The definition of an Audiophile

Finally, someone asks Paul to define an Audiophile and here goes!

[ThinkingBetter]

Any person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction can be considered audiophile. It doesn’t matter what budget you have.

[BetterISupposeYeah]

Steven Guttenberg gave the best answer. He said someone who takes time off and sits and listens to music and nothing else for any period of time, and in so doing he would inevitably want to hear something good coming from his equipment and so he would always desire to improve the equipment.

[howardskeivys]

Over the years I have heard many definitions of ‘audiophile’. The best one I’ve heard, and certainly the one most applicable to me is, -

An audiophile is someone who enjoys listening, attentively to music and cares about the way it sounds!

I don’t listen to my hifi. I listen to the music it reproduces!

[grizzly]

An audiophile, according to Steve Guttenberg, is one who listens to music without multitasking. Hence focusing on the music instead of having it as background noise while doing something else and not focusing only on the music.

[realitykicksin]

Alan Parsons, the man who engineered Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and yes, had his own Project, says that room acoustics are far more important than audiophile gear. In fact, the interview led one Slashdot commenter to post this fine quip: "Audiophiles don't use their equipment to listen to your music. Audiophiles use your music to listen to their equipment."

[MAELOB]

I would add that we enjoy the sound reproduction of instruments, be it the sweet sound of violins in an orchestra, the sound of a guitar, or the the bass of an organ. We just like quality music reproduction to enjoy the music even more.

[housepianist]

I completely agree with the way it was explained in this video but to me, there's an element of being an audiophile that not many people talk about. It's about being a lover of sound, which may or may not have anything to do with music. You would think that music and sound are synonymous but that's not always the case. 

On one end, you have those who spend tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars on super hi-end equipment, put it all together in dedicated rooms, and play snippets of high-resolution recordings that highlights a clarinetist taking a breath of air before playing a B-flat note that shimmers off the dome structure of a world-class venue or the sliding of fingers off the steel strings of a classic Martin acoustic guitar in an intimate club setting - and talk ad-nauseum about how that sounded more real than a live version of it.

Or on the other end, you have those who will plug a $10.00 pair of earbuds into a smartphone, cue up a 128kbps, MP3-encoded pop song, and become transported into another dimension without having a clue about high-quality sound.

So....which one is the "audiophile" and which one is the "music lover?" Are they the same? Should they be the same? Or am I splitting hairs? 🙂

This dilemma has been presented since "audiophile" ever became a thing so we have to ask ourselves this question: Is it more about sound quality or music? They're not mutually exclusive, but then maybe they are, in a time warp sort of way. It's kind of complicated. However, like with any hobby full of passionate people, everyone has his or her own opinions and everyone thinks they're right. And when everyone is right, no one is.

[Wacoald]

The most sensible definition of the term "audiophile" that I have heard, a music first definition.

[muteblocallowsnoisefreedea]

We need to get high end gear into gyms, bars, nightclubs, louder is not better.

[ikemi]

You are an audiophile if you watch this video from start to finish😋

[SanceShaji]

I can agree with all you said except what you said about a music lover. A music lover doesn't care about the quality of the song or music, they say they love music because they find it pleasing to listen to and also because of the tonality.

[machintelligence]

Presumably all audiophiles love music -- so what is the difference between a common music lover and an audiophile. If you spent more on your music library than on your equipment you are a music lover. If your equipment cost more than your library, you are an audiophile.

[TobenVonFreiheit]

For me, being an audiophile is about being able to so completely lose myself in the music I'm listening to that I can close my eyes to see and feel what each musician is doing, every note they play, every word that is sung and the ambience around every sound in the music. It is about the experience moreso than the numbers. If the numbers enhance that experience for me, that is when they matter. If they only provide me "bragging rights" then they are irrelevant.

[joeythedime]

Thank you Paul for all you do to help educate all us "Audiophiles". Your video's really do help get us through the pandemic. I purchase the Audiophiles Guide and SACD - one for me and one for my "Audiophile" buddy. We both had a ton of fun re-setting up our systems remotely over video conferencing. All my best to you, Terri and the PSAudio family.

[beer_goggler]

An audiophile is someone who says they can hear the difference in a $30 cable and a $300 cable but can't explain this despite the science says that's not possible and would never test their ears in an independent lab.

[theaudiophileshow]

Paul, This is why I continue to follow you. I have learned so much from you and I need to say thanks for taking the time to do these videos and our articles. I'm definitely getting that book. Fellow audiophile all the way from Trinidad ✌✌

[boriselenin]

someone who pays very big attention to sound quality according to own determination of what is good sound.

[fsmoura]

Fun fact: if the wife isn't threatening divorce a couple times per year over your gear purchases, you don't technically qualify as audiophile.

[jeremycox]

I think there is a whole fantastic world of amps, speakers and sources that we explore kinda like searching for or creating tasty food. The food is yummy but looking for it or putting ingredients together is half the fun. Reading reviews, watching videos, listening to the music are all combined for the audiophile. It's kind of a quest without particularly needing an ultimate goal.

[louisd]

My definition: Anyone who has a passion for the most exact and best reproduction of music and may be subject to snake oil.