Rockwell: audiophile term "just like a pedophile"

Minkwelder - THAT'S the guy I was thinking of! Guess he's planning to rely solely on his photography reviews for any supplemental income.

It sounds like at sometime, he missed or stepped off the path and now resents it since he can't or won't relate. It could be he's simply nostalgic for the good old days and considers himself a kind of oracle, admonishing those who foolishly buy into the latest and greatest.

I can see his point that some audiophiles use their music to listen to their equipment but that's an over generalization, a cheap shot from a cranky old guy who'd rather blow his money on photography.

All the best,
Nonoise

Why can't we just laugh at ourselves a little bit rather than getting offended over something that was obviously written in a style that is a little over the top and intended to entertain people at the expense of us audiophiles. It is funny because it contains an element of truth. To deny that is ludicrous.

I tend to agree that most audiophiles are more interested in the gear than the music. Music is part of the equation, but an audiophile grade system simply isn't required to enjoy music. Changing power cords and speaker wires isn't necessary to enjoy the music.

I think that your out of context quote in the header casts more heat than light. The certain mark of a troll.

Nowhere does Rockwell say that audiophiles are pedophiles, what he says is that the unnatural attraction to gear is, in his opinion, like the unnatural attractions of a pedophile to their victims. Still a polarizing statement, no doubt.

But lets not focus on the hyperbole and the trolling and look at the sentiment involved. And here, Mr. Rockwell hits a bit closer to home. We can admit it or not, but those of us involved in the hobby for many years, who have belonged to clubs and audio societies, know people in the audiophile communitiy that are exactly as described by Mr. Rockwell. And I would be surprised if one does not see a bit of himself or herself in the description as well.

IMHO, Mr. Rockwell's sentiment is more correct than not. Too bad he had to couch it in such polarizing terms. And it surprises me not one whit that the reaction on an audiophile forum will be less than charitable.

Agree with Viridian.
Audiophiles in most cases only think that they love music but in reality, please refer to Mr Rockwell and re-think.
You can also do quantitative analysis. Math makes life slimpler than science:
Equipment investment vs. music investment(you can count purchased live concert tickets as well)
Time spent listening to the reference recording, tube-rolling, cable swaps and other 'fetish' mentioned by Mr Rockwell vs. time spent listening to the new music or attending live concert
Make conclusion based on that.