Music Madhu
Member
To sum it up... It is equally important to enjoy music and trying to improve music reproduction by improving system set up... Is it what you are saying ?... Correct me if I am wrong.
Madhu
Who Is An Audiophile ... Music Listener Or Musical Equipment Collector?
- Thread starter Music Madhu
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Madhu
Yes to an extent...there has to be a passion for it...which is very important
heliumflight
Well-Known Member
WHO IS AN AUDIOPHILE? - The one who listens for one owns pleasure rather than for others.
square_wave
Well-Known Member
Do you want to hear what the producer or musician intended with the musical piece ? Is that the goal ? Only a technically correct approach will get you there. The flavours may vary depending upon your approach ( objective, subjective, balanced ) but there is no escape from the “ audiophile approach “. If you are serious about this goal, you are an audiophile.
Most musicians know this as well but since they are musicians, live performance is supreme for them. A music system is “psychologically” a competitor since it is trying to mimic what they do for a living. Their trip in life is slightly different as well. When they think about music reproduction, they focus on things which are important for their role. However an audiophile will focus on the overall musical experience since he / she is the audience. This is why most music producers and directors have great music systems.
Then there is the question of “ why ? “. This is where audiophile genres become relevant.. But I guess this is irrelevant for the discussion.
It is the same as high performance car tuning.
Most musicians know this as well but since they are musicians, live performance is supreme for them. A music system is “psychologically” a competitor since it is trying to mimic what they do for a living. Their trip in life is slightly different as well. When they think about music reproduction, they focus on things which are important for their role. However an audiophile will focus on the overall musical experience since he / she is the audience. This is why most music producers and directors have great music systems.
Then there is the question of “ why ? “. This is where audiophile genres become relevant.. But I guess this is irrelevant for the discussion.
It is the same as high performance car tuning.
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COOLDUDE7808
Active Member
before I became a audiophile I use to simply enjoy music ..whether it was played from a small radio or a portable tape recorder or a big stereo system.....now I am spending a lot of time analyzing systems / music etc
Very well said Square.
Most musicians are natural audiophiles which they are generally not aware of unless specifically pointed out. Very soon they get bored with general audiophile pursuits and get back to the real stuff i.e making music.....
Cheers
hifitoaster
Well-Known Member
A person who gets an 'eargasm' on experiencing a system reproducing the music, than the music itself. He will mostly be happy with experiencing the differences between systems with the same music than setlling with a single system for listening every music available 
Doesn't have to rich, or doesn't have to own the state of the art for it.
Doesn't have to rich, or doesn't have to own the state of the art for it.
hifitoaster
Well-Known Member
The problem with such a life is, once you know the differences, its hard to get satisfied.
ravikumar-rotel
Active Member
If it wasn't for both, you would'nt be here!
D
Deleted member 15865
Guest
I think the OP (@Music Madhu) makes some valid observations and cautioning but uses the term ‘audiophile’ incorrectly while doing so. What perhaps he is attempting is to warn audiophiles (lovers of sound) to not get drowned in the sea of audio equipment choices and endless continuous improvement and lose sight of the joys of listening to music. But he should also appreciate that what he considers means to an end might be the end itself for some whose purpose is to keep extracting better sound (which also is partly subjective). These generally include the technically passioned DIY enthusiasts. But his well-intentioned appeal to the rest of us is worth heeding.
This discussion started 2 years back, it looks like in this time, the forum has successfully managed to convert the OP into a true-blue audiophile
sachin.shiva
Active Member
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Who Is An Audiophile ... Music Listener Or Musical Equipment Collector?
Situation 1 -If you don't have Money and if you are Content with own set up, you are Audiophile.
Situation 2-If you have money and Honey and your mood permits new up gradation & if brain is having etch for that never ending perfection ,then you become Music Equipment collector .
Situation 3-
Remaining people are oscillating between two, based on above two situations.
Situation 1 -If you don't have Money and if you are Content with own set up, you are Audiophile.
Situation 2-If you have money and Honey and your mood permits new up gradation & if brain is having etch for that never ending perfection ,then you become Music Equipment collector .
