What is the meaning of a true audiophile

au'di-o-phile. n. 1. A person who exhibits extreme obsessive/compulsive behavior that happens to be directed at achieving perfect music reproduction, even at the risk of compromising their personal relationships and financial security. 2. A delusional person who believes he or she can find the "holy grail" of perfect music reproduction, a condition often manifest by unrelenting searches for new audio equipment and frequent pronouncements of the type: "If only I had a [INSERT NAME OF AN OBSCURE OR EXPENSIVE PIECE OF MUSIC REPRODUCTION GEAR HERE]." 3. Any of a class of people who dedicate far more time and money developing a music reproduction system to capture the essence of a "live" concert, than they spend actually going to live concerts. 4. Any person who is willing to spend more money to purchase a single "upgrade" AC power cord for an electronic device than is earned in an entire year by 70% of the other people in the world. 5. A malcontent who devotes inordinate time visiting audio equipment dealers, auditioning new audio gear, reading audio magazines, trying seemingly irrational "tweaks" like demagnetizing CDs, continually adjusting their speaker placement and changing cables, and scanning audio-related internet chat rooms looking for other ways to achieve better music reproduction. 6. A person whose life is characterized by extended periods of dissatisfaction and apprehension punctuated by occassional periods of euphoria and contentment induced by sublime music reproduction. 7. You and I.

A customer of mine who knows that i have great interests in music and audio gear once asked me if i was a music lover or an audiophile ??? I asked them to clarify what their understanding of the two terms were. He said "in terms of reproduction of sound, "music lovers" typically lean towards systems that have warmth, body, pace and are smooth whereas "audiophiles" look for more "detail" and lean towards brighter, more revealing electronics. They also tend to change gear more often than the music lover does". While i would not completely agree with his definitions, i think that they do offer some very keen insight into our "hobby". Needless to say, i was pretty amazed that a "commoner" who owns a "rack system" could "speak the speak" and understand what he was saying. I told him that at this point in time, i am kind of a "hybrid" of the two. I definetly like the warmth, body and pace part of the "music lover" but that i'm also interested in being able to hear as much "detail" without making my ears bleed. In order to find the right combination of the two genres, i was "swapping components" on a pretty regular basis, hoping to find that "magic combination" of gear once and for all. I think he understood where i was coming from and has since inquired several times about the various systems that i have in my house. The good thing is that i think that he's getting curious enough about all of this stuff to try it out for himself : ) Sean
>

HAHHAHAHAhAh !!!! Djjd was posting that at the same time i did mine. That one kicks ass !!!! Sean
>

1) Anyone who would rather listen to Manheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire Holiday album than Miles Davis. 2) When listening, anyone whose face looks like an emergency room Doctor examining a trauma patient rather than someone who is blissful and happy listening to music 3)Anyone who has ever said: "You may have never heard of Manheim Steamroller, but this is a GREAT recording 4) Anyone who would rather make 700 adjustments to VTA, speaker toe-in, listening chair placement and volume rather than sit still and listen to an entire piece of music. 5) Anyone who relentlessly preaches the superiority of their single ended triode voodoo wimp system emblazoned with tacky logos and made by some underfunded garage manufacturer 6)Anyone who has ever purchased a Shun Mook product 7) Anyone who can't afford Shun Mook products after their rent, despite the fact that they are, obviously, one of the world's foremost, towering geniuses. 9) Anyone who thinks that a Linn LP-12, a Denon A/V receiver or a Shahinian Obelisk sounds "musical". 10) Anyone who has ever purchased Krell