The 'Philes.
Long ago, about the same time as one audiophile friend lost his high frequency hearing while doing all the metalwork required for his very massive Leach amplifier, another audiophile friend derisively dubbed those he considered more interested in building equipment than actually listening to music, "Build-o-philes."
Having built and modified some equipment myself, and having been an avid reader of Audio Amateur, I found this somewhat insulting. So, I coined my own term for people who endlessly like to make arguments about audio and audiophiles, "Argument-o-philes."
Though I felt then, and still do, that however people want to play, subject to the usual constraints, is well and good.
And, being an "audiophile" means only that one is "enthusiastic about audio," and not that one necessarily has fancy audiophile cables, or even listens to music. Not that I'm saying anyone doesn't.
That was where this kind of argument stated long before. The newly rising subjectivist audio reviewers wanted to distinguish themselves from the prior (and continuing) generation of objectivist "meter readers" by claiming the mantle of loving Music. And, of course, music is this holy thing, that brings us peace and joy and saves our souls. Of course it's what Audio is about, it's what Life is about!
So hence, even in the pages of the gearhead oriented The Absolute Sound, endlessly reviewers would claim the banner of being Music Lovers for themselves, in some cases in opposition to being Audiphiles. "Oh, we're not Audiophiles, we're Music Lovers."
Now, I have known several Music Lovers who were not audiophiles. They were not interested in equipment At All. They had handed-down or thrift store or box store "record players." They had lots of records, indeed costing far more than their equipment. They were easily distinguishable from Audiophiles and would not even have heard of magazines like The Absolute Sound. Given the potential of introducing audiophilia nervosa, I would hesitate to even attempt to make people aware that there is anything better, unless they are asking for it.
Of course, there is little wrong with being that kind of music lover, especially today, when, contrary to much opining, good sound can be cheap and easy.
But there is nothing wrong with being a build-o-phile, an argument-o-phile, measure-o-phile, or whatever.
Even if there isn't much value in getting harmonic distortion (and hence IM) down farther and farther below the 1% level where it can reliably be heard, it's an interesting challenge, possibly rewarding,
and potentially of considerable value to society. Low distortion amplifiers are needed in virtually all technology.
And, virtually all humans love one kind of music or another. I don't mean to suggest otherwise, but merely not to sanctify it as the ultimate source of all human joy and satisfaction. It's good, but it's not everything all the time. And I don't think it's fair to denigrate people who have interests in technical things, though the rise of subjectivist audio reviewing often seemed to do that.
I acknowledge being an argument-o-phile myself, though I'm also in many other 'philes.
Long ago, about the same time as one audiophile friend lost his high frequency hearing while doing all the metalwork required for his very massive Leach amplifier, another audiophile friend derisively dubbed those he considered more interested in building equipment than actually listening to music, "Build-o-philes."
Having built and modified some equipment myself, and having been an avid reader of Audio Amateur, I found this somewhat insulting. So, I coined my own term for people who endlessly like to make arguments about audio and audiophiles, "Argument-o-philes."
Though I felt then, and still do, that however people want to play, subject to the usual constraints, is well and good.
And, being an "audiophile" means only that one is "enthusiastic about audio," and not that one necessarily has fancy audiophile cables, or even listens to music. Not that I'm saying anyone doesn't.
That was where this kind of argument stated long before. The newly rising subjectivist audio reviewers wanted to distinguish themselves from the prior (and continuing) generation of objectivist "meter readers" by claiming the mantle of loving Music. And, of course, music is this holy thing, that brings us peace and joy and saves our souls. Of course it's what Audio is about, it's what Life is about!
So hence, even in the pages of the gearhead oriented The Absolute Sound, endlessly reviewers would claim the banner of being Music Lovers for themselves, in some cases in opposition to being Audiphiles. "Oh, we're not Audiophiles, we're Music Lovers."
Now, I have known several Music Lovers who were not audiophiles. They were not interested in equipment At All. They had handed-down or thrift store or box store "record players." They had lots of records, indeed costing far more than their equipment. They were easily distinguishable from Audiophiles and would not even have heard of magazines like The Absolute Sound. Given the potential of introducing audiophilia nervosa, I would hesitate to even attempt to make people aware that there is anything better, unless they are asking for it.
Of course, there is little wrong with being that kind of music lover, especially today, when, contrary to much opining, good sound can be cheap and easy.
But there is nothing wrong with being a build-o-phile, an argument-o-phile, measure-o-phile, or whatever.
Even if there isn't much value in getting harmonic distortion (and hence IM) down farther and farther below the 1% level where it can reliably be heard, it's an interesting challenge, possibly rewarding,
and potentially of considerable value to society. Low distortion amplifiers are needed in virtually all technology.
And, virtually all humans love one kind of music or another. I don't mean to suggest otherwise, but merely not to sanctify it as the ultimate source of all human joy and satisfaction. It's good, but it's not everything all the time. And I don't think it's fair to denigrate people who have interests in technical things, though the rise of subjectivist audio reviewing often seemed to do that.
I acknowledge being an argument-o-phile myself, though I'm also in many other 'philes.
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