Are you an "Audiophile"?

[Paul-H]

Audiophilia is now a recognised mental illness

Does that mean we can't make jokes about their insane love of expensive interconnect etc

Will it be classed as a hate crime to even mention their name?

[Pharos]

It would be better for us to aid those afflicted, as with other compulsive tendencies, eating, smoking and others, to address the deep inner needs which these compulsions do not fulfil.

[anthonyTD]

It would be better for us to aid those afflicted, as with other compulsive tendencies, eating, smoking and others, to address the deep inner needs which these compulsions do not fulfil.

[Gazjam]

I’ve polished a few fuse ends in my time...
Not for a while now right enough (M’lud)

More about getting final kit in place and enjoying the music nowadays, not really “chasing” or as much of a thing as it was when I was younger and dafter.
Definitely couldn’t live with poor sound though.

[Jules_S]

Just picking up on this one (sorry, a bit late to the party). I'd have thought that the term "audiophile" related to someone who takes a particular interest in the quality of music reproduction (whatever the method) as opposed to someone who derives emotional pleasure from the music itself, regardless of its fidelity. "phile" usually indicates a lover of something, so it's a lover of audio, i.e. the quality of the sound itself.

I'd say that it's quite possible to be a music lover without being an audiophile, or vice versa. Many professional musicians are emotionally bound in what they do and the music they play, but aren't at all interested in chasing ever-smaller increments in audio quality (or in some cases, don't care about it at all in the first place). At the other extreme end of the scale are no doubt people for whom it is the audio equipment itself that provides the enjoyment - the satisfaction of achieving a perceived level of, or improvement in, sound quality, pride in the aesthetics, and yes perhaps even the cost, and music is of secondary importance.

Being an audiophile and being a music lover are therefore not necessarily linked, although for many of us one serves the other. Nothing wrong with being at either end of the spectrum, or somewhere in the middle.

[Barry]

The term "audiophile" is a bastard conjunction of the Latin audio (= I hear) with the Greek suffix -philia (= (brotherly) love, or a liking of/for). Thus the term simply means someone who likes or loves listening. It doesn't specify what is being listened to: the original sound (music, speech, poetry, song etc), or of the quality of reproduction.

I would assume that most of us here are music lovers first, and because of that have invested in equipment with which to listen to music to a sufficiently acceptable level of quality.

But there are some for whom the quality of reproduction will take precedence, and the 'software' is subservient. That to me is putting 'the cart before the horse', and those that pursue such a path will never be content. I have a friend who is a bit like that: every time I go round to listen to his system (usually because he has made a change of equipment and he wants me to come and hear it), but he never seems to be able to relax and is constantly hopping up and down to make some small adjustment, or saying things like "do you think it sounds better/ distorted/ noisy/ ... " etc. etc.

[speedyj]

I would assume that most of us here are music lovers first, and because of that have invested in equipment with which to listen to music to a sufficiently acceptable level of quality.

Definitely this for me..............I know what sounds good to my ears and have certain music/bands/styles etc that I just love to listen to. Some is purely for the sound and production whilst some can be because of a time and place it takes me back to.

[ST3RST1K4R]

A great topic (question) of which I have asked myself the same question for a while now. I am a hardcore music lover but never satisfied with my equipment but at some level I am satisfied with "a" standard of quality though I find what my equipment is made of (how durable\way its constructed) to be equally desirable.

I would think most who label themselves audiophiles would scowl at my setup though. its not electrostatic some have said LOL and I find it hard to find younger people in their teens\twenties even having a perceived standard of what I would rate scientifically what top of the line tech is....everyone I ever met has never owned nor heard electrostatic before or had heard in their opinions something as good as what I listen too on a daily basis.

I see a subjective side to audio technology that we all have some aspect in so I view myself just a big fan of music and tech enables you to achieve that desired satisfaction not just listening but mixing recording as well.

[bob4333]

Audiophile?

I just hate the bl**dy word, it's too close to another type of 'phile. Can we not think of something else to call it?

[Puffin]

I would look at it the other way round. Phile is defined as "Denoting a person or thing having a fondness for a specified thing".

We have Ailurophile, a person who loves Cats, Astrophile - A person who loves stars or Astronomy, Ceraunophile - A person who loves lightning or thunder and there are many many others.

Why should we have to dump a phrase that has been used for many years because high profile perverts have made any word that ends in Phile have the same connotation?