensly, whereby for the other the very same piece is just unbereable noise, even, if the sound fidelity/quality is of the highest rate currently possible. So, who's opinion is valid?
An example...
I can't stand the sound a felt marker makes on paper; even worse, if it's dried out...and scraping along cardboard. If I were an audiophile, I would primarily want this sound to be reproduced not in a pleasant way, but the way that makes me cringe and my teeth hurt.
So...no, OP is not an audiophile, nor is this an audiophile forum. He just enjoys the music he likes, which, I imagine, the majority of us do.
My take solely.
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Meh, those that think you're an "audiophile" are going to call you one whether you think you are or not. They're stuck in their own definitions of it.
I say just keep on keepin' on.
Do your own thing, enjoy what you want and don't give a "S" about the label someone else tries to hang on you.
You're the one who decides what you are. Hang what anyone else thinks.
I say just keep on keepin' on.
Do your own thing, enjoy what you want and don't give a "S" about the label someone else tries to hang on you.
You're the one who decides what you are. Hang what anyone else thinks.
Welcome to AK and enjoy the freedom to call the Audio Affliction what you want! Cheers
I'm a newbie but I'll still say welcome. From Leicestershire.
And as a newbie I wouldn't want to immediately fall out of favour but, having bought my first set up 50 years ago it has been my experience that what I would think of as an audiophile is someone quite different to me.
When I bought my most recent pair of speakers I looked at reviews for standmount speakers within my budget of £2500. When I felt I'd read enough contrasting reviews I narrowed it down to maybe 6 possibles based on performance. Then I further narrowed it down by looking for some that - were available with a charcoal grey or very dark blue stand, could be positioned with the back of the speaker no more than 9" from the wall, were available in a wood veneer, looked like a quality build and didn't need a subwoofer. In the end I chose the Kef R3 Meta because the rose gold drivers mesh well with the flowers on the William Morris wallpaper and the charcoal grey stands blend in with the background. The speaker cables are 16 AWG in blue.
I very seldom listen to music with my eyes closed so the visuals are just as important to me. In my mind an audiophile is someone who values sound reproduction above everything else when choosing kit. That's not me.
Before anyone asks, I'm on here because I like to look at other people's set-ups and to hear other people's take on stuff. After all "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing,"
ps. got to love googles automatic spellcheck. Telling someone from England they've spelt favour wrong, ( the clues in the name......English language )
,oops and apparently I've spelt spelt wrong
And as a newbie I wouldn't want to immediately fall out of favour but, having bought my first set up 50 years ago it has been my experience that what I would think of as an audiophile is someone quite different to me.
When I bought my most recent pair of speakers I looked at reviews for standmount speakers within my budget of £2500. When I felt I'd read enough contrasting reviews I narrowed it down to maybe 6 possibles based on performance. Then I further narrowed it down by looking for some that - were available with a charcoal grey or very dark blue stand, could be positioned with the back of the speaker no more than 9" from the wall, were available in a wood veneer, looked like a quality build and didn't need a subwoofer. In the end I chose the Kef R3 Meta because the rose gold drivers mesh well with the flowers on the William Morris wallpaper and the charcoal grey stands blend in with the background. The speaker cables are 16 AWG in blue.
I very seldom listen to music with my eyes closed so the visuals are just as important to me. In my mind an audiophile is someone who values sound reproduction above everything else when choosing kit. That's not me.
Before anyone asks, I'm on here because I like to look at other people's set-ups and to hear other people's take on stuff. After all "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing,"
ps. got to love googles automatic spellcheck. Telling someone from England they've spelt favour wrong, ( the clues in the name......English language )
,oops and apparently I've spelt spelt wrong
jayvis
Addicted Member
Hmmm, have fun with that.
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It's easy if you're capable of independent thought.
Tying your self image is to what others think about you or letting others define you is always a recipe for failure.
Go your own way. To hell with what others think about it.
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jayvis
Addicted Member
You should direct your rant at Merriam Webster and all of the other dictionaries that define the word. I've never understood why anyone would think that "audiophile" is in some way inflammatory to one's self-image. I'm guessing that it's due to misinterpretation of the word's meaning.
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