[Quote]

Be it your first hi-fi 'phones, your first lossless-music experience, or a friend: How did you become an audiophile?
 
For me it was a personal thing: I realized one day that my iBuds just weren't cutting it anymore. After moving up to a better, but still low-fi headphone, I figured out that this is the way to go. Got some M50's recently, which even if they aren't the best, are loads better than any other headphone for the price. Then I listened to some FLAC's, and I think my ears melted for the first time.

What about you?
 
(This might be in the wrong place, but I couldn't really see a better-fitting forum. :/)

 

[KDewd]

I'm not sure that I would call myself an audiophile, yet. But I do enjoy the hobby. A coworker of mine showed me his pair of 555's. I gave it a listen for an afternoon and could not help but get myself a pair. I ended up doing research and exploring into an E-MU 0404 USB DAC for my computer (where most of my listening is done). Eventually, I started to branch out, and I ended up with a pair of AKG 701s which I love. I just enjoy listening to music.

 

 

[Napilopez]

The term audiophile is an interesting one. Imo virtually everyone on this site is an "audiophile". People seem to associate audiophilia with having the most expensive equipment. The way I see it an audiophile is someone who cares enough about music to want to get the best possible sound he or she can from his or her gear, and does so pretty consistently. It doesn't mean you need to have every piece of equipment, or be super knowledgeable. If you spend time trying to make your music sound better, you are an audiophile imo. Semantics, I guess.

That's what it was for though. I realized I couldn't hear the bass line in some songs through my ear buds, so I went around looking for better gear, and came across this site.

 

[TMRaven]

I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile--moreso just a person who likes listening to music.  I havn't bought a true hi-fi system yet, nor will I ever want to spend the kind of money on a hi-fi type of system.  I started out with just listening to my iMacs' built in speakers for the longest time.  When my cheapo 20 dollar headset I used for communicating on the ps3 began falling apart I felt it'd be nice to get a nice pair of headphones.  I started out with turtle beach/tritton headsets, but they weren't that comfy at all, and I knew I could do better sound quality wise.  Ended up with the AD700, and loved its comfort, but really wanted bass.  I then got the M50, and I loved it, except I wanted AD700 comfort and soundstage.  Now I got the DT990 600ohms with an entry level little dot amp-- a little of what I'd consider to be a mid-fi system, and I'm loving it.
 
I personally do attribute an audiophile to someone who's crazy enough to spend thousands of dollars on music equipment and enough time to being very knowledgeable about their particular field of passion.  

 

[dye1337]

I personally have been into audio since i was a wee youngin.  I always liked hearing better quality music and when friends wore things like crappy headphones I couldn't stand the sound quality and they actually gave me headaches.  I still can get headaches from poor quality sound although that rarely occurs.  In fact, I would rather listen to silence than poor sound quality since the headaches.

 

[claybum]

My best friend confessed he was spending way too much time on a site called Head-Fi. About a month later, I checked this site out due to internet boredom. I was soon spending all kinds of money on items I had no idea existed previously and it has been a blast. I'm no audiophile, but I love music. Emotiva erc-1>Schiit Lyr>LCD2 is doing it for me know, but I know it is not the end of my journey.
 
 

 

[blizardwizard]

I actually got into high-end audio when I went looking for a pair of headphones with a detachable cable, since that is what I always break. I didn't like spending $50 on a pair of decent headphones, every month. So i got some Sleek SA-1 to start with, and I've been slowly moving to Audiophile status since.

 

[wje]

Back in 1976, I subscribed to "High Fidelity" magazine.  I also built my own speakers - though, I didn't have all the necessary components for crossovers, I'd usually use full-range speakers for the duty.  My first receiver to power my habits happened to be a Realistic receiver from Radio Shack that put out an amazing 10 watts per channel.  I was somewhere around $110 (on sale) when I bought it.  From there, I always followed audio, purchased a used Garrard turntable to play my vinyl with.  When I went into the military in 1982, I bought into some higher-end gear.  By 1986, I had nearly $2,000 in my audio system - keep in mind, this was mostly discounted gear from the base exchange, that would cost more on the outside.  Plus, of that $2,000, I spent $599 for one of the first single-disc CD players from Technics.  Fortunately, for that price, a remote control was included.
 
My desire for audio and music has never stopped.  It's my #1 hobby.  I have 3 pair of Grados and 1 pair of Sennheisers.  I have an audio system with 2 subs in my basement and a pair of Monitor Audio rosenut speakers - powered by a Parasound 2-channel amp.  Audio in my house is provided to 2 locations via 2 Squeezebox players getting FLAC files from my computer.
 
The madness never ends.  

 

[crinacle]

Mine actually started with Beats :/ My friend recommended them to me, but because they were so expensive I had to go for a cheaper alternative...

HELLO HEAD-FI

 

[Derp]

I realized that I was already an "audiophile" when it came to guitar playing, I was always buying boutique pedals, bought Mesa Boogie amps, and constantly was after the "perfect" tone. Then I thought, why am I not listening to music like this? Also, I started getting into ambient and IDM music which almost requires a good soundstage and dynamic range to sound like it should sound. Bought a pair of Grados and never looked back.

 

[DemonicLemming]

I'm not an audiophile - I just love listening to music.  Audiophiles, at least to me, are more interested in the gear (especially those car-payment power cables) than the music.
 
I started out in car audio way back in high school, and did a decent bit with it - never got into MECA or IASCA competitons, but I did crack a few windshields.  Went from uberalles bass to designing, and in a few cases installing, mid-high end stuff.  Once I started working as a drafter, I wanted to be able to listen to music (drawing lines for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, can get tiring without background distractions).  Bought a pair of Skullcandy headphones (only supra-aural cans the Best Buy in town had).  Wore them for a week, got tired of bleeding ears, and did a search for headphone reviews.  Wound up here, and that was that.

 

[antipolar]

I am an audiophile by the text book definition, but I don't have the thousands of dollars to spend on equipment. I came into the community through my interest in technology and specifically audio software. I read on the HydrogenAudio forums about this format called FLAC which had incredible sound quality. I began doing my own experiments and could hardly tell a difference. I soon learned my headphones weren't good quality so I went searching for better earbuds. I came upon the Klipsch Image S4 IEMs. I bought a pair and began to hear the difference in quality. Then I found Head-Fi and decided I needed a pair of full-size headphones. So I ended up buying a pair of Sennheisers and an amp and haven't looked back.

 

[blufox4900]

I started out in simple terms by being the little brother I am and following whatever my big brother did. Really, though, he was fed up with how his earbuds sounded one day and just went into higher quality headphones, from the bottom up until he ended up with his pair of HJE900's. He let me listened for a while before he friggin lost them, then he shipped out to the navy. Being the little curious brother I was I decided to look into headphones, too, starting with the JVC Flats and then finally jumping the gun and going for my grado SR60i's. I went even further by modding them and then buying the bowls which are coming in next week.
 
I suppose one could say that my journey has just begun. I am an audiophile when you consider the fact that it simply means one who loves sound. That said I'm mostly in it for the musical satisfaction rather than the whole "perfect sound" quest that took the lives of many wallets. I do feel myself hitting walls quickly, though, so I guess it's hitting me hard. Too late for me, this stuff's just too addicting!