Audiophiles have a profound reverence for sound?

[Analogous]

I came across this quote from a review by Ken Micallef. Thoughts? Comments? Explanations?
Wax eloquent on this if you have a mind to.

“Audiophiles are often misunderstood as mere hobbyists; in fact they hold a profound reverence for sound…”

 

[Amarendra]

I came across this quote from a review by Ken Micallef. Thoughts? Comments? Explanations?
Wax eloquent on this if you have a mind to.

“Audiophiles are often misunderstood as mere hobbyists; in fact they hold a profound reverence for sound…”

Its reverence for equipment then sound LOL

 

[mbhangui]

Its reverence for equipment then sound LOL

I was about to post the exact line and then I saw yours

 

[Analogous]

Surely doesn’t apply to all audiophiles?
Respect for the science and engineering that goes into making the equipment is definitely a part of it. But if the sound doesn’t live up to expectations the reverence may not happen.

 

[Amarendra]

Surely doesn’t apply to all audiophiles?
Respect for the science and engineering that goes into making the equipment is definitely a part of it. But if the sound doesn’t live up to expectations the reverence may not happen.

Show me one happy and satisfied / contented audiophile. I am yet to come across one. It’s generally obsessive behavior to find new avenues to spend more money. See how many threads on this forum are dedicated to equipment and so little to music. It will be interesting to have a psychological profiling of the audiophile class

 

[square_wave]

Its reverence for equipment then sound LOL

Totally respect your take on this but I am quite surprised. Isn't the sound of music on a good quality system that attracted you to the hobby for the first time?

Audiophiles searching for certain gear are often pursuing a "certain sound" associated with that brand / model. So, isn't sound the centre of everything?

There are of course collectors of certain types of gear (just like car collectors) but I think they are outliers.

 

[Analogous]

Show me one happy and satisfied / contented audiophile. I am yet to come across one. It’s generally obsessive behavior to find new avenues to spend more money. See how many threads on this forum are dedicated to equipment and so little to music. It will be interesting to have a psychological profiling of the audiophile class

Good points raised here.
But the assumption that everlasting satisfaction and contentment is achievable or even desirable needs to be challenged.
“The predisposition to dissatisfaction may be an evolutionary trait of humans. “Perpetual bliss would completely undermine our will to accomplish anything at all – that’s why perfect contentment has probably been evolved out of us,” opined social psychologist Frank T. McAndrew.

Are We Wired to Be Discontented?

The predisposition to dissatisfaction may be an evolutionary trait.

www.theswaddle.com

 

[jayantadak]

Show me one happy and satisfied / contented audiophile. I am yet to come across one. It’s generally obsessive behavior to find new avenues to spend more money. See how many threads on this forum are dedicated to equipment and so little to music. It will be interesting to have a psychological profiling of the audiophile class

It's like chasing the mirage (MRUGJAL) - the audiophile is always in search of betterment. Even sky is not the limit.

 

[reignofchaos]

Humans are always looking for more - challenging boundaries. Be it science, art, sports, music, sound, video, weapons, whatever it maybe. Eternal satisfaction is a myth.

This hobby is basically like that - you are searching for that elusive Yeti.

 

[bornfi]

Yes, I, too, have people like this around me, but what one does not want to understand is that every recording is different, and expecting one kind of sound from all of them from one system is just not right. So, it is not the hobby; it is you and yourself (including myself) who are elusive. Embrace common sense, and we all will be content.

We need to respect the knowledge and creativity.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

. See how many threads on this forum are dedicated to equipment and so little to music.

I think that’s the point of this forum itself.- To discuss Hi-Fi. And I think it’s not bad that way.

 

[viren bakhshi]

Ah, but music recommended by whom?

Here is a very good take, as reported by Herb Reichert, by Junji Kimura of 47 Labs of Japan:

"When I was asked what I expect most from high-end audio, the answer always seemed to contradict what I find in those brand-name, pricey components. It seems that the current high-end market grew up by chasing the purity of the sound. In the process, by selecting and eliminating all impurities as much as possible, it reached the point where the resulting sound lost all the infinite tentacles it originally had and became a very static presentation in an unrealistic virtual space.

