No matter how much you might love a particular film, you're not going to rewatch it the amount of times you're going to listen to a favourite album. I'm an audiophile because the music never gets old and I want to hear it in the best way I can sensibly afford.
Good sound is nice, but if I had to choose between a crappy system with 1000 music albums and the best system ever with only 10 albums, I would choose the first.
With all due respect, that statement is "perfectly" BACKWARDS! If what you care about most is music, you will find a way to listen to it, no matter what, because there is an overarching need to engage with artistic expression in that form. Only someone whose primary concern is SOUND would make such a statement.
@@jazz_addict7079 see man i just cant agree. if i were a musician and my song came thru dog turd bluetooth speakers id say hey, thats not the song, its not supposed to sound that way. its disrespectful to the artist to not hold up your end of the bargain. like if you were to go through the louvre with tinted glasses on, id call you a doofus.
I was clueless about audio until Christmas 1966 when I heard a tubed system (Dynaco?) in a college friend's dorm room. He was playing Handel's Messiah conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham on RCA. It was glorious!! He let me look at an Allied Radio catalog and I've been hooked ever since.
I love the magic of tubes, capacitors and resistors put together in a certain order, making sound. The look and feel comes in second. Having old 50 and 60 year old equipment that sounds amazing.
Not really any of these, but no.9 is close - I definitely hate listening to music on bad sounding gear, but it never prompted me to become an audiophile. So what swayed me after 50 years was an idea.... ....an idea planted by YOU, Steve Gutenberg, in a video where you said something along the lines of "...wouldn't it be amazing to close your eyes and hear John Lennon singing to you like he's really in your room?" Now that's a goal worth chasing and the researching of technology within this quest is a means to an end (audio realism), not an end in itself. And from audio realism, I've developed a new/different relationship with music that's far more deep and enjoyable.
Spot on. The piece of kit that converted me was the original Sony Walkman, which a summer camp counsellor played for me in a train on the way up the Matterhorn. I think I was 9 or 10. Up until then I’d loved the Sanyo portable cassette player my dad got me a couple of years earlier, along with a couple of cassettes. I had to have one. I saved pocket money for ever to get one. And then my first stereo receiver and cassette deck, using some speakers my parents donated from their stereo, which for some reason came with four speakers. And then... and then... and then...
Yep the Sony Walkman put the bug in me too - will never forget hearing Jonny Mathis Christmas Song - such big spacious sound coming from tiny little headphones and handheld box! And it there it was just like Steve said - it jumped from my Dad to me.
Before I was an audiophile, I didn't know sound could get better than the earphones that came with my phone, then I found out it could; now I'm hooked.
I'm 65 years old now and I had a subscription to Stereo Review in 1971...I was in high school, and the first stereo I had was from Radio Shack...I would read Steve's reviews of various artists and bands and could only dream about what the album sounded like...My first album was "Sticky Fingers" by the Stones and I was hooked! I've been an audiophile my whole life, so a whole bunch of the 10 reasons apply directly to me! Steve, thanks for your TH-cam channel, and for helping a broke teenager to imagine a time when my stereo could be better(McIntosh, B&W), and I could afford to listen to those artists!
1. Music is my heroin 2. I'm stunned by technology (dacs, amps, speakers, storage...) and biology (ears in this case) 3. I enjoy shaping the sound (I equalize a lot)
Like many people buying a stereo system was one of the first big purchases that I made when I began working. It was something I wanted to do even before I bought a car simply because a car was much more money and I didn’t need a car to get to work. But the real moment I became an audiophile was the moment that I experienced the magic of stereo imaging and the illusion of having someone perform in my room. My first system was pretty modest, perhaps not even very “audiophile” by some standards but that very quickly changed. That change occurred after I splurged for one of the first Sony CDP-101 CD players. It was rapidly followed by attending a seminar hosted by the Linn distributor and I experienced true high end reproduction for the first time.
With the advent of digital technology, the turntable still fascinates me especially if I clean the record and I noticed the big difference from before the cleaning. 😎🇵🇭❤️
I was broke, drove an old car, didn't have a girlfriend, wore funny clothes and my hygiene was intermittent. Someone looked at me and Said, "What are you, an audiophile?" Voila!"
My sister used to say I was crazy to own a 12" black and white tv and a massive stereo. She claimed the whole house just "bounced up and down, and you can see it when you drive down the street!"
You become an audiophile after experiencing music on gear that gave you goosebumps for the very fist time. And now, you want to recreate that same experience. Once you get it, you get used to it and chase begins all over again. It’s a drug for sure.
💯 True . It Dangerous than drug. The first goosebumps experience will become normal after some time . And then we want higher level goosebumps and eventually it will become normal after some time .. again we will look for even next level goosebumps... again so no matter how much we spent.. that thing going to normal.. never ending story unless we broke and distracted by other issues
KVR Listening Room And I believe that most (advanced) audiophiles never stop looking for that “holy grail” within their realistic budget. Budget that usually is exceeded by multiple times. There’s also this unspoken rivalry among fellow audiophiles trying to outdo each other, and prove their approach to reaching “Audio Nirvana” as superior. Yes, we are interesting bunch of individuals. 😂 At the end, it’s an enjoyable hobby that seems to be pushing industry to do better. Steven mentioned audiophiles driven by new technologies. And that might be true for individuals driven by latest and greatest in digital domain such as DACs or streamers (maybe class D amplification advancement to some degree) but I believe that more seasoned audiophiles pride themselves with purist approach based on old school topologies. It’s not to say that they are stocked in Thomas Edison era as they do appreciate latest technologies just like everybody else. But I doubt that they’re driven by it. Also, this notion of “music loving” driven audiophiles is a bit naive. We all love music. It’s a human nature. We, the audiophiles, just want it to sound best. And we don’t mind witnessing a casual listener of our carefully put together rig to be mesmerize by music they know but never really heard for the first time. 👍 This is my honest description of an audiophile. And I’m guilty of all of it. Lol
Another wonderful take on this crazy hobby. Yeah, I’m guilty on about 7 counts. High Fidelity and Stereo Review- yup. Absolute Sound - read the first issues in my college library around 1978. What really amazes me now is “How can vinyl and CDs store the spatial cues that a system retrieved to recreate the space of a recording venue through sound staging and imaging?” Even in mono, to listen to Bruno Walter conducting Mahler’s 9th 2 months before the Anschluss, and get some feeling of being in that hall. It really is an awesome thing.
I have dreams about audio equipment and music! My wife from time to time is like honey do you ever talk about anything else?? Who are we kidding.....HONEY DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE! My system is on all the time!! I am constantly wanting to upgrade until I find what I am looking for!! That being said I had the pleasure to audition EAR 868 PRE and boy oh boy I THINK I FOUND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR .... THAT SOUND I WANT..... I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER FIND IT!! I may splurge and pick up the EAR 912. Anyone have the pleasure to try any of the above mentioned. WE ARE ALL NERDS.... BUT NERDS ARE COOL.
I knew before I was 6 that I was an audiophile. I was good enough at it that my dad let me diagnose what was wrong with his Scott tube receiver that failed in a move. I swapped tubes and paid attention to which tube didn't cause a new failure when removed or didn't fix something when put in. I found 2 dead tubes and replacing them fixed it. From then on I was allowed to use his system. At about 6 years old, I heard a system in a mall and knew it was something special. When I finally dragged my father there I found a system that was phenomenal. I was also told later it cost more than our house!
