Do Audiophiles really like music?

Dave - Tool Time was loosely based on my life ;) My name is Tim the Tireguy

You're mostly right in your observations. I'm also an old timer at this hobby, and while there have always been those who were in the hobby just to play with the gear, these does seem to be a higher population of them now. Even some of the 'audiophile' recordings that have come out over the past few years, while well recorded, have got to have the record label executives snickering about the fact that people are actually buying the recordings and remarking about how much they like them.

I, like you, am interested in listening to music, not listening to the hi-fi equipment to try and determine how 'real' it sounds. I have also listened to a great deal of live music and have played a great deal as well and have never heard any hi-fi equipment that can reproduce the emotion of a live performance, and I don't expect that anyone has actually tried to build anything that does.

The goal for me is to own equipment that produces a sound that I find pleasing and to spend my time enjoying the music.

I have always enjoyed music, mostly classical, since before I had a phonograph (as audio systems were then called). But I have other interests, and one of them is messing around with electronics and loudspeakers. Hardly unexpected for an engineer. There is no reason why loving music and tinkering with audio equipment should be mutually exclusive.

I like to think that audiophiles can be divided into two groups -- those who love gear and like music and those who love gear and love music. I've worked with and spoken to people who have multi-K systems and can recite every spec of any piece of gear you mention, but they can't tell you about the last live performance they attended or who their favorite guitar player is and why. (This always confounds the heck out of me.) To me, music lovers have to have live music like a drug, and they make an effort to have it. There is a connection to the music that no system can replicate. People who don't appreciate live music are a minority in our hobby, thank God, but they certainly exist more than audiophiles admit.

Dude I love music!!!!! More than anything. I followed the Dead around to 65 or so shows, I followed Phish around to about 50 shows. I wanted a great stereo my whole life and when I was finally when I was finally able to afford one I went for it. First I got a Rega Planet, then a Bryston B-60 and finally some decent speakers and a Rega Planar 3. After all of that I found Audiogon and have since lived happily ever after. And I just love music!!!!