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I am not an Audiophile (and never have been)

Tony L said:
I'm sure that is what we all do. The thing I don't get is the inverted snobbery aspect. I can think of a lot of components in the £10k or more price range I like a lot as well as some real bargain bucket stuff, e.g. you'll find a fair few posts from me here singing the praises of cheap Tripath TA2020 T-Amps etc.
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Where is the inverted snobbery in enjoying what you like, regardless of price, surely this is far more beneficial in the long term than aiming for high end audio, I don't see this as inverted snobbery, just common sense.

If someone hears something costing 10 grand & enjoys it, thinks it's worth the extra outlay, nothing wrong with this, it's the thinking that, just because it's high end it's better, I find wrong, it's sort of how the industry works, this way of thinking, I find, suits the pockets of retailers, IMO, it's wrong, blind testing new equipment is something I used to do when I purchased new back in the 90's, it was always surprising how little the difference is once you have no idea what your listening to, shocking on some occasions.
It can get into your head, this way of thinking & waste your money.
 
Yes it is about the music.
The artist spends their life writing, planning, performing and producing the music.
They put a lot of effort into tiny nuances because they are artists.
The better your reproduction of the music, the closer you are to them.
The better the reproduction the more you will want to spend listening to music.
I have spent hours listening today, to my system which is the best I've ever heard (much to my surprise).
It's an ipod touch 6th gen, streaming flac through B and O H6 headphones.
I've heard Innervisions by Stevie W hundreds of times, but today, because the sound quality was so good I was far more involved and transported into the music. Each track I heard three or four things I never heard before. Things the musicians wanted me to hear. Then I listened to Jaco Pistorius and I was in the room with him.
It's the first time I've experienced this level of involvement.
It might well cost 20 grand to get this level of reproduction from a hifi, but I can't afford that, so I'm very happy with my modest headphone setup. But I respect anyones decision to spend big money on hifi. Saying it's not about the music is plain wrong.
So I would say I am an audiophile as I find the connection with the artist addictive, and the better the reproduction the better the connection, for me anyway.
The equipment is a means to an end, and yes you can stop when you've reached your goal.
 
Ragaman said:
You see, your outlook seems fine to me, if something sounds good, it's good for you, no need for this silly aiming for high end nonsense, if the high end stuff you hear sounds better then fine, but for someone here to say, why wouldn't anyone want to own high end gear, is a road I once walked, it was a sad & lonely one too, my bank balance was proof of this, thankfully no more.
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Without wishing to contradict myself in the hifi as a means to an end stakes. I would also like a couple of other bits that I lusted on earlier on in my life (not just Purdey or Ed Strakers car). The 'Briks are one thing. DBLs for another day perhaps. I would also like a DNM/Rehdeko system. Again, one with quirks but it plays music. I would also like my Sugden A48 back I lent to a friend over 30 years ago.

It isn't gear lust for the sake of it, it is gear lust for good musical systems. The exception that proves the rule would be some of the moulded front philips MFB speakers.........
 
Chaps

I have two Naim based systems and most of the black boxes are between 10 -20 years old. If I like something I keep it for years.

When I was working , it was a high stress job with nearly 80 staff and and a mega budget. Music in the evening was a soul saver. I bought the system and sod the cost and then it was just the music. The music kept me sane.

Today I am an old retired geezer with no stress. I sits in my sofa eating homemade Dundee cake and sipping red wine and I burp and fart for England. The music is still what it is all about. Two weeks ago I developed an interest in Puccini and soon I shall be buying some of his stuff because it is more uplifting beyond my dreams. I got the equipment to play it to the standard I like and frankly I am more than happy.

I don't really give a monkey's what system anyone else has and you will be hard pressed to find me commenting on different makes. My system communicates the music how I like it and if someone else thinks it is over priced or over rated, I honestly could not give a damn my dear.

Regards

Mick
 
I'm just a tinkerer, I like messing with different kit. Truth be known I'd be happy with anything because I mainly listen to the radio in the van through the week, the hi-fi is basically a second source.

At the end of the day we all know most of the gear makes a decent noise, none of it is utter garbage, if you can listen to a car/van/table top radio all day then even 3rd rate hi-fi sounds amazing.
 
Interesting thread, I enjoy the music and the technology, my taste in tech is classic, Leak, ESL57, 401 and various other valve Amps etc, however the best reproduction of recorded music I have ever heard, was this year through a system that had a price of over six figures. It absolutely captivated a group of friends for an evening and changed my view of digital streaming forever. I could hardly drag myself away from the sheer delight of the music.
At the other end of the price ladder I was once forced to pull over to the side of the road to listen to Doris Day singing "Sentimental Journey" on my car radio.
Just as arresting, both earth moving. :)
Errol
 
radamel said:
Proud to say that I'm a music lover and an audiophile.

And sure as hell I do enjoy listening to music by myself!
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Me too ... Dedicated room and all , my escape from the humdrum and angst of daily life.
As per tonyL , I have bought wisely and just loaned the system the money.

