You know you are an Audiophile when:

You get rid of the Craftsman tape measure and replace it a Bosch Laser measure because the former is just not "accurate enough". Oh yes!

In the winter you turn the heat off in your dedicated room, let it cool off, turn on equipment and let it warm up itself and the room.

In the summer you put the A/C on full blast for about an hour, turn on equipment, just so the A/C doesn't come on for several hours. Wife has two hooded sweatshirts on in July. You're just smiling.

You mail out a Money Order for your most recent audio purchase because you don’t want your wife to see the paper trail left by using your credit card or checking account.

@jfd11

You might be an audiophile if...
the UPS and FedEx guys know not to stop when they see the wife's car in the driveway. 

oh man.... lol

You have 17 items there. Not everyone who calls themselves an audiophile is going to say all 17 are true and certainly someone who does fewer than 5 should probably not call themselves an audiophile. What is the number that puts one over the top into audiophilesoc (a new word I just made up meaning the society of audiophiles)?

Every comment  is spot on!  
I occasionally email  audio companies to inquire about if they have anything new coming soon or any potential upgrades to my current gear... 
I also take the temperature of my  amps to make sure their comfortable.....

And.... no one  is allowed to drink or eat within  10 feet of my  gear! It's  strictly inforced... 
My motto is touch with your eyes ,see with hands and feel with your ears!

Long live HiFi!
Cheers from 10 feet away!

With regard for how much you've spent on your system, you have "more dollars than sense"...

When this is the door to the listing room. 
http://gunsafestore.com/amsec-vd8036bf-2-inch-thick-steel-vault-door-for-safe-room-w-inside-release.html?utm_source=google_shopping

When you install a steel skin door, 3" hinge screws, and a $300 deadbolt. https://www.mul-t-lock-online.com/store/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=41
Check, check, and check : )

When you plan your vacation around a few Audio Stores you would like to visit.
Prior to the Covid issues.
ozzy

@barts said: " You get rid of the Craftsman tape measure and replace it a Bosch Laser measure because the former is just not "accurate enough". Oh yes!

Doh! I did that the day I got my speakers.

I guess I'm a latent audiophile...........not that there's anything wrong with that.

chorus: "your male dog wear's a diaper....". Heck, when your system require's your listening guests to wear them while playing the 1812 Overture!! 💣

When you never work on cars but buy an engine hoist cherry picker so it's easier to move monoblocks in and out the listening room.

You design and build you own speakers including the crossovers specifically tuned for the room that you listen in.

https://youtu.be/sk-h7OyfSGU

http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//500/medium/ScreenHunter_250_Jul_13_11_47.jpg

You conceive(!), design, and build your own equipment when none is available such as an A/B/X box with both speaker level and line level matching, then wire your room up specifically to test different speakers.

http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//500/medium/DSC_0054.JPG

http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//500/ScreenHunter_123_Dec_14_15_17.jpg

You have been known to have passed your spouse an envelope
with $5k inside so it can be spent on clothes or whatever.

When you tell non-audiophiles how much you spent on your system, they think you’re crazy.  Most won’t understand regardless if any explanation.

@toddalin - a silent wow is still echoing in my mind

When your not at home and you can’t stop thinking about your listening session from the night before.

Would rather listen to music rather than; BBQ w/ the neighbors, go to work, take the kids to school, stop to make something to eat.....

Start thinking seriously about upgrading from home-made speaker wire to the latest and greatest pitch for the "ultimate speaker wire." Must keep wallet in pocket and buy 100 new vinyl releases....

I'm with millercarbon!

Because you are into analogue, you buy a cassette deck, then you buy another cassette deck, then you buy a reel to reel tape deck, then.........

You do it in the dark.
You do it by yourself.
You yawn to pop your ears before your activity.
You don’t want to be prematurely interrupted.
You moan quietly “oh, that’s the spot...”
You mumble to yourself “I know I put it somewhere.”
You need more power than a theme park.
You get taken for a ride every time.
You must leave your significant other to engage in what you love best.
You use the needle to get high.
You are engaged in high fidelity and yet you claim your in-laws are into infidelity.

When some of your internet passwords are the make and model of some of your most revered audio components...

