IMO it's a nebulous term used all too often as a marketing tool. All of Eldartford's points are well taken but there is no guarantee that the end product, for lack of a better description, "sounds good". I have some contemporary "audiophile" pressings that are quite mediocre. A good example is the 200 gram pressing of Peter Gabriel's "So". The original Geffen release smokes the "audiophile" version. There are many releases from the 60's and 70's that are far superior to their current audiophile counterparts. The first release A&M brown label pressings of Cat Stevens' "Tea for the Tillerman" and "Teaser and the Firecat" are without question superior to the current re-masters.
Ultimately and again IMO, audiophile recordings are those special pieces of vinyl that play with clarity, transparency, depth, and minimal dynamic compression.
Ultimately and again IMO, audiophile recordings are those special pieces of vinyl that play with clarity, transparency, depth, and minimal dynamic compression.