I had the bug early ...my sisters were older so I heard the Beatles in-utero. I vividly remember dropping the needle on our cheap record player at about age 7 and hearing “One Two Three FAAW!!!” as I saw Her Standing There kicked in and it was game over. Fast forward to my teens and my dad had a small retail shop across the street from a high end audio place in the 70s. I would drop by on my lunch hour and they would be as eager to demo new equipment as I was to hear it. So I learned at a very young age what quality was. I saved months of wages to buy demos and floor models of some amazing stuff that I still use, and which I will submit as a photo the next time you call for it. Great channel.
#6 really got me. When I was a kid back before transistors, my mother went on and on about my uncle who built his own tube amplifier. I remember hearing it and even though I didn't know good from bad, it stuck in my head. I have been in love with all things audio since those days, and I just recently realized a dream from that time by buying my first tube amp. The best part? No buyer's remorse!!
*Reason# 11 you get to watch the audiophiliac fashion forward shirts.* Lol jokes aside I love this channel! 80% of my purchases were recommended by this channel. I regret the other 20%...
Walking up to your collection, and selecting particular records you know are incredibly engineered, and choosing to play those, because you know in your heart that loving the music is one thing, but continuing to be amazed by the recording details of those particular records over others that are not mastered half as well; THAT is what makes an audiophile.
For me, it started a very long time ago in the early 60s when the "Hi-Fi"s I heard all had lousy or no real bass response. Then when I put my little 8 inch two way open backed speakers in the doorway of my bedroom closet and suddenly I had bass I had to learn why. These days it's about the science behind recording and reproducing music and really enjoying music.
Spot on, on so many counts. A HS friend's dad had a dedicated listening room, with an amazing system. He shuttled us to audio shows in Manhattan, in the days of quadraphonic sound. Remember quadraphonic sound in the 1970s? Those were fun times :-)
Right on the money here. All of these. I love the gear. The music. I was a musician(bassist)for many many years. I care about the visual as well. I was introduced to "separates," as a young child and was blown away. Hearing Rush, and Deep Purple, on my uncle's system was life changing. I love technology, the cables, the cartridge and stylus reading grooves in a piece of vinyl, the warmth, or coldness of an amp developed and perfected, speaker size, type etc., started collecting vinyl as a kindergartner, worked in a music store for many years, and though Ive scaled down my collection of course over the years, I definitely had many many cds and records in my collection. I love it. Yup, this video nailed it.
before I was 20 I had about 5,000 albums. I still have about 5,000 recollected on HD. Yet, I never listened much for nearly 30 years because I was making music. About 2 years ago I realized something was wrong and I would right it if I could. Which is Why I am Here looking for ideas although most of what I'm rebuilding is between 50 - 65 years old. I must be nuts.
I am still trying to re create how my lp' s sounded to me on my first nice 1500 dollar system in 1975........but i just realized...i might only have 10 or 15 years left of decent hearing!!!
@@galessi1226 I sort of understand, but I think I'm trying to get that and something more. My Music Equipment (what I have/had) was never bad equipment and I did sound at events in a few counties when I wasn't performing, but it wasn't exactly the same & I did one worse in converting most of my Analog into a variety of digital. I suppose that is why I've chosen TUBE from the pre-A-B Amps that I grew up on like you so that the pathway of the sound is closer to the science of those time. And while the cost of reproduction of good equipment 'today' is cheaper, so too is the sound I think more like a child's turntable with Picture Records entertaining and good introduction to the ART of music to a child.Today most of the equipment today seems geared to that age group who never go beyond watching big Breast and Low Skirts in a video with '1,000's of extras and think that is called Music Art. I recently saw the Interview with (Klips) head designer in a 2 part with Steve, and I agree that what some of the better Music Equipment Designers are ARTIST who search for the magic of recreating an invisible art form. anyway.... when I was overseas after I was drafted I bought a ton of gear that my mother stored outside and most of it vandalized before my 'honorable' discharge... Luckily equipment was cheap and I had a 2nd system I sent not knowing the 1st had disappeared and was back at home when the 2nd pile arrived. .... I guess what I'm saying is $1,500 bucks could buy you a 'hell of a system' back then.
Number 11: You avoid listening to high quality recordings, your absolute favourite songs and your special audio-test-tracks on low quality gear like in-ear headphones or car hifi because you just cant appreciate them when they are not played on your system. Such a song for me is `justice groove‘ by Stanley Clarke. My friends for example know that i like this song because i played it countles times at home. So on a few occasions when they pick me up or we meet at their place they play it for me but i prefere to skip it and rather listen to their songs and genres that they are into. Otherwise i would just feel the need to get home and listen to it on my system because i really cant help myself... It just sounds better
Well I would argue there is nothing wrong with car hifi if you build it with the same purpose as a home system. That's what I did and even though the 2 are different, my car stereo is on par with the home system. Happy listening!
For the last 36 years I never thought I was an audiophile, just a music lover ,but it looks like I am in some way, as I have a simple B&W and Marantz system..but I’ve long lost all my vinyl..just mp3 and streaming now.
Only Ogg at 440 kpbs gives CD-like quality and ogg att around 200-210 kpbs is acceptble for the ear ( voice and room ). ( 320k mp3 and mp3 vbr is accetpble ) 224k is not and same with 224k in mp4 format -both has losses in the woman voice department and and in the end cd and mp3 make me tired of listeneng to the music not so vinyl
For me my journey into music started when I was 10 years old I’m now 48, but it all started with a single Ferguson cassette player with a mono speaker and at the time I desperately wanted a stereo player but back in the day times were hard so I came across a din cable which allowed me to plug the cassette player into my mum’s record player which allowed sound from 2 speakers. And that was the start for me it so slowly over the years I have built up my setup to where I am now and can say I’m happy with my current setup..
8 out of 10 for me - I'm not a musician and I wasn't introduced by hearing systems.T university we had to give a 15 minute presentation on something and I chose audio reproduction from vinyl (before digital). I got best in group for my passion with the subject. I never gets old. Best set of reasons I've seen Steve.
Guilty on 9 of 10 charges....and boy do I LOVE TO SEE my physical collection going back to my pre-teen years...😎 Certainly enjoyed reading Steve's articles in Stereo Review waaaay back when....
I must confess that I too am a failed musician. I tried guitar, harmonica and cornet, and nobody could stand listening to my efforts, least of all me. Like Steve I hung out with musicians, several are/were quite famous. Needless to say when first introduced I was asked: “And what do you play?” My response was : “Records!” I wasn’t completely useless of course. I could carry amps and speaker cabinets and tune a guitar quicker than most.
Thanks Steve. I also derived immense pleasure from sharing my music and love of music as a broadcaster back in the 1980s. I’d give my eye teeth to listen to you sharing your music as a broadcaster; our tastes show considerable overlap.
#6 is the most important one for people to become an audiophile...... (I got the bug from a record store that had a really nice system..... And hearing familiar music with so much more information than how I hear it aired on the radio.) Having such an experience was a lot more common back in the 1960s and 1970s than it is today.
