[ph0rk]

Sadly, I think in common usage "music lover" and "audiophile" are, if not mutually exclusive, very much two distinct states of being that rarely overlap.

 

[espire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sadly, I think in common usage "music lover" and "audiophile" are, if not mutually exclusive, very much two distinct states of being that rarely overlap.

While they are two different things, I would say that you need to love music to be an audiophile. Otherwise, what's the point?

 

[cactus_farmer]

Maybe the difference between an audiophile and a music lover would be that the music lover wouldn't think twice about listening to a great - but poorly recorded track.

Personally I was always a music lover, then I got into gadgets through reading Stuff and T3 magazines...etc..., then those two interests (music and gadgets) combined to give me an appreciation of how some gadgets can make music sound better...

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sadly, I think in common usage "music lover" and "audiophile" are, if not mutually exclusive, very much two distinct states of being that rarely overlap.

I have been what one would consider "audiophile" for over 35 years. Alot of my friends have the same passion as myself. Love of music and hearing it reproduced at the highest level we can achieve. I have never met an audiophile without huge collections of music (bad to great recordings). We All listen to music alot, and respect, and value that time. Although most music lovers are not audiophiles. ALL audiophiles ARE music lovers.

 

[ph0rk]

I think that some self-styled audiophiles are gear lovers rather than music lovers, or at least act as such. It isn't that difficult to think of examples.

 

[Uncle Erik]

It happens when a music lover also falls in love with the gear.

 

[ken36]

Must be a trick question.

 

[Cecala]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif It happens when a music lover also falls in love with the gear.

I read somewhere when a group of so called audiophiles were asked what made them become and call them selves audiophiles, they responded that it was the equipment they were after. In anycase no body who truly enjoys music would put up with mediocrity in their setup, the only difference here is that the Audiophile is known to spend mega dollars on simple items in their setup.
So in conclusion:

Music lover> person that enjoys music
Audiophile> person who is crazy about hardware and is crazy.

 

[TopPop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cecala /img/forum/go_quote.gif No body who truly enjoys music would put up with mediocrity in their setup, the only difference here is that the Audiophile is known to spend mega dollars on simple items in their setup. So in conclusion: Music lover> person that enjoys music Audiophile> person who is crazy about hardware and is crazy.

I disagree.

I know many people (and I'm sure you all do, as well) who enjoy their music as much as I do, but are perfectly ignorant to the fact that they have mediocre systems, and are quite happy in their ignorance. I'm tempting to think this is because they don't know that it can get better. But I don't consider these people to be "audiophiles", just people who really enjoy their music. "Musicphiles", if you will.

And an audiophile doesn't necessarily have to "spend mega dollars" on their system to be a true audiophile. Yes, some audiophiles may have the money for this, and may choose to spend their money in this way. This doesn't make them crazy. Nor does it necessarily make them an "audiophile" (some may just be infatuated with the gear itself, or with spending money in general); however, the ability and choice to spend more money on a system than you or I can afford certainly doesn't exclude them from being among the "audiophiles" of the world.

I consider myself to be an audiophile. No, I haven't spent "mega dollars" on my system; but yes, the amount of money I have spent may seem outrageous to some. Some might even call it "crazy"...

 

[HiWire]

I call myself an audiophile because I love music and also because I love learning about recording and playback technology. I think money is a separate issue, but getting good equipment often leads to an empty wallet...

 

[Mandrake]

crewchief is generous of spirit, but I largely agree. I would add though that the pursuit should be serious. This doesn't mean spending wildly, but it means spending what you have to spend with lots of care, lots of listening and research, etc. And then hopefully spending time enjoying it. True audiophiles find joy by themselves. Showing off just means that you have picked this set of tools to do that. One can do same with boats, grills, whatever. One has to like, perhaps love, the hobby for its intrinsic merit to one's own ears and sense of satisfaction that one maximized bang for buck.

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cecala /img/forum/go_quote.gif I read somewhere when a group of so called audiophiles were asked what made them become and call them selves audiophiles, they responded that it was the equipment they were after. In anycase no body who truly enjoys music would put up with mediocrity in their setup, the only difference here is that the Audiophile is known to spend mega dollars on simple items in their setup. So in conclusion: Music lover> person that enjoys music Audiophile> person who is crazy about hardware and is crazy.

Almost close to my opinion. To be considered something of an audiophile, you can find satisfaction, but never FULL satisfaction with the sound you get. It does not matter how much you spend, as long as it is more then reasonable on your budget with intelligence and due care. Plenty of people who enjoy music put up with mediocrity. I have an imagination that can help fill in the gaps sometimes and don't mind the KSC75. I started as an enthusiast. I fear what I am becoming, I never really want anyone to seriously call me an audiophile. I truly enjoy music, it strike my emotions more than almost anything else, especially while getting older. I have spend more then I should on my budget, but I have a strong sense of curiosity. Its a wonderful hobby.

Who cares about starting a family or having a more then one room apartment, really?

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

I'd say you become an audiophile when you start to care about how your music sounds like (as in distortion, warmth, etc)

 

[jenghanHsieh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musicboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif When can you call yourself an Audiophile? Is it when you bought an "audiophile" quality setup because you only can deal with the bet of the best, or is it when you listening to music all day and loves audio? Is it when your friends call you an audiophile, or is it something completely different? The last option is that there is no definition...

I think it's when you keep trying to figure out how to get the best music ( sound ). Spending ridiculously amount of money on audio gears is only one option.

 

[khbaur330162]

Nice topic, first off. Interesting to see I share some thoughts with others here.

An audiophile is some one with an internal sense or gauge for personally classifying a given sound producing system, especially when relating its capability to other sound producing systems in current or previous existence and ownership that they have personally heard. An audiophile strives to know exactly what that sound producing system is to them at that moment, what that same-or different-system has been for them before, and where the same-or different-system could possibly be taken. An audiophile has, to some extent, a level of personal excitement for the fidelity of reproduced and recorded sound, not necessarily music. Simply, what does the sound coming out of the sound producing system sound like? And can you describe it? Compare it? Love and/or hate it?

And after all that hullabaloo has been assessed, the audiophile sits back and enjoys listening to the system they have and is appreciative of that fact. They realize that their effort, time and money which has been spent to find that higher fidelity sound pays off in their increased satisfaction when exploring new and old music. And an audiophile never loses sight that to this end-finding their maximum level of satisfaction per willingly spent dollar-we audiophiles search.

That makes an audiophile in my opinion.