Are Audiophiles Obsessive Nuts?

Plasmatronic; I am nuts too-- and obsessive about this hobby. I'm also much more able, than the quoted EE, to select good sounding hifi gear, IMO. It's obvious that the EE that wrote the article you quote has not taken the time, spent the money, or expended the effort to have a meaningful opinion on this subject. He is just regurgitating the entrenched rhetoric of his "field".

Metaphysics has it right; it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication to be able to discern the nuances in music that an experienced audiophile can. I can say for sure that it took me several years and a LOT of listening through a lot of gear to become just a competent listener.

Three listening requirements for me are relaxation, plenty of time, and familiarity with the music. I seriously doubt that the EEs referenced have ever listened in this context. Sean's experiences, related above, are really interesting, and maybe not surprising. Interesting post Plasma; BTW what is your opinion of your quote by the EE? Your answer will probably determine the kind and number of votes you get on this thread ;>) Cheers. Craig.

No more "nuts" than any enthusiast. What about boating, cigars, wine, carpenters, car, antique and art aficionados? When people sense the beauty in something well done they are attracted to it by nature. Someone once said "God is in the details",well... I think God is everywhere, but perhaps a little bit more noticeable when we encounter a refined effort. Anyone with a passion for something understands this, either consciously or intuitively. Engineers can sometimes answer "how", but never answer why?, so let's hope the close minded blockheads join the party, they are missing all the fun, and sometimes seem to enjoy spoiling the fun for everyone else. I don't need an engineer to tell me when music has touched my soul, and I don't need anyone to tell me that the equipment I select doesn't make a real contribution towards my experiencing that brief moment of bliss.

.......re "the gold rush syndrome". A statement like that in a EE mag. probably makes for interesting (but very misguided) reading for the intended audience, but is just so much establishment BS, IMO.

While it's true good magazine reviews can be a huge benefit to especially new, or small companies, it's not true that just because a piece of gear gets a good review does not mean that it's "bad", ie that seems to be what the EE is implying. Personally, I've found that good reviewers are almost always pretty accurate, and further, their conclusions are usually a recommendation to audition, not to buy.

In my early audiophile years, I did give more weight to (especially) Stereophile's reviews, and was even guilty of buying by review. And it worked very well, but now I don't need any mag. reviews, 'cuz I can do my own reviewing-- and do. As I've been responding to the EE's inflammatory rhetoric, I haven't yet looked up the recommended wesite, but will. Cheers. Craig.

At least one point that Plasmatronic makes is entirely correct -- there is indeed a herd mentality in audio that is at the very least, interesting to watch. Over many years, I've seen styles and tastes in audio sway back and forth, each time concluding that prior ideas were not true to the music, but at long last the current ones finally work. I remember back in the 70’s, MOS-FET devices were supposed to make all tube and other SS equipment obsolete. The reviews on the first units to use them were sensational and full of over the top hyperbole, and everyone ran out to buy, and manufacturers to produce, MOS-FET audio equipment. After a few years, the reviews started to change, and the general feeling was that the sound wasn't real enough, and in general, the prior technology was much better. So back went the pendulum. Did it actually take several years to finally hear what was inferior? Not likely, but the rush to both own and praise that equipment which is regarded so highly by the "professionals" apparently took precedent over basic, enjoyable listening.

We’ve certainly seen this pattern repeat itself over and over, and its not likely that it’ll ever end. Its very hard to make the conscious decision to purchase an expensive piece of audio equipment that isn't highly praised by the audiophile public without thinking that somehow your ears, or your evaluation methods are flawed. I wrestled with this myself when I upgraded my system last year, preferring the less touted equipment over the most highly praised brands. Interestingly enough, the applause for the ‘best’ equipment two years ago is somewhat quieter now, and the discussions I read about those pieces these days include far more balanced opinions.

From what I can see, the population of true audiophiles – those that know what they want and spend the effort and money to get it -- is quite a bit smaller than the general buying public. As a consequence, good marketing, good press, and a good reputation are essential to the high end audio business. Looking at this from a non audiophile perspective, its no wonder that the conclusions drawn are that audiophiles don’t actually hear more than the rest of the public, they just spend more and believe they can tell the difference. Now, being an audiophile I know this isn’t true, but then again…

Cheers,
Ken

Plasma; I just spent some time in the high-endaudio.com website. It impressed me as being just one audiophile's opinions and rhetoric-- no more, no less. My own opinions are more valuable to me than his, and that's the way it should be. Cheers. Craig.