So I get the LOVE of music from my mother. (Who I miss dearly). She in her wisdom exposed my sister and I to all types of music. Classical, Jazz, R&B, Movie sound tracks, rock, Gospel, we even had Sesame Street albums lol. And she played all of those different music Genres on a little table top system comprised of a turntable and two little speakers by a now defuncted company called "Symphony". I got my love of actual audio equipment from my Uncle who owned four massive JBL speakers and a large rack of Pioneer, Fisher & SAE amps etc. I loved going to his house even though we had to walk by the JBL's sideways . But the music sounded so much more alive and "Live' at his place. I was so influenced by my mother and Uncle that while my buddies were playing basketball I was at "8th Ave electronics", "J&R Music World", Sam Goody, and yes........even " Sound by Singer" listening to albums and stereo set ups. So here we are today ...some 50 plus years later and I am a proud audiophile!!! Not at all ashamed of that designation in the least. I even listen to some of the same albums that I listened to as a kid with my mother. And my first pair of speakers were of course JBL's. So family influence has made the music and gear lover that I am today. I wouldn't have it any other way!! To all my fellow Audiophiles good health to you and happy listening!!!
I was introduced to high end audio gear by a friend who had Klipsch corner horns, Crown DC electronics and a Bang and Olafsen linear tracking turntable. I brought a 45 rpm direct to disk recording of the Emperor Concerto to audition. I was hooked.
Man, can I relate to #5 (frustrated musician). I grew up with a friend who was a drumming prodigy and all his brothers were in a band. The first time I saw a Fender Stratocaster leaning against a Marshall stack I was hooked on the gear. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, I was inept at best. But, I was able to obtain audio gear and ended up hosting a morning radio show for years. I couldn't be a musician but you just nailed when my audiophile quest began...and I didn't even know.
I love this video, it stirs all the deep meanings within my soul that makes me keep pursuing better sound. I cannot afford any of the really high end stuff I just keep looking out every day for some bargain. I love to try and fix things that aren't working and see if I can find that 'sound' out of it. I keep ending up with things that don't quite meet my requirements but I always pass them on to friends that have never been exposed to a decent sound system. I believe the the karma of passing on the gift of music will always return me another bargain on ebay/marketplace. My next project is to build my own speakers from scratch, its probably my most expensive project yet that has me thinking 'hey I could actually afford something that you have recommended'. However I am determined to try some of my own ideas of how to make that sound and if those ideas dont work, I want to see if I can improve the design with more time and effort.
Nailed it. All but #4 resonate. I am not a musician. But the rest strongly describe me and I describe myself as an audiophile. As a DIYAUDIO enthusiast, it is also a fun hobby. Electronics, metal working and woodworking.
Holy Shit! Eye Spied an old "Voice of the Music" amp in one of those pictures. That's what I grew up listening to in the 60's! Along with a pair of sweet Electro-Voice wall hanging speakers (my Dad sold TV's & Stereo's) so we always had a nice system in the house. BTW... That shirt is TOTALLY BAD ASS!!!
It was my Dad! I was born in 1960, and my Dad was a hifi nut. I remember he bought a Packard Bell Console system, with the turntable built in, with satellite speakers. I remember when CD's first launched, and my Dad went with me to buy a Mitsubishi rack system, with equalizer, and cassette tape deck . I still have the very first CD that I bought, it was Glen miller's in the Digital Mood, because he wanted it. My Dad has long since passed away, but I still am a hifi nut. Just never went real crazy on spending for systems. Anybody remeber the old Command Records? We had those too! Along with latin-esque which was recorded in two studios for the side to side stereo sound. My sister years ago lent that to a friend back in the early 1970's. never saw that again.
Number 6 is how I started. My neighbour had a great hifi and worked in a hifi shop, we're talking about 1976! Bought a Dual based T/T from the hifi shop that my neighbour worked in. After that it was magazines that kept me informed.
Well chosen list of ten Steve, hits all the high points. I have been enjoying your video format very much. Started in the audio business in 1971 @ Bill Colbert's Audio Exchange. OFF TOPIC: The painting of the lady that often shows on your videos, would that be by artist Phillip Pearlstein? Certainly looks like his style, had him as a teacher in college. Keep up the good work, much appreciated. Be well, Joe G.
I love the process of investigating music and artists new to me.It is exciting that there is so much out there to enjoy ,both past and present. Its the same with gear to an extent, always looking for what might enhance the listening experience that is affordable for me. So the hunt is never over, that`s what makes it fun.
"IT'S ALIVE!!!!" Yep, that's it;-) All 10 apply to me. I love to recreate a Musical event at home just for me and a friend/my wife. Where can you go to listen to music without disturbance, kick your feet up and really listen with your feet up with a mug of tea to sip on? Live? Not any more. It's fun, but Remember the crowd noise? Being an audiophile is a purist pursuit. If you can stop obsessing about the gear and engage your imagination 😊
It was cool to see some of the gear in the background. Not sure if any are yours or if they're all for review, but it'd be cool to get a room tour of your own gear.
In my early twenties back in the late 70s I had my first apartment by myself. I had for me, a high-end stereo system consisting of McIntosh, Klipsch speakers, Technics turntable, Etc. When I would have people over who did not appreciate my stereo, would ask me where's the TV? I didn't own one. I think I had my priorities in order. Did that make me an audio file? I guess so.
Thanks for doing this - I hit almost all of these! But never did consider myself an audiophile, as I thought of it as some "elevated" status. But you took the exclusivity out of it, so thanks. I started in high school with hooking up different friends' speakers for comparison. I can add that I have done sound for a couple of my friends' local bands, and been very exacting on getting it right. More evidence! And thanks for your budget recommendations - I have gotten 2 Dayton Air/Lepai setups and one Andrew Jones Pioneer. I find the Daytons more tiring to listen to. The Pioneers are smoother, at least with compressed audio (didn't hook up turntable yet), and better bass response in spite of what looks like a smaller woofer.
My dad had a little “suit case” system on the floor in the walk in closet and I would sit there and play his records. This was my formative experience. I already loved music but this made listening intimate. As a teenager as soon as I had a little money I bought a receiver, turntable and speakers and would hole up in my room totally engulfed in music. To this day I prefer to listen in a small space with the speakers pretty close. Being an audiophile means I can enjoy the music at a higher level. I really do think it’s that simple.
Hi Jim, thanks for the quick response. I remembered KLH marketed a portable, carry case style turntable where the cover was actually where the speaker/s were. Again, pretty sure that was their Model 11 portable. Be well, Joe
Well Doctor, the journey has been a long one and it started when the term Hi Fi was described. The capability to hear as much as “Economically “ possible from music sources to the brain. That incredible effort of laying down all the intricacies of the engineer and mastering, and then hear them back at home. Discovering and experiencing what the audio terms actually were, like staging, air, Timbres etc, all expose you to what is there in the recording you “Paid” for. When you stand next to violinist and “feeling” that violin reverberate, you long to hear that in your equipment. If you don’t get that, well the search starts and maybe never finishes, until you lose your hearing, maybe.
Becoming a teenager in the early 70s, there was so much amazing music being produced that we couldn't keep up with. With my friends from the neighborhood we were going from home to home to listen a new record and make tapes, so each one can have it at home. It was the time when we discovered all these world of music and bands. We were amazed with all those new Japanese stereo systems full of knobs and switches, the standard hi tech stuff in any living room by that time, capable of reproduce all that incredible sound. It was a great time! So there you have it! Number 10, 9, 7, 6, 3, 2 and 1
Number 6 and 3 hit it home for me, I saw someone stream music through a JBL FLIP 5 Bluetooth speaker I was blown away with it's build and sound quality and in my mind, I was like "I got to get me one of those" so I bought myself a FLIP 4.