"I must say that those lost tentacles were the binding agents between each sound to make it into music and communicate it to the listener. I call these tentacles that make the sound into music the activity of the sound. Without this activity, the sound will never be able to communicate with anybody, and, I am afraid, high-end audio's last stop will be an assassination of music by purity of sound, totally isolating the listener from the music.

"I am not a pessimist nor a type who just reminisces good old days, but this is exactly how the state of current high-end audio appears to me. We need a paradigm shift from this sound purism to sound activism, to revitalize our beloved world of audio.

"What we consider most important in musical reproduction is the liveliness—activity—and freshness of the sound that dwells in the point of contact between the musician and their instrument. To preserve the freshness of the sound—the liveliness and the activity of music—we have to preserve this very first note of contact."

Very eloquently put.

 

[Analogous]

“Assassination of music through the quest for pure sound and fidelity” !!!!

@viren bakhshi this is a perfect insight into the state of the wider HiFi industry I feel.

I can relate to this now; but I would not have known what this meant a few years ago with limited knowledge and experience.

 

[arj]

Show me one happy and satisfied / contented audiophile. I am yet to come across one. It’s generally obsessive behavior to find new avenues to spend more money. See how many threads on this forum are dedicated to equipment and so little to music. It will be interesting to have a psychological profiling of the audiophile class

I am usually satisfied and content with what I have until there is a drive to move on to something better . the drive for better does come in but if that was not the case we would all still be in stone age and clobbering animals with clubs an foraging for fruits and berries

I suspect thats the case for most of us.

 

[Analogous]

The exquisitely named “dil maange more” quest or passion operates at different speeds for every person.
And within the same person at different speeds depending on how interested/ emotionally invested they are in various pursuits
I know people who will get the latest and greatest phone every year without fail who are content with their inexpensive sound bar.

 

[grindstone]

What I see on this board is pretty healthy--lots of self-effacing commentary and honesty--and people who genuinely listen and work at things.

Personally, the 'phile label is fighting words -- I'm an experimenter and that's all. Sort of emperor's clothes fashion, it was pretty obvious listening to the highest of high-end even 30-some years ago that the imaging and space freaks were "winning" in steering product development (and that the music had been killed stone-dead). Still, humanity always finds its way back around to gear that delivers what makes us happy--we just don't trust our perceptions of it until we've exhausted all the other options.

IMO, people around here are pretty good, comparatively. Plus, you guys have to work so much harder to even care about it (availability/imports, duties, etc) at all. IMO, you all should be congratulated for this place and for the community and discourse that you've all created. Somehow, you've preserved tolerance, decency, and civility in a world in which all are being challenged.

 

[Analogous]

What I see on this board is pretty healthy--lots of self-effacing commentary and honesty--and people who genuinely listen and work at things.

Personally, the 'phile label is fighting words -- I'm an experimenter and that's all. Sort of emperor's clothes fashion, it was pretty obvious listening to the highest of high-end even 30-some years ago that the imaging and space freaks were "winning" in steering product development (and that the music had been killed stone-dead). Still, humanity always finds its way back around to gear that delivers what makes us happy--we just don't trust our perceptions of it until we've exhausted all the other options.

IMO, people around here are pretty good, comparatively. Plus, you guys have to work so much harder to even care about it (availability/imports, duties, etc) at all. IMO, you all should be congratulated for this place and for the community and discourse that you've all created. Somehow, you've preserved tolerance, decency, and civility in a world in which all are being challenged.

We do have our moments

 

[Amarendra]

I am usually satisfied and content with what I have until there is a drive to move on to something better . the drive for better does come in but if that was not the case we would all still be in stone age and clobbering animals with clubs an foraging for fruits and berries

I suspect thats the case for most of us.

Ah foraging for fruits and berries….. what a wonderful way to live ….take only as much as you need for today and sleep under a starry night

 

[arj]

Ah foraging for fruits and berries….. what a wonderful way to live ….take only as much as you need for today and sleep under a starry night

50% die before 20 when even getting a viral is enough to kill , get eaten by lion/tiger..and got knows what

But enjoy music by hitting a hollow log with a stick

and of course no pollution

 

[Analogous]

That analogy might be comparable to “the sound of one hand clapping”
With contemporary tech this can be measured too I am convinced.