Situation 3-
Remaining people are oscillating between two, based on above two situations
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Who Is An Audiophile ... Music Listener Or Musical Equipment Collector?
Situation 1 -If you don't have Money and if you are Content with own set up, you are Audiophile.
Situation 2-If you have money and Honey and your mood permits new up gradation & if brain is having etch for that never ending perfection ,then you become Music Equipment collector .
Situation 3-
Remaining people are oscillating between two, based on above two situations
Reason people like me are in situation 1 is because they have no money ( case of sour grapes )
Hamko maaloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin
Dil ke khush rakhne ko ghalib ye khayal acha hai
D
Deleted member 15865
Guest
This discussion started 2 years back, it looks like in this time, the forum has successfully managed to convert the OP into a true-blue audiophile
That can happen to any of us. We do get influenced by our immediate surroundings. Additionally, in a forum like this, there’s this subconscious need to ‘feel good about the knowledge we possess and can share’ that drives us. None of us is immune, perhaps.But, an audiophile‘s journey too... like everything else, can go in a cycle. Most of us start as music lovers. Then get onto the hi-fi bandwagon, at some point reaching levels of obsession with it. And then with some trigger (might be interesting to list all those), we start discerning between sound and music. And realise that not always pursuit of the former leads us to the latter. As I’ve tried to capture in my current signature, we start liking how the hi-fi sound is ‘wow’ing us, and others who hear it - especially the uninitiated. But also that it doesn‘t engage or ‘move‘ us like before. And we might realise that many of the changes we made to our system in search of the hi-fi sound actually ended up cluttering/slicing/modifying the sound and as a result the music coming out of it became less natural, less musical, and more importantly, less soulful. It doesn’t engage us at an emotional level, doesn’t move us. (I now have a test for this - play old Hindi songs from the 50’s... do they sound engaging and enjoyable? If not, you’ve gone too far the hi-fi curve. Those who never liked this genre can look for older recordings of genres of their interest. But 40’s and 50’s Hindi songs, which were uniformly low-fi, are an acid test).
That inversion point can then start the other half of the cycle... which might be termed as ‘de-hifing’. Or simply, ‘simplification‘. It’s an eye-opener of sorts. As we start reversing some of the changes, we start getting more into the music - it starts connecting with us, even moving us. And we wonder what was this madness one went through after all!
But then, it was necessary to go through it! Man can only get wiser through his own experience. It won’t matter how much someone else warns you about it. And even if one finds oneself returning to the same point as where one started, one is a wiser as a result (though also down by a lac or two rupees). One is still aware of the various audiophile properties of sound, but also clearer on which one puts premium over others. I’d much rather be back at the starting point having gone through the whole cycle, than not having embarked upon it at all.
And who knows if there’s another cycle/journey waiting at this level of consciousness too? Also there’s a risk of slipping back unless one is careful. But then, that’s in the future. Let‘s enjoy the music when at the point in the journey where one can.
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Both a music listener/lover & an audiophile are music listeners & both have goals. A music listener or lover is a person who is happy listening to music on any medium maybe a phone, computer or a system. For a music listener the goal is to listen to the music he/she loves , thats it.
An Audiophile is also a music listener but spends more time & money in integrating a cohesive system that would give that perfect sound that he/she would want to hear. A person would not take such pains if he/she would not have interest in music. It's an anology like if I am not interested in painiting then why would I spend on colours, canvas & paint brushes.
Now comes the part of reaching Nirvana. In a music lover's case the person has already reached it. In a the case of an audiophile, its a long journey depending on the person's time, income at disposal & his/her mindset how much more is required to get satisfied. A balance needs to be be achieved between what we like & how much further in the journey we need to go. All of us have a different mindsets, time, financial resources & there is nothing fixed or definite, no right or wrong. The idea is not to get lost in the journey & not to enjoy the goal in the pursuit for perfection. If a person tries to be an elitist or exhibits snobbish behaviour, then that's a person's nature & nothing to do with audio. On the other hand there are some very knowledgeable people who are not like that. This is just my personal opinion & may differ from others.
