Music Lover vs Audiophile

[Feanor]

Ah! Where to start, Byron.

Very many music lovers aren't audiophiles. For instance I know lots of classical ("unamplified", "accoustic") music lovers who are completely content with <$500 compact systems, and some who do most of their listening on iPod/MP3 player.

On the other hand, most audiophiles are, indeed, music lovers.

A preference for "midrange purity" over huge, pounding, (but perhaps muddled), bass isn't uncommon among audiophiles. Most often it depends on music preference -- e.g. classical or jazz just don't need huge, pounding bass but do benefit from resolution & transparency. In fact huge, pounding bass is mainly essential for various rock forms -- or maybe pipe organ.

I agree with you the best-know hi-fi mags, i.e. Stereophile and The Absolute Sound pay too much attendtion to "high-end" very expensive equipment. I also agree that you can get pretty decent sound for, say, $1500.

On the other hand I say you shouldn't be so disdainful of those willing to spend a good deal more: you can get much improvement in "midrange purity" and -- yes -- better bass. It is utterly wrong to dismiss these dismiss these folks as not really music lovers

[JoeE SP9]

Expecting people to share your enthusiasm is some extremely wishful thinking. Rather than give people copies of or subscriptions to an enthusiast publication they're really not that interested in I give them or help them purchase what I consider to be a good sounding system. In the past 25 years I've given away or set up at least a dozen friends and relatives with what I consider to be decent systems. Of that dozen exactly three have developed an interest in being an audiophile in addition to a music lover. One currently has Magneplanar MG-3.6R's with custom external crossovers. Another has a pair of recently restored Ohm F's. The third recently took delivery of a pair of Magneplanar MMG's. Those three are true converts and avidly proselytize "audiophilia".

Most of the others that I've given systems to rarely use them, with some strange exceptions. My 86 year old mother buys several CD's every month and my brother has replaced his Kenwood receiver with an HK surround receiver and added a Polk powered sub. He has surround speakers in the works.

As far as bass goes, I built two 12" transmission line sub woofers and I power each one with an 800 Watt SS amp. They are equalized using a parametric equalizer, REW and a meter to be flat to 18Hz. They, my tube driven front esl's and my bi amped dual sub woofer-ed rear esl's are all in an acoustically treated dedicated room. I would think four sub woofers provide enough bass for anyone. It is for me an ex-bass player. Even so, if the midrange wasn't right I wouldn't bother listening. I can listen to a bass shy system. I can't listen to a crappy midrange.

I didn't mean to come of so snarky sounding in my original post. It's just that I don't expect a magazine aimed at enthusiasts to champion bargain basement gear. Enthusiast oriented publications cater to the enthusiast. Most audio reviewers do it part time as they also have real jobs. They have usually secured a position reviewing because they've been there and done that with the bargain basement gear. Given the option of reviewing a pair of mediocre $500 a pair bookshelf speakers or a pair of Wilson Alexandria's I know what I would choose. Stereophile and The Absolute Sound are enthusiast magazines aimed at the high end. That's what they review and otherwise right about. Of course they cover a certain amount of lower priced (in comparison) gear. However, even that stuff isn't cheap.

If you want advice for Joe Six Pack Consumers Reports does just that. They periodically cover stereo equipment. However, they are not an enthusiast oriented publication and they cover non enthusiast products. They gave a Porsche 911 a poor rating because it didn't hold enough grocery bags in the trunk. If I'm buying a refrigerator or washing machine I'll go to their ratings. When I want information on a product in which I have a personal enthusiastic interest such as automobiles, camera's, bicycles, motorcycles, stereo gear and other things I'll peruse a magazine aimed at enthusiasts. Sure, they mostly cover the high priced spread. Isn't that a large part of what being an enthusiast is about?

[emaidel]

In my experience, most music lovers haven't a clue what an audiophile system can sound like, and once they do, they're all but blown away. Musicians, in particular, always seem to have really lousy systems, and many prefer loudspeakers that seem to reproduce the particular instrument they (the musicians) play, rather than the entire audio spectrum.

Audiophiles, on the other hand, aren't necessarily music lovers as many listen to their systems, and not to the music itself. There's been a long-standing joke in the industry about the audiophile who'se spent tens of thousands of dollars on his equipment, but owns only four records, or discs.

Those of us on this site are likely both music lovers and audiophiles, or at least, audio enthusiasts. We are a particular breed, who'd like to see others join in with that which gives us such pleasure (listening to music on our systems), but sign in frustration when entering someone's home only to see a three-piece, plastic "stereo" as the source of recorded music.

Whenever I traveled while working in the industy, I always looked out the window of the plane as we were landing, and realized how few of those thousands of homes I was looking at had any really decent audio equipment in them, and how few people have a clue how enjoyable listening to good music on a good system can be. Pity.

[JohnMichael]

If I were not a music lover I would not go to the trouble of tweaking and upgrading. For me the love of music drives my need for a better sound system.

[bobsticks]

I think marketing has a tremendous amount to do with this. As mentioned, the tech sectors are focused on phone and mobile applications...there certainly aren't any ad campaigns featuring mod hipsters sitting in their Corbusier chairs getting their heads blown back by Pioneer speakers. That may not effect what is available but it certainly effects what is perceived to be available.

(As a side note, if you want to see how much emphasis is placed on mobile technology today, commit to researching a phone purchase---hell, just Google, "Droid Razr vs. iPhone"---you'll see vitriol similar to the Great Cable Debates)

I suspect it's noteworthy too that a lot of kids today have little to no idea of what live music really sounds like.

Plus, not to avoid the elephant in the room, but as to the characteristics of "audiophile equipmentent" and "audiophile preferences" I've often felt that when some henpecked audiogeezers use the phrase WAF what they really mean is, "Keep your stupid hobby quiet and unobtrusive or get ready to sleep on the couch"...