My question, and maybe a future topic... “to equalizer or not to equalizer, that is my question” I became an audio enthusiast in 1976 when my dad bought me a Kenwood KR2090, Technics SLB201and a pair of Olson speakers with 8 6” mids and a tweeter. I bought a Radio Shack 5 band x2 EQ and man, I was set up! I loved twiddling with knobs to get just the right sound from that system. Today I am racked with audio disease, Rotels, Yamahas, Pioneers Kenwoods and Sony units are strewn about the house and garage. Advents, RTR, Bose and Marantz speakers are also in nearly every room. Luckily my wife doesn’t seem to mind as long as I don’t comment on her shoe collection, it’s a give and take I guess. Many of the systems have an EQ on them, not really because they need it sonically, but because tweaking the knobs gives me great pleasure. So... as a fan of the EQ, am I banned from this channel?!?
For me it started with the joy of the hunt of collecting music at record/ cd stores. Then learning about music and musicians. Then making my own tapes and cds. It all sounded good to me on a fairly crap system b/c I didn't know any better. Then late in life I learned that if I got a little better equipment all this music I enjoy would sound a lot better. If they asked me on my deathbed what I most enjoyed in life, the hunt for and listening to good music would be high on the list.
When I was about 15 (1961) I made some money with a paper route and bought my FIRST "stereo". It was a Decca portable "suitcase player with detachable speakers. It cost $69.95. I was excited and played it for a while, but noticed that there was no bass. We had an old Admiral console TV-phono-radio set. It had a 12" speaker and produced nice base , but the player was mono. The Decca had little 4" speakers, so I thought... Well just get a bigger speaker. There was a local electronics parts distributor that sold audio products. I bought an 8" Utah speaker to see if it would help. The amp in the Decca was a small two tube unit that did not have enough power to drive the speaker. I then got and old mono amplifier that was from a Juke box (6L6 tubes) and put the speaker in and old radio cabinet and a Y adapter and hooked the turntable to it and Wa-lah, I had bass. Then the Garrard turntable from Allied Radio, later Knight amplifier and tuner as well as two 12" three way speakers and cabinets and I was on my way. By then I was about 18. later I had Dynakit PAT-4 preamp, Mark III power amps, and AR-4x Speakers. My current system is mostly from the early 1970s, centered around A Marantz 3300 preamp, Marantz 250 power amp, Thorens TD 125 turntable and AR-3a speakers.
I saw an old HK 330b at a music store and matched them with some EPI M100s. After that experience, i was fully hooked. It started with trying to get better records/LPs, and slowly turned into an audio hobby!
Steve, I love your shirt, I totally would rock that shirt infact right after I finish writing my comment, I will go shopping and see other shirts the maker has to offer. Anywho, I am a music lover audiophile. I just started collecting 33s. In fact, my first vinyl that I purchased, I also purchased a Audio-Technia DD turntable and a nice set of shelf speaters last Jan. I now have over 50 albums. I also own a few hundred cassette tapes. My cassettes, I started purchasing when I was 10 - 11 years of age, Some I purchase in single, Most are whole albume. I still have those cassettes and I'm in my early-mid 40's now. So, I have tapes that are 30 years old. Actually, I purchased Whitney Houston's second titled albume " I Wanna Dance with Somebody, (Who Loves Me)" 6.2.1987 33 years and some months old and I still play it and it still sounds almost the same as the day I got it.
I watched a documentary about Keith Richard's and the system he used for how wealthy he must be, seemed very modest. It was a very cheap turntable but sounded good. I also watched a great documentary about record collectors and again none of them had high end systems. Just simple record players. I just sold all my gear that I had for up to 25 years because I just got sick of moving it everytime I moved house and having alot of cash tied up in it. I felt like it was a weight off my shoulders after I got rid of it. I now have a used Ariston q deck a steamer amp, CD player and cassette deck going into a pair of heap JBL control 1 speakers and couldn't be happier and still enjoy listening to my music. I think eventually the gear takes over but what's more important is the music.
I guess an early appreciation of music and also being into playing the guitar were the primary motives. But the actual realisation of hifi came about through my sisters then boyfriend and all his friends... who all had a great but modest hi-fi systems of the day... They were all into motorbikes, sex, drugs and music and I was 15 at the time and by 16 had my first little system. That was 40 years ago, but the journey's has been fun and music has always been a friend and a pleasure.
I think nine out of ten makes me an audiophile! A poor one though, but what the heck: always pursuing to hear better, although in a budget. That's my karma, but also my daily challenge. Thank you Steve to welcome me to this fantastic channel of yours. I'm an audiophile! (Always wanted to be called that name...)
I was 13 when I came into buying records or lending them from friends. We had a record player with an integrated mono speaker. Then I was at the home of a friend, his parents had a stereo system, which I was not aware of until he started to play a record. I remember it was Queen - The Game. It was the first seconds of the first song on the record when I heard what stereo can do compared to mono, and I have been an audiophile since then.
For me the magic started when I bought my first aftermarket power cable ... Zavfino Legion. I hooked it to the power amp (getting rid of the stock cord) and I was blown away: more bass, larger scene, smoother highs. Wow! I was listening to lies, dull things ... how far can I go from now on? The music should sound different than I thought initially ...
The two things that really drew me where the expense and the inconvenience.
How about the exercise of moving heavy speakers up and down stairs
L O L !
I confess i love cussing things till they work lol
Lol
John Doe why not get headphones? they can also do amazing stuff
Number 11, to see Steve's shirts every second day.
we all know this is a show about shirts.
Nothing else really matters 👍
speaker grills made out of Steves shirts! now ya talkin
Absolutely, goes without saying.👍😁
lol
No matter how much you might love a particular film, you're not going to rewatch it the amount of times you're going to listen to a favourite album. I'm an audiophile because the music never gets old and I want to hear it in the best way I can sensibly afford.
Your wife wants to go to a restaurant where they prepare the food in front of you.
So, you take her to Subway.
You might be an audiophile.
I think the perfect statement was at the end. When you CARE about the music. Id rather have silence than the best song played over crap speakers.
Good sound is nice, but if I had to choose between a crappy system with 1000 music albums and the best system ever with only 10 albums, I would choose the first.
@@JosefTreiber auto-tune music sounds bad on any system, worst through PA horn speakers at the petrol station
@@JosefTreiber Quantity rather than quality in music, interesting concept.
With all due respect, that statement is "perfectly" BACKWARDS! If what you care about most is music, you will find a way to listen to it, no matter what, because there is an overarching need to engage with artistic expression in that form. Only someone whose primary concern is SOUND would make such a statement.
@@jazz_addict7079 see man i just cant agree. if i were a musician and my song came thru dog turd bluetooth speakers id say hey, thats not the song, its not supposed to sound that way. its disrespectful to the artist to not hold up your end of the bargain. like if you were to go through the louvre with tinted glasses on, id call you a doofus.
Steve, you cracked me up when you said " I can play a turntable and a CD player well".
I was clueless about audio until Christmas 1966 when I heard a tubed system (Dynaco?) in a college friend's dorm room. He was playing Handel's Messiah conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham on RCA. It was glorious!! He let me look at an Allied Radio catalog and I've been hooked ever since.
Because we watch this channel regularly. That’s a reason right there!
I love the magic of tubes, capacitors and resistors put together in a certain order, making sound.
The look and feel comes in second.
Having old 50 and 60 year old equipment that sounds amazing.
Not really any of these, but no.9 is close - I definitely hate listening to music on bad sounding gear, but it never prompted me to become an audiophile. So what swayed me after 50 years was an idea....