An Audiophile is also a music listener but spends more time & money in integrating a cohesive system that would give that perfect sound that he/she would want to hear. A person would not take such pains if he/she would not have interest in music. It's an anology like if I am not interested in painiting then why would I spend on colours, canvas & paint brushes.
Now comes the part of reaching Nirvana. In a music lover's case the person has already reached it. In a the case of an audiophile, its a long journey depending on the person's time, income at disposal & his/her mindset how much more is required to get satisfied. A balance needs to be be achieved between what we like & how much further in the journey we need to go. All of us have a different mindsets, time, financial resources & there is nothing fixed or definite, no right or wrong. The idea is not to get lost in the journey & not to enjoy the goal in the pursuit for perfection. If a person tries to be an elitist or exhibits snobbish behaviour, then that's a person's nature & nothing to do with audio. On the other hand there are some very knowledgeable people who are not like that. This is just my personal opinion & may differ from others.
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But, an audiophile‘s journey too... like everything else, can go in a cycle. Most of us start as music lovers. Then get onto the hi-fi bandwagon, at some point reaching levels of obsession with it. And then with some trigger (might be interesting to list all those), we start discerning between sound and music. And realise that not always pursuit of the former leads us to the latter. As I’ve tried to capture in my current signature, we start liking how the hi-fi sound is ‘wow’ing us, and others who hear it - especially the uninitiated. But also that it doesn‘t engage or ‘move‘ us like before. And we might realise that many of the changes we made to our system in search of the hi-fi sound actually ended up cluttering/slicing/modifying the sound and as a result the music coming out of it became less natural, less musical, and more importantly, less soulful. It doesn’t engage us at an emotional level, doesn’t move us. (I now have a test for this - play old Hindi songs from the 50’s... do they sound engaging and enjoyable? If not, you’ve gone too far the hi-fi curve. Those who never liked this genre can look for older recordings of genres of their interest. But 40’s and 50’s Hindi songs, which were uniformly low-fi, are an acid test).
That inversion point can then start the other half of the cycle... which might be termed as ‘de-hifing’. Or simply, ‘simplification‘. It’s an eye-opener of sorts. As we start reversing some of the changes, we start getting more into the music - it starts connecting with us, even moving us. And we wonder what was this madness one went through after all!
But then, it was necessary to go through it! Man can only get wiser through his own experience. It won’t matter how much someone else warns you about it. And even if one finds oneself returning to the same point as where one started, one is a wiser as a result (though also down by a lac or two rupees). One is still aware of the various audiophile properties of sound, but also clearer on which one puts premium over others. I’d much rather be back at the starting point having gone through the whole cycle, than not having embarked upon it at all.
And who knows if there’s another cycle/journey waiting at this level of consciousness too? Also there’s a risk of slipping back unless one is careful. But then, that’s in the future. Let‘s enjoy the music when at the point in the journey where one can.
Interestingly playing 50s songs have been a reference for me since beginning, always tuning my own system to play 50s songs and never liked any system that cant make 50s songs sound good. Still i am stuck with upgrades every once in a while.
D
Deleted member 15865
Guest
So you might be into the next cycle that I am afraid of.
We are simply incorrigible.But more seriously, we can differentiate between
a) the insatiable desire for better performing system (through real upgrade usually to a 5-10 times costlier system) vs.
b) the chase of hi-fi properties (through endless tinkering, accessories and lateral up?grades - funnily a lot of times we are actually correcting the undesirable impact of another change - something I find @arj repeatedly pointing out these days).
I believe I am less vulnerable to the former. My problem was the latter.
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Everyone needs max performance out of their systems so its normal. one is most happy if his system sounds better by using a free or a cheap hack than to spend 5x the money and get what they call 'better' sound.
Somehow we all are made to think (by accessories and hacks reviews) that our systems are capable of some out of world performance and simply we are not utilising them in right way. Its similar in the way that we are told that we have superhuman intelligence inbuilt but we only use 10% of our brains.
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