Why do people act like audiophile is a four letter word?

[woodman]

Why do people act like audiophile is a four letter word?

Because the vast majority of those that wear that designation with pride have lost sight of what the hobby was supposed to be about - that's why.

I was an "audiophile" before the term ever came into use - back in the 1930s. It started when I was just a youngster, barely out of short pants. What I was involved in was a passionate interest in recorded sound, particularly recorded music. My passion continued on into the '40s, '50s, and '60s - and if anyone called me an audiophile during those years, there was no reason I should deny it.

But then in the '70s and '80s things started to change. Audiophiles gradually became fanatically obsessive about the equipment. They were compulsively so - to the point that they became "nitpickers". This then led to them being guilty of gross exaggerations about what "night & day" differences they obtained by means of some bizarre "tweak". They began to speak a private language, using terms like airy - bloom - dark - aggressive - billowy - grainy - gritty - boxy - and the like to describe sounds. Never mind music ... now they decided to focus nearly all of their attention on the hardware and what effects it had on the sound being produced.

So, I coined a word (an acronym, actually) to describe these nuts ... CONE(s) - which coincidentally IS a four-letter word! It stands for: Compulsive, Obsessive, Nitpicking, Exaggerator. This doesn't of course apply to all audiophiles - just to a vast majority. So today, I don't want anyone referring to ME by that title, since I resigned from the fraternity some 25 years ago or so.

woodman
I plan to live forever ..... so far, so good!
Steven Wright

[gonefishin]

What pure crap. You guys can certainly have your interpretations of how you think audiophiles act. But to change the definition of a word (or roots of that word) to fit your interpretation is laughable. Sorry...but it is. Not to mention many of you are *gasp* prejudice.



One entry found for audiophile.


Main Entry: au·dio·phile
Pronunciation: 'o-dE-O-"fIl
Function: noun
Date: 1951
: a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction


Main Entry: 1-phil
Variant(s): or -phile
Function: noun combining form
Etymology: French -phile, from Greek -philos -philous
: lover : one having an affinity for or a strong attraction to

Main Entry: 2-phil
Variant(s): or -phile
Function: adjective combining form
Etymology: New Latin -philus, from Latin, from Greek -philos
: loving : having a fondness or affinity for




That's it. Someone who has a fondness for audio.


heck...I'd even go as far as saying that everyone who has responded here IS also an audiophile. The very fact that a person visits a site like this, proves that they do have an affinity for audio. But, because someone (you guys) may be audiophile's does not mean you cannot "phile", or have a fondness or affinity for, something else, say...like music....or fishing...or photography...or whatever else.

No, instead of using the word as it is written, many people here (and elsewhere), decide to portray this word in a negative light to make themselves look (or feel) better. example) I am not an audiophile. An audiophile is someone who spends more time worrying about their equipment and listening to their equipment rather than listening to music...like I do. What pure hogwash! LOL.


That's how I view the definition of this word...and the distortion of that definition.


My interpretations of those who enjoy audio is that the majority of these people enjoy both listening to music and enjoy their hobby which is studying audio systems. As the definition states...an audiophile has a fondness or affinity for audio (same as all of you here)...but, I would go as far to say that an audiophile does not have to own a single piece of audio gear. I could remember when I was a young kid...we didn't have much money to speak of. But this didn't change me from collecting every brochure I could on various audio equipment. At 7 or so years old...I would beg my mother to bring me to the local audio shop so I could look, listen and feel to what they had. I'd collect all the brochures I could. It just amazed me that a stereo system can make the music sound sooo good. Did this ever take away my enjoyment of listening to the Beatles? Heck no. But I did have a fondness for audio at a very young age. This fondness also started some 15 years or so before I could buy a system that cost more than $200.00.

It is silly to think (or assume) that someone who is an audiophile is not a musicphile. In fact...I think ...it would make more sense to assume (because that's what your doing) that audiophiles ARE musicphiles also. Rather than to assume that audiophiles are not musicphiles.


Happy Holidays!

[Mwalsdor_cscc_edu]

Like Fish said, looking just at the definition we're all audiophiles. It seems what people want to do is contrive new meanings for it. And like I said earlier in the thread, it doesn't speak very highly of someone who clearly belongs to a interest group but because of public perception decides to either drop out or distance themselves. And in the context of audio and the term used to define them, it is ridiculous. You make it sound scandelous when all you're doing is exhibiting the same nit-piking traits you abhore. No one even cares except those within our small body of enthusiasts what term is used. We can't even agree on what defines us, is that not compulsive and silly? By definition I'm an audiophile, I'm not ashamed or proud of that. It just a small part of what defines me as a person. If the hobby has changed or the people associated no longer represent your passion then find a new one but don't deny you are one of them.

MikE

[Mwalsdor_cscc_edu]

I've been involved in audio since the early 70's. Certainly the equipment and the people associated have not so much changed but expanded. There are so many more types of equipment to choose from, and that has splintered us. Instead of "audiophile" there are sub groups that may better define us. I'm more interested in tubes and hi-efficiency speaker systems what work better with low power amplification. I belong to the SET fan base, and even more specifically, I'm better defined by my particular output tube of choice - 45. You see there are 300b, 2a3, 845, 811 tubes that all have a different following. And some of us like more than one. So while I may not agree with how all audiophiles pursue our shared passion, I've found that within my [SET] group there is more harmony than disharmony among what we find important. Perhaps people are hanging out in the wrong neighborhood.

