"Audiophiles"A simple but inspirational explanation of what we do and why there are so many ways to do it.

Hi All:
I found this quote in an article I read a while ago and it kind of stuck with me so I am sharing it. Hope it is well received.

"We listen to music—also at home—to understand the performers’ intentions and to connect with the encoded emotions.
In the end that’s more important than a lifelike experience.
The live event is always tied to a particular time and place. As such it is a singular event. At home meanwhile we are in charge of the if, when and what.
Our motivation and likely also our expectations are different. We look for the ‘magic’. Hence getting closer to that magic is the prime rationale for any playback chain."

Audiophiles often find live performance lacking and dull musically and sonically. Which really is not much of a surprise given the venues/seating that are available. In my experience, real music lovers don't care about sonics, they can enjoy hearing the music they love coming out of an AM radio or from scratched vinyl played back on an RCA record player with a ceramic cartridge. This is because they create the "magic" internally from external stimulus. Perhaps audiophiles are unable to do this and require the "magic" be delivered to their ears via external processing. The majority of audiophiles I know appreciate audio equipment more than music. The majority of photography hobbyists I know appreciate fine photographic equipment more that the sights, sounds and smells of that which they photograph. It is what it is. For some reason audiophiles get defensive about this.

After upgrading my turntable with a really nice tone arm and and subchassis, I played the familiar Jazz at the Pawnshop album, famed, even revered in audiophile circles for the stunning quality of the recording.

I listened, turned to my son (a jazz musician), and said "what do you think?"

"It's awful!"

"Awful?"

"I can hear so much better how off key the bass player is, how bad the . . . . "

I have other so called "audio phile" recordings I've never been able to listen to. Stunning quality recording of stunningly not-so-good performances. Trio Gallanteria comes to mind. A Stereophile-recommended record!

I think it's a problem of the forest and the trees. It does seem some folks become overly enamoured with the details (how much better the sax sounded on Jazz at the Pawn shop), but lose the bigger picture (who cares about the sax, are these guys drunk? The performance sux!)

I think good equipment can certainly appeal to and satisfy the arbor-phile's focus on the small details like the trees, but something seems a little bit amiss if it doesn't come back to the big picture -- the music.

When I turn up my system to a "natural level" and close my eyes, especially with a good glass of red wine or single malt scotch, it's easy to forget about the stereo, and only hear, think about, imagine the band playing.

An illusion, like one of those pictures that look like nonsense, til you cross your eyes just right, and suddenly a comprehensible image jumps out at you.

I never had that experience before my Dynaco came along.

PS, that Ittok pictured in my avatar is not the tone arm I'm referring to.

Better update my pix.

I posted this sometime back.....in the end, the audiophile is trying to capture an emotion, an experience perhaps....quite often that is lost in the effort of the seeking it.


"I know this is basically a Tech site, but guys when you put the soldering iron down at the end of the day it's all about the music. I spent a lot of years playing guitar and making music in front of people that were drunk and thought I was fantastic, and I suck LOL.

What I did do however in all those years was learn an appreciation for the production team that made the sounds of our lives. Music is more then sine waves, it's more then anode or cathode or bias settings, it's feelings and emotions.

Music can pull you into a different time, a different place, take you where nothing else can. A great production is a once in a lifetime event. It's a snapshot of history. It can never be repeated in exactly the same way ever again, so many factors are involved in the production of a great sound. The temperature in the room, the instruments, the tape used, the alignment of the tape heads, etc; etc;the performance itself can never be exactly the same twice in a row.

How many times have you personally seen a band live and thought that they just don't measure up to the album? Never forget the genius that goes into the sound. The guys that capture a performance to perfection. Artists get old and quit or pass away, but those moments in time when everything was "just right" are what it's all about. This is what we are seeking. To hear and relive that moment in time when everything was perfect and the God's smiled down upon a single moment in time.... :}"

wolverine