....an idea planted by YOU, Steve Gutenberg, in a video where you said something along the lines of "...wouldn't it be amazing to close your eyes and hear John Lennon singing to you like he's really in your room?"
Now that's a goal worth chasing and the researching of technology within this quest is a means to an end (audio realism), not an end in itself. And from audio realism, I've developed a new/different relationship with music that's far more deep and enjoyable.
Audio Realism is a great name for an audiophile
Who needs caffeine when we have Steve's shirts to wake us up....love your shirts....loud and proud!
“Fascinated by the technology.” Guilty as charged! ... but it goes beyond that. It’s about time travel and about creating the illusion of life itself.
th-cam.com/video/WTHoKEd-Gjo/w-d-xo.html
Spot on. The piece of kit that converted me was the original Sony Walkman, which a summer camp counsellor played for me in a train on the way up the Matterhorn. I think I was 9 or 10. Up until then I’d loved the Sanyo portable cassette player my dad got me a couple of years earlier, along with a couple of cassettes. I had to have one. I saved pocket money for ever to get one. And then my first stereo receiver and cassette deck, using some speakers my parents donated from their stereo, which for some reason came with four speakers. And then... and then... and then...
Yep the Sony Walkman put the bug in me too - will never forget hearing Jonny Mathis Christmas Song - such big spacious sound coming from tiny little headphones and handheld box! And it there it was just like Steve said - it jumped from my Dad to me.
Before I was an audiophile, I didn't know sound could get better than the earphones that came with my phone, then I found out it could; now I'm hooked.
I'm 65 years old now and I had a subscription to Stereo Review in 1971...I was in high school, and the first stereo I had was from Radio Shack...I would read Steve's reviews of various artists and bands and could only dream about what the album sounded like...My first album was "Sticky Fingers" by the Stones and I was hooked! I've been an audiophile my whole life, so a whole bunch of the 10 reasons apply directly to me! Steve, thanks for your TH-cam channel, and for helping a broke teenager to imagine a time when my stereo could be better(McIntosh, B&W), and I could afford to listen to those artists!
1. Music is my heroin
2. I'm stunned by technology (dacs, amps, speakers, storage...) and biology (ears in this case)
3. I enjoy shaping the sound (I equalize a lot)
Amen, brother! Love your never-ending supply of audiophile education and entertainment!
Like many people buying a stereo system was one of the first big purchases that I made when I began working. It was something I wanted to do even before I bought a car simply because a car was much more money and I didn’t need a car to get to work. But the real moment I became an audiophile was the moment that I experienced the magic of stereo imaging and the illusion of having someone perform in my room. My first system was pretty modest, perhaps not even very “audiophile” by some standards but that very quickly changed. That change occurred after I splurged for one of the first Sony CDP-101 CD players. It was rapidly followed by attending a seminar hosted by the Linn distributor and I experienced true high end reproduction for the first time.
Great story and it mirrors how I thought when I was a teen. Am I sure I didn't write this comment.....? 🤣
With the advent of digital technology, the turntable still fascinates me especially if I clean the record and I noticed the big difference from before the cleaning. 😎🇵🇭❤️
I was broke, drove an old car, didn't have a girlfriend, wore funny clothes and my hygiene was intermittent. Someone looked at me and Said, "What are you, an audiophile?"
Voila!"
My sister used to say I was crazy to own a 12" black and white tv and a massive stereo. She claimed the whole house just "bounced up and down, and you can see it when you drive down the street!"
You become an audiophile after experiencing music on gear that gave you goosebumps for the very fist time. And now, you want to recreate that same experience. Once you get it, you get used to it and chase begins all over again. It’s a drug for sure.
💯 True . It Dangerous than drug. The first goosebumps experience will become normal after some time . And then we want higher level goosebumps and eventually it will become normal after some time .. again we will look for even next level goosebumps... again so no matter how much we spent.. that thing going to normal.. never ending story unless we broke and distracted by other issues
KVR Listening Room And I believe that most (advanced) audiophiles never stop looking for that “holy grail” within their realistic budget. Budget that usually is exceeded by multiple times. There’s also this unspoken rivalry among fellow audiophiles trying to outdo each other, and prove their approach to reaching “Audio Nirvana” as superior. Yes, we are interesting bunch of individuals. 😂 At the end, it’s an enjoyable hobby that seems to be pushing industry to do better. Steven mentioned audiophiles driven by new technologies. And that might be true for individuals driven by latest and greatest in digital domain such as DACs or streamers (maybe class D amplification advancement to some degree) but I believe that more seasoned audiophiles pride themselves with purist approach based on old school topologies. It’s not to say that they are stocked in Thomas Edison era as they do appreciate latest technologies just like everybody else. But I doubt that they’re driven by it. Also, this notion of “music loving” driven audiophiles is a bit naive. We all love music. It’s a human nature. We, the audiophiles, just want it to sound best. And we don’t mind witnessing a casual listener of our carefully put together rig to be mesmerize by music they know but never really heard for the first time. 👍 This is my honest description of an audiophile. And I’m guilty of all of it. Lol
Another wonderful take on this crazy hobby. Yeah, I’m guilty on about 7 counts. High Fidelity and Stereo Review- yup. Absolute Sound - read the first issues in my college library around 1978. What really amazes me now is “How can vinyl and CDs store the spatial cues that a system retrieved to recreate the space of a recording venue through sound staging and imaging?” Even in mono, to listen to Bruno Walter conducting Mahler’s 9th 2 months before the Anschluss, and get some feeling of being in that hall. It really is an awesome thing.
You might be an audiophile if every room in your house is packed with LPs and CDs! Please give us a tour of your collection in an upcoming episode!
Enjoying your show Steve. Keep them coming
Hi Steve, You convinced me, I'm an audiophile. Thanks and regards
I have dreams about audio equipment and music! My wife from time to time is like honey do you ever talk about anything else?? Who are we kidding.....HONEY DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE! My system is on all the time!! I am constantly wanting to upgrade until I find what I am looking for!! That being said I had the pleasure to audition EAR 868 PRE and boy oh boy I THINK I FOUND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR .... THAT SOUND I WANT..... I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER FIND IT!! I may splurge and pick up the EAR 912. Anyone have the pleasure to try any of the above mentioned. WE ARE ALL NERDS.... BUT NERDS ARE COOL.
All ten reasons are so true for me! Thanks Steve! For your video.
I knew before I was 6 that I was an audiophile. I was good enough at it that my dad let me diagnose what was wrong with his Scott tube receiver that failed in a move. I swapped tubes and paid attention to which tube didn't cause a new failure when removed or didn't fix something when put in. I found 2 dead tubes and replacing them fixed it. From then on I was allowed to use his system. At about 6 years old, I heard a system in a mall and knew it was something special. When I finally dragged my father there I found a system that was phenomenal. I was also told later it cost more than our house!
Thanks a lot Steve!! I a am from chile and i have to say, is very refreshing listen to you.
Cheers from Santiago de chile and thanks again!!
Absolutely Steve. 100% for me. You nailed it!👍😊
I read Stereo Review.
Keith Jarrett was and probably still is a giant audiophile who sent letters to the editor of absolute sound.
I had the bug early ...my sisters were older so I heard the Beatles in-utero. I vividly remember dropping the needle on our cheap record player at about age 7 and hearing “One Two Three FAAW!!!” as I saw Her Standing There kicked in and it was game over. Fast forward to my teens and my dad had a small retail shop across the street from a high end audio place in the 70s. I would drop by on my lunch hour and they would be as eager to demo new equipment as I was to hear it. So I learned at a very young age what quality was. I saved months of wages to buy demos and floor models of some amazing stuff that I still use, and which I will submit as a photo the next time you call for it. Great channel.
