[GL1TCH3D]

Well, the definition of audiophile is someone looking to get the highest quality (hi-fi) sound reproduction.
Generally to me, that means as close to the original recording as possible and that allows me to hear everything I would hear if I were listening to it live (not jumbled together into a big mess).

 

[Lorspeaker]

curiosity i guess.....like eating the forbidden fruit...on the tree of knowledge.

partly also to get into the discussions here...pretending to be in the KNOW, somewhat. 
Its a kind of sonic MAPPING.  the akg is here, the beyer is there, the LCD is way down there...lol.
Todate i still cant make sense of the charts, or wats the diff betw midbass hump, and a humpback whale.
to me..its just NICE..or NOT NICE. lol

My initial quest for neutrality, transparency....sort of ended, its a mirage
..nobody knows, and it doesnt matter.

also to hopefully trim down to the ONE CAN to end it all for the rest of my life,
and to know that i WILL BE satisfied with that ONE CAN.
that can should be the HD-228...which i havent heard.

 

[PyekiM]

I'll try to answer your basic question about how much better does it get.
 
This is a generalization that applies with both loudspeakers and headphones.  First stepping out of the cheapy zone, you get better frequency response.  Next comes detail retrieval.  Then comes the magic of soundstage and imaging.  To me this was always the most fun to chase, the illusion that instruments or sounds are coming from a specific place.  The magic of 3 dimensional stereophonic sound! 

 
*tangent alert*
I don't believe you have to spend a lot to experience awesome sound, relatively speaking of course. Almost every recommended headphone here on head-fi in the $500 range can be extremely satisfying.  Some people mentioned things like the HD650s.  I'd like to remind anyone new to this world that about 6 years ago, those where the top of the line headphones!  Only fairly recently have headphone broken the $1000 barrier (not including electrostatic models that where always super expensive).  I think Sennheiser was mad that there biggest competition was a small company out of Brooklyn who used their judgment more than engineering equipment.  So, they went crazy and put out the $1500 HD800 to crush all.  Then many other companies followed in that price range. 
 
Welcome to the obsessive and addictive world of good sound, Good luck on your journey!

 

[reload]

With a good setup they can sound better than an expensive home theater system.

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

I only use it to listen to music and watch movies and stuff

 
Honestly, I'm pretty sure that's what most of us use them for.  Well, some people use hi-fi cans for gaming as well, but that's a smaller subset.
 
I'd hazard a guess that most of us want to continually hear more detail and nuances from the recordings that we've otherwise enjoyed all our lives.  It's knowing that we'll never be able to go back in space-time and insert ourselves into the studio, but that we'll try to get the next best thing with speakers or (in this case) headphones.  So if you love music, you'll want to join that journey of exploration that we're all on.
 
But for people that just want to groove out on Ass by Badfinger, I'd tell them to save their money.

 

[LFF]

They can serve many purposes.
 
They should primarily be used to enjoy music.
 
Like all things, they have good uses and bad uses and ugly uses.
 
The Good:
An audiophile headphone allows you to be transported to a different world much different than the one you live in your day to day life. It allows you to relax. It transports you to a higher level of being as you enjoy your favorite music and wash away the dust of your daily meanderings to enjoy life's finest art. An audiophile headphone allows you to bring this joy to others when you share them. An audiophile headphone keeps you entertained and happy.
 
The Bad:
As can be found here and on many other audiophile forums, an audiophile headphone also serves the purpose to give one the right to post their opinions...even if scientifically wrong. It also allows one to join the group of others who have also purchased the same headphone and pat each other on the back. It also allows one to make bad decisions by spending $1000 on treble peaked monstrosities. An audiophile headphone also allows some people to have a convenient way of demonstrating their wealth and their perceived superiority by owning an audiophile headphone.
 
The Ugly:

 

 

[iZMXi]

Audio - Sound
Phil(e) - Love
 
If you want to explore the depths of sound and what it can mean to you, then that's all the reason you need.  Buy whatever you want to do whatever you want with it.  Enjoy yourself.

 

[haquocdung]

Just to match with the car that I am driving:  http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/18/ferrari-logic3-team-on-headphones/

 

[catscratch]

Everything.

Though not in the sense of the above pictures. Gods... no.

Mind you, I think headphones that actually are audiophile are only a small subset of headphones that are called audiophile. But a reasonably neutral high-end headphone that sounds correct and measures well is actually good for just about anything - gaming, music, movies, you name it. Throw in a shade of warmth in there - since most modern recordings are on the bright side - and you've got a solid all-rounder (and something, unfortunately, quite rare in today's headphone world).

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

What do you usually use expensive audiophile headphones for? 

 
At Head-Fi?
 
Bragging rights.

 

[socks2sound]

derp, doublepost by accident >>

 

[socks2sound]

Quote:

Just to match with the car that I am driving:  http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/18/ferrari-logic3-team-on-headphones/

 
I would love to take out the guts in that thing and transplant Fostex T50RP drivers in there..

On topic: OP, it's like everyone in this thread has been saying. It's all of the above. 

Also, modding your headphones to get the best sound is part of being an audiophile imo. Lots of DIY cans and cables here on head-fi, lol. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

Quote:

 
The Good:
An audiophile headphone allows you to be transported to a different world much different than the one you live in your day to day life. It allows you to relax. It transports you to a higher level of being as you enjoy your favorite music and wash away the dust of your daily meanderings to enjoy life's finest art. An audiophile headphone allows you to bring this joy to others when you share them. An audiophile headphone keeps you entertained and happy.
 

 
i like this description...transported to a different world.
 
my Uptown is doing tat to me right now. wowwweeeee

 

[seanwee]

Bump