Hahaha... @highfi - "You do it in the dark./ You do it by yourself." -- this cracked me up. Absolutely. 

You have a dedicated audio room. Absolutely, with audio engineered construction at $500/sq ft.

Your listening chair is in the “Sweet Spot”.  Not really, three sweet seated sweet spots.  I dislike head in a vise sound.  Maybe four sweet spots.

You have sound treatment on your walls.  Radical inside the wall treatment and substantial side wall and suspended ceiling treatment.

You spend hours properly placing and tweaking your speakers.  I did spend about an hour placing speakers but four hours tweaking the SR HFTs and four Hallographs

You understand that properly placed speakers will create a 3D sound stage (placing musicians and singers in localized positions… from  left to right… front to back) [Sound-stage]  Absolutely

Your stereo is worth more than your vehicle.  Absolutely

You know that higher end components do a better job of: being less fatiguing to listen to, creating the imaging (sound-stage), representing the instruments more accurately and with more detail, are more involving.  Higher end but not necessarily higher cost.  

You are intimately aware of the performance and tonal quality of your system, and can describe the results of any changes in the system.  Absolutely.

You are aware of how bad the sound is for the first 3 - 4 songs at any live music event.  Not necessarily.  I am a part time recording engineer and the orchestra, chamber group and choirs I record make sure the sound is set from the start.  I have 100s of my recordings to prove that.

98 % of the time… when someone cranks their stereo up and says “This sounds GREAT” you cringe. You could list all the ways and reasons why it sounds awful… but you don’t.  About 80% of the time.  I'm not entirely happy with several friends high end systems but they are enjoyable to listen to.

When listening to music… you spend a portion of time listening to and exploring the placement of the sounds in the sound stage, and the quality and detail of your system… with your eyes closed.  With the lights nearly off-as in a concert hall or opera.

You become aware of how bad the sound is on some recordings.  Only poor mastering is generally the cause.  I listen to the music with the sound quality that I expect from the recording/mastering engineer.  I listen to 10,000s of 78s every year as well.

You are painfully aware how awful sound systems are at bars and clubs. Absolutely

You have increased the sound performance of your system through upgrades and tweaks... multiple times.  Upgrades mostly 15 years ago, many tweaks last five years.

You are aware of sound reflections in your home, and live music events.  Yes

You continue to learn and try new things.  Absolutely

Out of curiosity… you try various things on your system… to see what, and if… there are any improvements… ie: cables, cords, isolation, dampening… etc.  I am a beta cable tester for a manufacturer who has had me test about 200 cables in 20+ years.  He has settled on final designs in the past two years.  $400-$1000 ICs, A/C and speaker cable for Masterbuilt quality sound.

I am an audiophile second, music lover first.

You are on vacation and just thinking about when you can get home to your system..

When you can spend so much time talking about audio minutia that your friends want to put their brains on the wall.

If your vinyl collection catches on fire and burns for three days like a junk yard fire, you might be an audiophile. 

If you send $10,000 on audio gear and take your wife out to McDonalds for dinner, you might be an audiophile.

If you have a $25,000 audio system and drive a 20 year old POS Honda, you might be an audiophile. 

Your neighbor demos his stereo and it sounds pretty darn good for a relative pittance and you wonder what am I wasting my cash on.  Ten minutes later your ears and brain adjust, you are reminded exactly why, compile an extensive list and bite your lip.

You “pet” your speakers when you walk by them...

Is this just me?
Once my speakers are set up... I never touch them unless it's to dust them with a moist cloth....

You purchase a $25,000 stereo and set it up with custom made, low, fill-able, spiked stands... and although it sounds good... you can hear that it's not quite there. Hearing about power cords... you buy a couple to try out at $250 each. This does not cut it. You purchase a couple more at $500 each. Much better...  but not quite there. A friend is upgrading, and asks if you are interested in trying his $1,500 pc's.
1st one on source... WTF?!
2nd on pre... OMG!3rd on pwr... So... How much do you want for ALL three?  : D

I always liked to play the same files i like the most....But i also use some files to rightfully assess the state of my audio system....

My controls embeddings methods are complex and with my listening i can detect if there is some defects, or something amiss among all the hundreds of modifications implemented .... It is impossible to verify all of them one by one each day.....   :)

You shell out $1500.00 for a used pair of speaker cables and are amazed at the great deal that you got!