#6 really got me. When I was a kid back before transistors, my mother went on and on about my uncle who built his own tube amplifier. I remember hearing it and even though I didn't know good from bad, it stuck in my head. I have been in love with all things audio since those days, and I just recently realized a dream from that time by buying my first tube amp. The best part? No buyer's remorse!!
*Reason# 11 you get to watch the audiophiliac fashion forward shirts.* Lol jokes aside I love this channel! 80% of my purchases were recommended by this channel. I regret the other 20%...
Hit the nail on the head Steve! I'm at least half of these. Had to chuckle at how accurate you were on so many!
Reason 11 Steve Guttemberg
Number 11 if we are listening or subscribed to your channel we are Audiophiles! !
Electronics has always amazed me. The foundation of harnessing subatomic particles and beyond.
The most common sense I heard un my 68' life.
From Spain, regards!!
Pablo.
All your 10 reasons sound good, tks Steve!
Walking up to your collection, and selecting particular records you know are incredibly engineered, and choosing to play those, because you know in your heart that loving the music is one thing, but continuing to be amazed by the recording details of those particular records over others that are not mastered half as well; THAT is what makes an audiophile.
For me, it started a very long time ago in the early 60s when the "Hi-Fi"s I heard all had lousy or no real bass response. Then when I put my little 8 inch two way open backed speakers in the doorway of my bedroom closet and suddenly I had bass I had to learn why. These days it's about the science behind recording and reproducing music and really enjoying music.
Spot on, on so many counts. A HS friend's dad had a dedicated listening room, with an amazing system. He shuttled us to audio shows in Manhattan, in the days of quadraphonic sound. Remember quadraphonic sound in the 1970s? Those were fun times :-)
Ron Hoffmann there was a showroom in Manhattan in 1970, 71 that had great speakers and would demo Quadraphonic sound.
Right on the money here. All of these. I love the gear. The music. I was a musician(bassist)for many many years. I care about the visual as well. I was introduced to "separates," as a young child and was blown away. Hearing Rush, and Deep Purple, on my uncle's system was life changing. I love technology, the cables, the cartridge and stylus reading grooves in a piece of vinyl, the warmth, or coldness of an amp developed and perfected, speaker size, type etc., started collecting vinyl as a kindergartner, worked in a music store for many years, and though Ive scaled down my collection of course over the years, I definitely had many many cds and records in my collection. I love it. Yup, this video nailed it.
before I was 20 I had about 5,000 albums. I still have about 5,000 recollected on HD. Yet, I never listened much for nearly 30 years because I was making music. About 2 years ago I realized something was wrong and I would right it if I could. Which is Why I am Here looking for ideas although most of what I'm rebuilding is between 50 - 65 years old. I must be nuts.
I am still trying to re create how my lp' s sounded to me on my first nice 1500 dollar system in 1975........but i just realized...i might only have 10 or 15 years left of decent hearing!!!
@@galessi1226 I sort of understand, but I think I'm trying to get that and something more. My Music Equipment (what I have/had) was never bad equipment and I did sound at events in a few counties when I wasn't performing, but it wasn't exactly the same & I did one worse in converting most of my Analog into a variety of digital.
I suppose that is why I've chosen TUBE from the pre-A-B Amps that I grew up on like you so that the pathway of the sound is closer to the science of those time.
And while the cost of reproduction of good equipment 'today' is cheaper, so too is the sound I think more like a child's turntable with Picture Records entertaining and good introduction to the ART of music to a child.Today most of the equipment today seems geared to that age group who never go beyond watching big Breast and Low Skirts in a video with '1,000's of extras and think that is called Music Art.
I recently saw the Interview with (Klips) head designer in a 2 part with Steve, and I agree that what some of the better Music Equipment Designers are ARTIST who search for the magic of recreating an invisible art form.
anyway.... when I was overseas after I was drafted I bought a ton of gear that my mother stored outside and most of it vandalized before my 'honorable' discharge... Luckily equipment was cheap and I had a 2nd system I sent not knowing the 1st had disappeared and was back at home when the 2nd pile arrived. .... I guess what I'm saying is $1,500 bucks could buy you a 'hell of a system' back then.
Number 11:
You avoid listening to high quality recordings, your absolute favourite songs and your special audio-test-tracks on low quality gear like in-ear headphones or car hifi because you just cant appreciate them when they are not played on your system.
Such a song for me is `justice groove‘ by Stanley Clarke. My friends for example know that i like this song because i played it countles times at home. So on a few occasions when they pick me up or we meet at their place they play it for me but i prefere to skip it and rather listen to their songs and genres that they are into.
Otherwise i would just feel the need to get home and listen to it on my system because i really cant help myself...
It just sounds better
Well I would argue there is nothing wrong with car hifi if you build it with the same purpose as a home system. That's what I did and even though the 2 are different, my car stereo is on par with the home system. Happy listening!
Well, thank you - you helped me to understand I am a bit crazy about music, gear and vinyl magic.
For the last 36 years I never thought I was an audiophile, just a music lover ,but it looks like I am in some way, as I have a simple B&W and Marantz system..but I’ve long lost all my vinyl..just mp3 and streaming now.
Only Ogg at 440 kpbs gives CD-like quality and ogg att around 200-210 kpbs is acceptble for the ear ( voice and room ). ( 320k mp3 and mp3 vbr is accetpble ) 224k is not and same with 224k in mp4 format -both has losses in the woman voice department and and in the end cd and mp3 make me tired of listeneng to the music not so vinyl
Fourth
LOL
Firth Of Fifth (Selling England by the Pound) ~Genesis~ c.1973
Haha!
Haha meme'd the meme!
Epic 😎
Love it!
For me my journey into music started when I was 10 years old I’m now 48, but it all started with a single Ferguson cassette player with a mono speaker and at the time I desperately wanted a stereo player but back in the day times were hard so I came across a din cable which allowed me to plug the cassette player into my mum’s record player which allowed sound from 2 speakers. And that was the start for me it so slowly over the years I have built up my setup to where I am now and can say I’m happy with my current setup..
8 out of 10 for me - I'm not a musician and I wasn't introduced by hearing systems.T university we had to give a 15 minute presentation on something and I chose audio reproduction from vinyl (before digital). I got best in group for my passion with the subject. I never gets old. Best set of reasons I've seen Steve.
Number 5 here!!! Great video Steve
Can’t say as though I would have changed much with that list. Rings pretty true. It’s always nice to be understood,
Guilty on 9 of 10 charges....and boy do I LOVE TO SEE my physical collection going back to my pre-teen years...😎 Certainly enjoyed reading Steve's articles in Stereo Review waaaay back when....
You're an Audiophile if you have a Pass Labs HP amp clinging for its life halfway on a stool.
Oh you said rack...I heard wreck!
#4 for me, connecting with musicians past and present.
I must confess that I too am a failed musician. I tried guitar, harmonica and cornet, and nobody could stand listening to my efforts, least of all me. Like Steve I hung out with musicians, several are/were quite famous. Needless to say when first introduced I was asked: “And what do you play?” My response was : “Records!” I wasn’t completely useless of course. I could carry amps and speaker cabinets and tune a guitar quicker than most.
