I lately wonder why I’m an Audiophile.


Ever since I lately stopped obsessing over sound quality and started really listening to  music I’m wondering why fidelity was so important to my appreciation.  Not that I’m totally on the wagon.  I still revel in hearing wonderful sound.  It’s just not so all-important anymore.  And, sometimes very poorly recorded recordings do turn me off.  
It’s just freeing not being so obsessed.

rvpiano

@retiredaudioguy There are many systems that I have heard that add "note overhang", beyond that which is part of the recording. If this is not understood, I apologize. MrD.

 

@mrdecibel Thanks, now I understand.  I have been more aware in the past of systems that cut off the decay, and lose the ambience, the sense of space, but I guess I have heard the overhang in the bass of some systems with excessive woofers.

I listen at rather low levels to music with often a very large dynamic range (60dB+) so I prize the ability to resolve very low level signals.  Out of interest I used my phone's spl meter while I was listening to Jimmy Levine's Mahler 1; at the lowest it read about 30dB - probably the background level of my house - and the peak was over 95dB.

 

Problems problems problems. It’s a good thing when you can choose your own problems.

For me, I’ve always loved music and I’ve had good friends that help me along the way.  About 50 years ago before my career as a chiropractor, back then, I met Richard Fryer of Spectral Audio and secured my very first preamp the Spectral MS 1.  Then, with his advice and another friend, I got a set of Quad electrostatic speakers, A pair of Dyna Mark III kit amplifiers and I was set for many years, listening to Vinyl.  I considered all the new solid state technology including CDs with disdain.

Now, Just recently, I sold the quads, the old amplifiers, and now streaming music!

My current system is a set of Revel speakers, Cayin amplifier,DAC and Eversolo streamer.

And recently discovering the importance of room acoustics, and I am in Auditor Nirvana!

I consider myself an audiophile? 

I hate labels. So I just consider I love wonderful music with a sound stage that makes me think the artist is in front of me with enough resolution, etc. etc. the satisfying my tastes.

listening to music as always given me a certain calm, peace of mind and sometimes an expensive experience it allows me to experience a beautiful reality.  In a reality that helps me spill it over into our non-musical realities.

So I say love your music in which ever form or quality or quantity you want and if it helps you live life better then there’s no lable needed!

 

 

I had the good fortune to have had a career as a performing classical musician. As I would encounter the listening systems of my fellow musicians I was amazed at the mediocrity of their systems and even more so the sheer inadequacy of their systems until one day I realized their big secret. They were able to enjoy music that I considered to be sonically inferior simply by filling in the missing ingredients in their heads.!  I tried it and can easily do it but far prefer the ease of hearing it on a great audio system.  I guess that makes me an audiophile ?

I had the good fortune to have had a career as a performing classical musician.  As I would encounter the audio systems of my colleagues I was amazed by the mediocrity and inadequacy of their systems until one day I realized their "secret". They simply filled in the missing information in their heads !   I tried it and am able to do it too but far prefer hearing it on a highly resolving audio system.  I suppose that makes me an audiophile ?