Should people who can't solder, build or test their speakers be considered audiophiles?



  So, if you bought that Porsche but can only drive it and not fix it do you really understand and appreciate what it is? I say no. The guy who can get in there and make it better, faster or prettier with his own hands has a superior ability to understand the final result and can appreciate what he has from a knowledge base and not just a look at what I bought base. I mean sure you can appreciate that car when you drive it but if all you do is take it back to the dealership for maintenance and repairs you just like the shape with no real understanding of what makes it the mechanical marvel it is.
  I find that is true with the audio world too. There are those who spend a ton of money on things and then spend a lot of time seeking peer approval and assurance their purchase was the right one and that people are suitably impressed. Of course those who are most impressed are those who also do not design, build, test or experiment.

  I propose that an audiophile must have more than a superficial knowledge about what he listens to and must technically understand what he is listening to. He knows why things work and what his end goal is and often makes his own components to achieve this. He knows how to use design software to make speakers that you can't buy and analyze the room they are in and set up the amplification with digital crossovers and DSP. He can take a plain jane system and tweak it and balance it to best suit the room it is in. He can make it sound far better than the guy who constantly buys new components based on his superficial knowledge who does not understand why what he keeps buying in vain never quite gets there.

  A true audiophile can define his goal and with hands on ability achieve what a mere buyer of shiny parts never will. So out comes the Diana Krall music and the buyer says see how good my system is? The audiophile says I have taken a great voice and played it through a system where all was matched and tweaked or even purposely built and sits right down next to Diana as she sings. The buyer wants prestigious signature sound and the audiophile will work to achieve an end result that is faithful true to life audio as though you were in the room with Diana as she sings. The true audiophile wants true to life and not tonally pure according to someones artificial standard.

 So are you a buyer or an audiophile and what do you think should make a person an audiophile?
mahlman
I do own a Porsche and wrench it my self.  I guess that makes me an Audiophile.
" So no, to be an audiophile you simply need to be an enthusiast of audio, even if you cant afford it, I will share mine with you and give you my chair. "
  Yup I agree and being an audiophile precludes being pretentious and instead it is the end result. Some of the systems I hear are not very good but it is all these people can afford and we can share love of music. Personally I would rather visit with these than the ones who have kept price tags on things.

   Funny thing about all this high dollar stuff with people I personally know. They invite me over and I go. I invite them over and they stay away because I guess my stuff is part home built el cheapo in their eyes. Why would they waste their time listening to inferior junk I guess is their opinion and have such towering egos they never even try to find out what might be at my end. You invite me over I will go at least once. You start telling (bragging to) me how much things cost I won't be back.

briansjacobs is referring to snobbery, in which I fully agree with his perspective. I was (am) a watchmaker, hence I had answered to avsherry above. I can appreciate all levels that enthusiasts own. Btw, having a wristwatch isn't really about telling time 🙄 Brian's offer to "share mine with you" is much appreciated, although it best be an Eames or that not a chair acceptable for my derriere. 🙄
"Meanwhile, back on the ranch....."

While y’all are having such a Wonderful Ses’, picking @ each other in such a thoughtful way....*wry glance*....

Have a sneer @ what’s now tempting the non-solder/build/test crowd. ;)

Taking a straw poll on which could be considered the most unattractive (physically only) of the group....

https://soundstream.com/home-audio/
Sound Table is the ugly winner for me. Of course I am a certified Solder Aficionado and Audiophile so I might not be qualified to judge here. Which do you choose?