Thanks Steve. I also derived immense pleasure from sharing my music and love of music as a broadcaster back in the 1980s. I’d give my eye teeth to listen to you sharing your music as a broadcaster; our tastes show considerable overlap.
MUSIC - connoisseur, devotee, dilettante, buff, aficionado, cognoscente, freak, expert, specialist, gourmet, nut, savant, maven, adept, critic, arbiter, judge, fan, aesthete, epicure, appreciator.
#6 is the most important one for people to become an audiophile...... (I got the bug from a record store that had a really nice system..... And hearing familiar music with so much more information than how I hear it aired on the radio.) Having such an experience was a lot more common back in the 1960s and 1970s than it is today.
Did you miss something ? no you're spot on, thanks, great video !!
PERFECT top 10 list!!!
So I get the LOVE of music from my mother. (Who I miss dearly). She in her wisdom exposed my sister and I to all types of music. Classical, Jazz, R&B, Movie sound tracks, rock, Gospel, we even had Sesame Street albums lol. And she played all of those different music Genres on a little table top system comprised of a turntable and two little speakers by a now defuncted company called "Symphony". I got my love of actual audio equipment from my Uncle who owned four massive JBL speakers and a large rack of Pioneer, Fisher & SAE amps etc. I loved going to his house even though we had to walk by the JBL's sideways . But the music sounded so much more alive and "Live' at his place. I was so influenced by my mother and Uncle that while my buddies were playing basketball I was at "8th Ave electronics", "J&R Music World", Sam Goody, and yes........even " Sound by Singer" listening to albums and stereo set ups. So here we are today ...some 50 plus years later and I am a proud audiophile!!! Not at all ashamed of that designation in the least. I even listen to some of the same albums that I listened to as a kid with my mother. And my first pair of speakers were of course JBL's. So family influence has made the music and gear lover that I am today. I wouldn't have it any other way!! To all my fellow Audiophiles good health to you and happy listening!!!
I was introduced to high end audio gear by a friend who had Klipsch corner horns, Crown DC electronics and a Bang and Olafsen linear tracking turntable. I brought a 45 rpm direct to disk recording of the Emperor Concerto to audition. I was hooked.
Man, can I relate to #5 (frustrated musician). I grew up with a friend who was a drumming prodigy and all his brothers were in a band. The first time I saw a Fender Stratocaster leaning against a Marshall stack I was hooked on the gear. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, I was inept at best. But, I was able to obtain audio gear and ended up hosting a morning radio show for years. I couldn't be a musician but you just nailed when my audiophile quest began...and I didn't even know.
I love this video, it stirs all the deep meanings within my soul that makes me keep pursuing better sound. I cannot afford any of the really high end stuff I just keep looking out every day for some bargain. I love to try and fix things that aren't working and see if I can find that 'sound' out of it. I keep ending up with things that don't quite meet my requirements but I always pass them on to friends that have never been exposed to a decent sound system. I believe the the karma of passing on the gift of music will always return me another bargain on ebay/marketplace.
My next project is to build my own speakers from scratch, its probably my most expensive project yet that has me thinking 'hey I could actually afford something that you have recommended'. However I am determined to try some of my own ideas of how to make that sound and if those ideas dont work, I want to see if I can improve the design with more time and effort.
Nailed it. All but #4 resonate. I am not a musician. But the rest strongly describe me and I describe myself as an audiophile.
As a DIYAUDIO enthusiast, it is also a fun hobby. Electronics, metal working and woodworking.
Holy Shit! Eye Spied an old "Voice of the Music" amp in one of those pictures. That's what I grew up listening to in the 60's! Along with a pair of sweet Electro-Voice wall hanging speakers (my Dad sold TV's & Stereo's) so we always had a nice system in the house. BTW... That shirt is TOTALLY BAD ASS!!!
It was my Dad! I was born in 1960, and my Dad was a hifi nut. I remember he bought a Packard Bell Console system, with the turntable built in, with satellite speakers. I remember when CD's first launched, and my Dad went with me to buy a Mitsubishi rack system, with equalizer, and cassette tape deck . I still have the very first CD that I bought, it was Glen miller's in the Digital Mood, because he wanted it. My Dad has long since passed away, but I still am a hifi nut. Just never went real crazy on spending for systems. Anybody remeber the old Command Records? We had those too! Along with latin-esque which was recorded in two studios for the side to side stereo sound. My sister years ago lent that to a friend back in the early 1970's. never saw that again.
Seven reason over ten fits me like a tailor made suit
Number 6 is how I started. My neighbour had a great hifi and worked in a hifi shop, we're talking about 1976! Bought a Dual based T/T from the hifi shop that my neighbour worked in. After that it was magazines that kept me informed.
Well chosen list of ten Steve, hits all the high points. I have been enjoying your video format very much. Started in the audio business in 1971 @ Bill Colbert's Audio Exchange.
OFF TOPIC: The painting of the lady that often shows on your videos, would that be by artist Phillip Pearlstein? Certainly looks like his style, had him as a teacher in college. Keep up the good work, much appreciated. Be well, Joe G.
I love the process of investigating music and artists new to me.It is exciting that there is so much out there to enjoy ,both past and present. Its the same with gear to an extent, always looking for what might enhance the listening experience that is affordable for me. So the hunt is never over, that`s what makes it fun.
Is that Decware I see in the background? There's a lucky dog! Hope to have some soon. Rock on!
SPOT ON STEVE......you nailed it! And yes I am an audiophile!
"IT'S ALIVE!!!!"
Yep, that's it;-)
All 10 apply to me.
I love to recreate a Musical event at home just for me and a friend/my wife. Where can you go to listen to music without disturbance, kick your feet up and really listen with your feet up with a mug of tea to sip on?
Live?
Not any more.
It's fun, but Remember the crowd noise?
Being an audiophile is a purist pursuit. If you can stop obsessing about the gear and engage your imagination 😊
It was cool to see some of the gear in the background. Not sure if any are yours or if they're all for review, but it'd be cool to get a room tour of your own gear.
In my early twenties back in the late 70s I had my first apartment by myself. I had for me, a high-end stereo system consisting of McIntosh, Klipsch speakers, Technics turntable, Etc. When I would have people over who did not appreciate my stereo, would ask me where's the TV? I didn't own one. I think I had my priorities in order. Did that make me an audio file? I guess so.
Vanessa from Housos would say "where's the TV"
Hello Sir, I want you to hear that charming voice,come on my home page
Thanks for doing this - I hit almost all of these! But never did consider myself an audiophile, as I thought of it as some "elevated" status. But you took the exclusivity out of it, so thanks. I started in high school with hooking up different friends' speakers for comparison. I can add that I have done sound for a couple of my friends' local bands, and been very exacting on getting it right. More evidence! And thanks for your budget recommendations - I have gotten 2 Dayton Air/Lepai setups and one Andrew Jones Pioneer. I find the Daytons more tiring to listen to. The Pioneers are smoother, at least with compressed audio (didn't hook up turntable yet), and better bass response in spite of what looks like a smaller woofer.
Knew I was crossing that line when I found myself reading more more online forums. Trust these more than publications.
No. 6 my friends dad's system. About 1965. I never heard it but I had never seen anything like it before. It was setup in the living room.
My dad had a little “suit case” system on the floor in the walk in closet and I would sit there and play his records. This was my formative experience. I already loved music but this made listening intimate. As a teenager as soon as I had a little money I bought a receiver, turntable and speakers and would hole up in my room totally engulfed in music. To this day I prefer to listen in a small space with the speakers pretty close. Being an audiophile means I can enjoy the music at a higher level. I really do think it’s that simple.