MikE

[skeptic]

But then in the '70s and '80s things started to change. Audiophiles gradually became fanatically obsessive about the equipment. They were compulsively so - to the point that they became "nitpickers". ...

Would that include someone who was upset because the manufacturer of his custom built triode SET amplifier installed the custom made wire from another manufacturer backwards? And you thought AC electricity travelled equally well through a wire in both directions. Live and learn.

[gonefishin]

Would that include someone who was upset because the manufacturer of his custom built triode SET amplifier installed the custom made wire from another manufacturer backwards? And you thought AC electricity travelled equally well through a wire in both directions. Live and learn.

Skeptic...you are one of the people who I see putting others down to make yourself look (or feel) better. It's childish behavior, but often used by adults as much as children (sometimes more so).
Do you notice how many of your thoughts are a bit off subject...and that your thoughts do not lead toward productive discussions...but the goals of your posts seem to be (many times) rather to continue an unproductive argument. Don't get me wrong...I love arguments ( or disagreements)...but the fashion in which these arguments are discussed is important to me. I like to keep the argument productive (striving toward the goal of either persuading or understanding your view of the point). More often than not your arguments seem to be non-productive. You would rather skirt around the entire context (or meaning) that a post has been made and focus on a section of ones post...to try to discredit, poke fun of that person...if these things cannot be accomplished, it seems you make comments to further the argument in a non-productive manner by saying anything necessary to keep the discussion flowing toward non-productivity (like your comment above). There has been much that has been said by the most recent messages by MikE...but rather than focus on his thoughts here...you decide to bring the discussion down a few notches (again) by trying to make him look foolish.

It seems that not audio or music may be why you come here. Perhaps you come here to just argue in a juvenile manner.


Let me ask you these questions...

Do you think MikE is an audiophile?


Do you think MikE is a musicphile?

Do you believe these two are separate things?

Do you think one person can posses both of these qualities?


thanks fer reading...take care>>>>>>>>>>







Main Entry: ar·gu·ment
Pronunciation: 'är-gy&-m&nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin argumentum, from arguere
Date: 14th century
1 obsolete : an outward sign : INDICATION
2 a : a reason given in proof or rebuttal b : discourse intended to persuade
3 a : the act or process of arguing : ARGUMENTATION b : a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion c : QUARREL, DISAGREEMENT
4 : an abstract or summary especially of a literary work
5 : the subject matter especially of a literary work
6 a : one of the independent variables upon whose value that of a function depends b : a substantive (as the direct object of a transitive verb) that is required by a predicate in grammar c : the angle assigned to a complex number when it is plotted in a complex plane using polar coordinates -- called also amplitude; compare ABSOLUTE VALUE 2

[IsmaVA]

gonefishin, one thing are dictionary definitions, other, generally quite different, are popular definitions. I thought we we talking about popular definitions since it would have being easy for the original poster just to look the word up in a dictionary, instead of asking for opinions.

:-)

[gonefishin]

gonefishin, one thing are dictionary definitions, other, generally quite different, are popular definitions. I thought we we talking about popular definitions since it would have being easy for the original poster just to look the word up in a dictionary, instead of asking for opinions.

:-)

good point!


I suppose I was replying more to the question asked in the original post...

Why do people act like audiophile is a four letter word?


To make my reply a bit shorter to this question...people act like audiophile is a four letter word because of their prejudices.

[IsmaVA]

good point!


I suppose I was replying more to the question asked in the original post...

Why do people act like audiophile is a four letter word?


To make my reply a bit shorter to this question...people act like audiophile is a four letter word because of their prejudices.

and with that I agree 100% . . .

[Mwalsdor_cscc_edu]

Someone reading your post would assume that my concern had to do with wire directionality. That is another matter entirely but that was not what was meant by "wired backwards". The supplier of the wire [Bob Crump] used that term in an email to describe what appeared as an incorrect application of his wire. That the silver hookup wire; teflon insulated 99.99997 silver rods, equaling 22awg, [signal] and 19awg Wonder Wire [ground] were reversed. That the silver-plated copper Wonder Wire was on signal and the pure silver was on ground.

As I've stated numerous times on this subject, I was not debating the validity of either configuration, my concern was the business ethics of the manufacturer. We had discussed the details of the mods on my amp for months and he then chose not to follow the details of the customization. Remember, the customization was a key factor in the selection decision. I had considered this purchase very carefully [PP>SET], having spent over a year listening to product, researching the impact on my system and finally choosing the right component / manufacturer. Then there was a three month wait on it's completion. After all that, it's not at all unreasonable that I expected to have it "built to spec". If he had issues with the wire install there was ample opportunity to discuss it prior to me purchasing the wire seperately.

By your logic, you'd pay for an AGREED apon upgrade on a vehicle purchase [regardless the effect] and then just allow the dealer / manufacturer to install whatever they felt was proper w/o prior consent. Yet, in my situation you wish to imply that my behavior is fanatical.

MikE