What is the definition of Audiophile?

[Speed Racer]

"Audiophile" is a term that I won't ascribe to myself. Why? Because people that self-identify as "audiophiles" seem to gravitate to the subjective side of audio. Just look at the "experimental tweak" thread to get an idea as to what I mean. $10,000 speakers cables, grounding boxes, special fuses, weights, ballbearing platforms, audio switches, excessive decrapifiers, etc.

 

I prefer the term "audio enthusiast". Be glad you are not an "audiophile"!!

[Speed Racer]

I am a music lover....an audio enthusiast...but not an audiophile!!!

[Speed Racer]

I think @mansr's meme has it right. Audiophiles use music to listen to equipment instead of using equipment to listen to music. 

[Speed Racer]

20 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I think people should get out of the house and talk to others who consider themselves audiophiles. You may be surprised at how inaccurate and condescending your descriptions are. 

 

I’ve met so many cool audiophiles who are nothing like what I see described above. 

 

People don’t amass 10,000+ album collections or go to live shows every week because they like to hear the gear through which the music is played.

 

Sure there are some nut jobs, but there are nut jobs in every hobby and from all walks of life. 

 

Don’t let the nut job tail wag the dog. 

 

 

P.S. Even if some people purchase expensive gear to play audio test tracks and listen to the gear, I don’t care. Who am I to judge?

 

My definition does not include "those" people. How they self-identify is not what this discussion is about.

[Speed Racer]

We are defining what the term "audiophile" means to us. I don't self-identify with the term because of the category of people I apply the term to. Your post identified a category of people that I don't identify with the term "audiophile" yet chastised me for identifying them as such. 

[Speed Racer]

2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I think people should get out of the house and talk to others who consider themselves audiophiles. You may be surprised at how inaccurate and condescending your descriptions are. 

 

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I never mentioned you. Perhaps you see yourself in what I said. 

 

So the "you" in the first quoted post is a specific person? I took it as the "proverbial" you since you quoted no specific person and mentioned no specific person. I think the second quote is you playing games and being disingenuous.

[Speed Racer]

20 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Great post. 

 

Only because it agrees with your thoughts on the subject. 

 

I queried a few friends that love music but are not into the component side of like we are. The responses varied but the most common theme was that “audiophiles” are way over the top into the hardware. Especially with cables (speaker and interconnects). That is there “off the cuff” opinion. Basically, they said “audiophiles” are obsessed with hardware.

 

None of them know anything about the genesis of the word “audiophile”. That’s so fake from that post above. Obviously the person quoted did research to answer the question so the response is not useful as it was obviously prepared. 

[Speed Racer]

18 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Let’s see, you want to know something so you ask people who aren’t familiar with a topic?

 

How many "audiophiles" are well versed on the genesis of the word "audiophile"? You don't have to be to be an "audiophile" or to have a thought on what an "audiophile" is.....

[Speed Racer]

1 hour ago, davide256 said:

Makes me wish that audio hobbyists had some basic certification credential options.  Kind of like ham radio licensing to insure/verify some basic level of knowledge. Of course that would make life harder for the snake oil peddlers in audio...

 

Why????????????

 

That is a club I would not want to join....