Jim, would that suitcase system have been the one offered by KLH back in the day?
mrfarnz I don’t think so, I’m almost certain it came from the Sears catalog....mid-60’s.
Hi Jim, thanks for the quick response. I remembered KLH marketed a portable, carry case style turntable where the cover was actually where the speaker/s were. Again, pretty sure that was their Model 11 portable.
Be well, Joe
Well Doctor, the journey has been a long one and it started when the term Hi Fi was described. The capability to hear as much as “Economically “ possible from music sources to the brain. That incredible effort of laying down all the intricacies of the engineer and mastering, and then hear them back at home. Discovering and experiencing what the audio terms actually were, like staging, air, Timbres etc, all expose you to what is there in the recording you “Paid” for. When you stand next to violinist and “feeling” that violin reverberate, you long to hear that in your equipment. If you don’t get that, well the search starts and maybe never finishes, until you lose your hearing, maybe.
Becoming a teenager in the early 70s, there was so much amazing music being produced that we couldn't keep up with. With my friends from the neighborhood we were going from home to home to listen a new record and make tapes, so each one can have it at home. It was the time when we discovered all these world of music and bands. We were amazed with all those new Japanese stereo systems full of knobs and switches, the standard hi tech stuff in any living room by that time, capable of reproduce all that incredible sound. It was a great time!
So there you have it! Number 10, 9, 7, 6, 3, 2 and 1
Number 6 and 3 hit it home for me, I saw someone stream music through a JBL FLIP 5 Bluetooth speaker I was blown away with it's build and sound quality and in my mind, I was like "I got to get me one of those" so I bought myself a FLIP 4.
Dear Steve, you just nailed it! Great! Number 6 oh yeah.
My question, and maybe a future topic... “to equalizer or not to equalizer, that is my question”
I became an audio enthusiast in 1976 when my dad bought me a Kenwood KR2090, Technics SLB201and a pair of Olson speakers with 8 6” mids and a tweeter. I bought a Radio Shack 5 band x2 EQ and man, I was set up! I loved twiddling with knobs to get just the right sound from that system.
Today I am racked with audio disease, Rotels, Yamahas, Pioneers Kenwoods and Sony units are strewn about the house and garage. Advents, RTR, Bose and Marantz speakers are also in nearly every room. Luckily my wife doesn’t seem to mind as long as I don’t comment on her shoe collection, it’s a give and take I guess. Many of the systems have an EQ on them, not really because they need it sonically, but because tweaking the knobs gives me great pleasure.
So... as a fan of the EQ, am I banned from this channel?!?
Bring music to life = Audiophile 4Life...can't go back to mediocre (normal, regular) sound. Love the gear, and love that DECWARE in the background!
I find that a decent stereo set adds to the listeningpleasure of recorded music. That is it!
For me it started with the joy of the hunt of collecting music at record/ cd stores. Then learning about music and musicians. Then making my own tapes and cds. It all sounded good to me on a fairly crap system b/c I didn't know any better. Then late in life I learned that if I got a little better equipment all this music I enjoy would sound a lot better. If they asked me on my deathbed what I most enjoyed in life, the hunt for and listening to good music would be high on the list.
When I was about 15 (1961) I made some money with a paper route and bought my FIRST "stereo". It was a Decca portable "suitcase player with detachable speakers. It cost $69.95. I was excited and played it for a while, but noticed that there was no bass. We had an old Admiral console TV-phono-radio set.
It had a 12" speaker and produced nice base , but the player was mono. The Decca had little 4" speakers, so I thought... Well just get a bigger speaker.
There was a local electronics parts distributor that sold audio products. I bought an 8" Utah speaker to see if it would help. The amp in the Decca was a small two tube unit that did not have enough power to drive the speaker. I then got and old mono amplifier that was from a Juke box (6L6 tubes) and put the speaker in and old radio cabinet and a Y adapter and hooked the turntable to it and Wa-lah, I had bass. Then the Garrard turntable from Allied Radio, later Knight amplifier and tuner as well as two 12" three way speakers and cabinets and I was on my way. By then I was about 18. later I had Dynakit PAT-4 preamp, Mark III power amps, and AR-4x Speakers.
My current system is mostly from the early 1970s, centered around A Marantz 3300 preamp, Marantz 250 power amp, Thorens TD 125 turntable and AR-3a speakers.
I saw an old HK 330b at a music store and matched them with some EPI M100s. After that experience, i was fully hooked. It started with trying to get better records/LPs, and slowly turned into an audio hobby!
mann, i wish epi still made speakers...
I just like how different speakers sound from each other. 12 pairs & counting!
Steve, I love your shirt, I totally would rock that shirt infact right after I finish writing my comment, I will go shopping and see other shirts the maker has to offer.
Anywho, I am a music lover audiophile. I just started collecting 33s. In fact, my first vinyl that I purchased, I also purchased a Audio-Technia DD turntable and a nice set of shelf speaters last Jan. I now have over 50 albums. I also own a few hundred cassette tapes. My cassettes, I started purchasing when I was 10 - 11 years of age, Some I purchase in single, Most are whole albume. I still have those cassettes and I'm in my early-mid 40's now. So, I have tapes that are 30 years old. Actually, I purchased Whitney Houston's second titled albume " I Wanna Dance with Somebody, (Who Loves Me)" 6.2.1987 33 years and some months old and I still play it and it still sounds almost the same as the day I got it.
I watched a documentary about Keith Richard's and the system he used for how wealthy he must be, seemed very modest. It was a very cheap turntable but sounded good. I also watched a great documentary about record collectors and again none of them had high end systems. Just simple record players. I just sold all my gear that I had for up to 25 years because I just got sick of moving it everytime I moved house and having alot of cash tied up in it. I felt like it was a weight off my shoulders after I got rid of it. I now have a used Ariston q deck a steamer amp, CD player and cassette deck going into a pair of heap JBL control 1 speakers and couldn't be happier and still enjoy listening to my music. I think eventually the gear takes over but what's more important is the music.
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I guess an early appreciation of music and also being into playing the guitar were the primary motives.
But the actual realisation of hifi came about through my sisters then boyfriend and all his friends... who all had a great but modest hi-fi systems of the day... They were all into motorbikes, sex, drugs and music and I was 15 at the time and by 16 had my first little system. That was 40 years ago, but the journey's has been fun and music has always been a friend and a pleasure.
I think nine out of ten makes me an audiophile! A poor one though, but what the heck: always pursuing to hear better, although in a budget. That's my karma, but also my daily challenge.
Thank you Steve to welcome me to this fantastic channel of yours.
I'm an audiophile!
(Always wanted to be called that name...)
I was 13 when I came into buying records or lending them from friends. We had a record player with an integrated mono speaker. Then I was at the home of a friend, his parents had a stereo system, which I was not aware of until he started to play a record. I remember it was Queen - The Game. It was the first seconds of the first song on the record when I heard what stereo can do compared to mono, and I have been an audiophile since then.
For me the magic started when I bought my first aftermarket power cable ... Zavfino Legion. I hooked it to the power amp (getting rid of the stock cord) and I was blown away: more bass, larger scene, smoother highs. Wow! I was listening to lies, dull things ... how far can I go from now on? The music should sound different than I thought initially ...
In High School they asked me if I could play anything ,
I said Yea....The radio