Are you an Audiophile?

valacirca

Trooper
Just wanted to know if there are folks here that are the type to actively puruse that "ideal sound" in their audio equipment, would hunt down the most pristine recordings of their favorite albums, would prefer lossless over lossy digital audio and would spend hundreds (or thousands?) of dollars on headphones, headphone amps, tube amps, bookshelf speakers, floorstanders, vinyl records, turntables, cables, etc etc etc?

Does anyone subscribe to this ideology even on an entry-level? <--- (this is me :p)

Does anyone here adhere to the opinion that most of these audiophile stuff are BS and just placebo effect?
 
A little bit.  I do believe, for example, that the early European CD versions of 70's Queen albums sound great, whereas the current Hollywood Records CD versions sound like ass.  I also believe that my 1980s CD versions of NOTB and SSOASS sound much better than the remastered versions.  I believe a well-mastered CD does sound better than vinyl, but vinyl sounds better than a poorly mastered CD.  I believe that compression and clipping are real, particularly in "remasters" of the last 10 years or so.  So, I have spent more on those CDs that, based on my research, I believe don't have those problems.  I do hear a difference occasionally, and sometimes it is remarkable, so I don't think it's purely a placebo effect.  I do think that, if you already have a bunch of old CDs from the 80s or early 90s of your favorite albums, those probably sound better or as good as the Mobile Fidelity and Audio Fidelity gold versions for which people plunk down as much as $100 or more on eBay (for out-of-print versions -- in-print is "only" $25-30).  My stereo system does not consist of $20K McIntosh components, but it does consist of reasonably-priced "entry-level-audiophile" components, which are a little more expensive than what you get off the shelf at Best Buy.  Suffice it to say I would spend (have spent) hundreds more on "audiophile" stuff, but definitely not thousands. 
 
cornfedhick said:
A little bit.  I do believe, for example, that the early European CD versions of 70's Queen albums sound great, whereas the current Hollywood Records CD versions sound like ass.

Queen is an extreme example of remastering gone wrong. Many years ago, I read a list of errors and fuckups on the Hollywood and European CD issues - each list was unique. It led me to buy the albums on vinyl.

Other than that though, I'm not really bothered by that sort of thing.
 
While I agree a CD can possibly sound better than vinyl, it still lacks the "warmth" vinyl has. Other than that I am too poor to be concerned over sound quality. Maybe when I'm making over 100k a year it is something I can waste, er, I mean "invest" my money in.
 
Sound quality really doesn't matter when I listen to good music. When it sounds "ok", it's good enough for me. With better equipment everything may sound awesome at first, but after you get used to it, it isn't so amazing anymore. Same with all this HD picture stuff. Or maybe I'm just poor and jealous :p
 
Not really. Most of my collection is ripped at 128 kbit/s and I've never actively sought out CD issues with better sound. I do have fairly good speakers and headphones though.
 
I am, but can't always afford to be.  I notice it when I'm not listening to 'lossless' formats.  As cornfed said, you can notice compression if you are listening to quality speakers. 
 
Back
Top