When you get divorced not once but twice because of your over buying of audio equipment.....well that was one of the reasons...lol

I read your comment of having a stereo system worth more than your car. I remember a guy back in grad school about 30 years ago who told me his ten-year-old Honda Civic had a $6000 stereo system. I was too close to my rather modest upbringing to not think he was financially irresponsible. But now as I do the figures in my head, I realize my system is worth more than my car. Of course, now I crunch the numbers I realize I have a 2010 Honda Fit with 210,000 miles on it...

You know you are an Audiophile when:

.. you say 'good morning' to your stereo setup (and/or maybe even 'good night').

....your family, relatives, and close friends are drilling the 'net, looking for an 'audiophile' version of AA....or some verison of 'encounter' that may not preclude violence or restraints.
(I do have 2 passwords to 2 'puters that refer to audio subject matter....and NO, no hints...)
....your pile of equipment, accessories, and general junk will likely take more time and effort to break down, pack, move, unpack, and set up in a new location in a new set of 'parameters' then all the combined other flotsam and jetsum of your entire household and the other 'stuff' of your 'normal' life....
(Your spouse just bought the new Dylan album, and you're Already determining the 'best speakers' and TT to play it on.....and that doesn't include what will encompass the digital download....)
...you take on 'out-of-state' work a 'portable version' of your equipment...and Yes, the speakers....(True to Life Confessions)...
...Nobody Anymore Wants to Even Consider Asking for Your Not-So-Humble 'opinion' on ANYTHING of an 'audio nature'.  They just want to go to Best Buy and spend 500$ on something to go with the flat screen....

We're all well beyond mere therapy..... ;)

Hey, fun link,
~~So, my then GF's first visit to my house, all the seat, couch cushions are stacked in corners and "first bounce" in sound room..a deliberate decision.."this is me." ..going on 26 years now.  
~~Mid 80's driving home on Maine Turnpike with the new active preamp, ticketed for 85mph..a genuine, "Thanks Officer, have a great day!"
~~Craigslist find of a $1,500 Danish small floorstanding loudspeaker perfect for my son's retro vinyl system...3 hour drive to Mass doing the deal in a shopping center parking lot at 10:30pm (after a nice warm chat with sellor)...a nice bonding experience with my son, btw.
~~Spotting some one owner JBL L7's for a steal on Craigs...too large for here, storing them for 6 years, flipping them for over twice the cost and buying a Focusrite new DAC with the proceeds.
~~Stacking 2 pairs of McIntosh XR5's and XR6's in late 70's.
~~My brick and mortar store owner removed the picture window in his living room to bring in large Altecs.
...the things we do for love!  More Peace, Pin

You have seven different pressings of a favorite LP and can explain, in detail, each version within a few moments of Dropping the cart.

You have a furniture dolly to move your equipment around.

When you think Stanley Kubrick's controversial film 'A Clockwork Orange' is primarily a movie about audio equipment.

You show more care and attention toward your audio components then your family,...

You are an audiophile and more, when you feel and can explain how good Hitlers speech  were recorded....    :)

'Too many systems?'
Yes, thank god for the loft.


'You buy an uncomfortable low back couch because it will let you listen to the stereo better?'

Yes, that's how my back issues started

'You become aware of how bad the sound is on some recordings?'

Majority of them unfortunately.

You are painfully aware how awful sound systems are at bars and clubs?

Yes, ranging from pain to 'at least there's good dynamics.'

'Your stereo is worth more than your vehicle?'

At least twice as much.

'You visit Audiogon forum every day?'

Several times. In fact more since the Lockdown started.

'When you plan your vacation around a few Audio Stores you would like to visit.'

Well it would be a shame to waste a trip to London and not check out at least a few of the specialist stores.


'No matter how great your system sounds you are looking for improvement?'

Yes, if only the illusion was a little more real. Although to be fair I am a little surprised at how currently nothing unpleasant stands out. I'm almost scared to touch anything in case something 'goes off'. Maybe I should mark the exact current positions.


Yes, I know, I understand. There's no cure for this, is there?  By the way doctor, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of system do you have?