I had major open heart surgery 4 months ago after a massive heart attack..made me realise how short life is and that you cant take it with you

I just hope i dont pop off before my latest upgrade (G1 spirits and devialet 1000p) is complete..speakers due in March
 
Darren said:
I dont need to wake up, I am not 'all about the music'. Ive always enjoyed the equipment as much as the music. Like playing with it, like looking at it and like owning it.
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The reason I enjoy & appreciate pfm is definitely "about the equipment", not the music - hardly ever go to the Music sub-forum.

So i box-swap for the pleasure of it - not too often, my purchase & sale of 3 x JVC AX-Z1010TN amps in the last year or so being the exception. My current "final" goal is to put together a system based almost entirely on its looks, "Technology as Art", which I will enjoy owning & looking at, almost as much as listening to... starting with that lovely vintage Sony amp i've been lusting after recently.

Whilst writing, @Mick P : if you find Puccini uplifting, as do I, & if you love Italy (I used to live there), here's a strong recommendation for a visit to the open air Puccini Festival at Lago di Massacuccioli (not sure of my spelling), held every summer not far from Pisa (Puccini composed a number of his operas by the lake). Wonderful.
 
My definition of an audiophile is someone who buys hifi separates and takes a bit of care in their installation. That makes most, if not all of the folks who frequent the audio room, an audiophile.

I have no shame in my confessions. I'm much less hardcore now than I used to be. Nowadays, I much rather tinker with vintage kit and listen to music without judgement on whether all the audio nervosa boxes are ticked. The only two boxes that need ticking are subjective quality and emotive connection. If that retains my audiophile badge, I'll wear it with pride.
 
Please can someone correct the title of this thread? Unless of course it's a sort of post-grammar joke that has gone over my head.
 
I don't think there are many hifi-victim type audiophiles on PFM i.e. the ones on the eternal upgrade path and who believe some/all of the stuff in the foo catalogues.

However there do seem to be a few who appear to have been on tis path but then "seen the light", and they tend to over react and become rather anti-audiophile.

I must admit that I have tried loads of daft things in the past, but since I'm a tight-arse I tended to do my own version of e.g. an RA mains cable (an hour or plaiting heavy gauge mains cable appealed to me more than spending £xxx on having somebody else do it, with rhodium plated baubles on).
The benefit of wasting time rather than money on these types of experiments is improved knowledge and experience without the emotional impact of feeling well and truly duped.

Hifi/music/electronics/acoustics is my indoor/wet weather hobby. I would grumpily give it up for my outdoor hobbies if it came to a choice.
 
I'm a bit of all of the above really, I always aspired to own the best system available to me and have learnt with very few exceptions that you do get what you pay for and that high end does usually mean quality but as with all things what is expensive to one person can be a bargain to another. I love to listen to music alone I find I connect to it better that way and I do find that an expensive system allows me to become closer to the artist. I had a new cartridge fitted recently and when I listened to Exodus by Bob Marley I heard percussion that in 30 years I'd never heard before and I felt I heard a lot more of what Bob Marley meant for me to hear when he recorded that music. So if that makes me an Audiophile then I am glad to be one and if not then I'm more than happy to not be one to.
 
S-Man said:
I don't think there are many hifi-victim type audiophiles on PFM i.e. the ones on the eternal upgrade path and who believe some/all of the stuff in the foo catalogues.

However there do seem to be a few who appear to have been on tis path but then "seen the light", and they tend to over react and become rather anti-audiophile.
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I guess in some ways I've been protected from that as I've always been primarily a second-hand buyer, i.e. I've never lived at the cutting edge, always a good few years behind the curve. As an example when I was at the pinnacle of my Linn/Naim ownership with an LP12/Ittok, 32.5/HiCap/135s and Isobariks etc olive Naim was the norm, the 52 and DBLs were what the dealers were pushing etc and the used market was flooded with the sort of kit I was buying (I paid £350 for the LP12 and arm, £550 for the mint boxed late Briks etc, whole system assembled from Loot). I was a little late in rediscovering idler decks, but even so only paid £310 for my 301 and £500 for my 124 (though have spent a heck of a lot restoring them!). The smart people were buying them a decade earlier for £50! I paid peanuts for my Tannoys, plus I'm perfectly content using things like Quad 303s which can be had and restored very affordably. There are always bargains to be had and I'd argue buying things once they are fully tried and tested, maybe even a little out of fashion a good few years down the line is the best way to approach audio. It is after all a very mature technology, e.g. I'd very happily live with Western Electric cinema horns of my grandparents generation (if I could afford the damn things!).
 
I only ever purchased new at the beginning of my journey, nowadays it's all second hand, from a few years back, truth be told, I have no idea what new gear is being sold now, I never read mags & never visit shows, so really are clueless to newer stuff. I seem to come upon it a few years down the line, when it's up for sale.

This a great thread BTW
 
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