[slmckay73]

Hey everyone. I'm not altogether new to the world of audio; I've owned some decent headphones and done some reading up on audio terminology. I guess I know what sounds good in theory, but I have a hard time putting all of it into practice. I can tell if something sounds good to me, but I don't particularly know why. I wouldn't be able to tell you if the bass was bleeding into the lower mids or if the treble was too rolled off. I guess all of this is to ask: at what point did some of you more experienced guys consider yourselves "audiophiles?' How long did it take you to train your ear to identify all these subtle musical nuances? Will it come with time as I listen to more sets of cans and more diverse ones? (I have only listened to one pair of IEMs for the past year or so after all.) I would really appreciate some advice on how one actually becomes an audiophile. I would really appreciate some pointers. 

 

[KG Jag]

This has come up before on this forum.
 
If you keep at it (and your hearing remains more or less in tact), you never stop learning and picking up new things.
 
It's my belief that you become an audiophile about the time time that: 1) you know that you're good at it and 2) you realize that you don't care whether or not you are an "audiophile".

 

[H20Fidelity]

I don't know If I'm actually a true audiophile, more a seeker of sound quality. It's come to a point I mainly listen to gear instead of music, listening for timbre, clarity, detail, separation etc.. I mean, music is still part of the experience (it must be) and I enjoy It but tend to listen to the same 20 tracks over and over with different gear looking for extra detail extension or that clarity buzz.


I find It harder taking in new albums spending more time looking for new gear or reading about it, honestly not how things should be considering I only joined to buy a $50 IEM (Its very addictive). I remember when I started out, I would read a term someone mentioned in a post then either google It or look at the sites glossary of terms / describing sound which I'll link below. When I found a word I didn't understand I'd look it up, maybe one or two a day then try to memorize them, most importantly put that word to practice with said gear. 


Glossary of Terms

• Describing Sound - A Glossary
• A Basic Guide to In-Ear Canal Phones
• The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide

• A Hopefully Helpful Headphone Buying Guide For Newbies


Once I'd read the terms meaning I'd listen for It in my music then compare with my other gear. I think for many if Its meant to be a lot comes naturally as you progress through different stages, most importantly Head-Fi forums are the gateway to understanding and some of us have spent a lot of time here reading.  I think another thing is, when you advance to better gear areas like clarity, separation will begin jumping out at you and cannot be ignored.
 
Most of all It takes time, like anything in life =)

 

 

[slmckay73]

  This has come up before on this forum.
 
If you keep at it (and your hearing remains more or less in tact), you never stop learning and picking up new things.
 
It's my belief that you become an audiophile about the time time that: 1) you know that you're good at it and 2) you realize that you don't care whether or not you are an "audiophile".

Thanks for the advice. I like your point about not really caring whether you're an "audiophile" or not. I understand that it isn't some mystical status to be obtained, like audio Nirvana or something like that. I guess my goal is just to--like you mentioned--develop the ability to know what sounds good or bad and why, not for its own sake, but to augment my enjoyment of music. 

 

[slmckay73]

I don't know If I'm actually a true audiophile, more a seeker of sound quality. It's come to a point I mainly listen to gear instead of music, listening for timbre, clarity, detail, separation etc.. I mean, music is still part of the experience (it must be) and I enjoy It but tend to listen to the same 20 tracks over and over with different gear looking for extra detail extension or that clarity buzz.


I find It harder taking in new albums spending more time looking for new gear or reading about it, honestly not how things should be considering I only joined to buy a $50 IEM (Its very addictive). I remember when I started out, I would read a term someone mentioned in a post then either google It or look at the sites glossary of terms / describing sound which I'll link below. When I found a word I didn't understand I'd look it up, maybe one or two a day then try to memorize them, most importantly put that word to practice with said gear. 


Glossary of Terms

• Describing Sound - A Glossary
• A Basic Guide to In-Ear Canal Phones
• The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide

• A Hopefully Helpful Headphone Buying Guide For Newbies


Once I'd read the terms meaning I'd listen for It in my music then compare with my other gear. I think for many if Its meant to be a lot comes naturally as you progress through different stages, most importantly Head-Fi forums are the gateway to understanding and some of us have spent a lot of time here reading.  I think another thing is, when you advance to better gear areas like clarity, separation will begin jumping out at you and cannot be ignored.
 
Most of all It takes time, like anything in life =)

 

Thanks, I appreciate the help. In terms of better gear helping the process along, I'm getting the ATH-M50X pretty soon, so maybe they'll open my eyes (or ears I guess). I'm sure I'll work my way up the ladder the more I learn from reading all the resources that are available here. 

 

[billybob_jcv]

233 pages (and counting) have been spent trying to answer this question...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/649427/you-know-youre-an-audiophile-when-version-2