Help with a project, need your story

Off-Topic
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First let me explain. So I’m taking a class and our final project is to write an ethnography. You might be asking “What the hell is that?”. An ethnography is a style of writing used by commonly by ethnomusicologists. Let me break down what an ethnomusicologist is: there are anthropologists, then there is a derivative field that studies music, called musicologists, and then a further derivative field that focuses on the culture surrounding the music rather than specifically just the music itself, an ethnomusicologist. Basically this assignment is to go out find a music related community and find out the function, values, and practices of the community with respect to music and the culture that surrounds it. The written ethnography focuses on both the people’s culture as an outsider looking in and by interaction and personal accounts of experiences.

So I need input from some music related community… I’m choosing to focus on this one. More specifically the audio enthusiast/hifi/audiophile community, or whatever you want to call it. In order to study it however, I need to converse with people and gather data.

This is where I need help, if you could answer all, some, or even just one of the following questions, that would be amazing(Feel free to go as in depth as you feel like):

  1. Do you consider yourself an “Audiophile”, and how would you describe what an Audiophile is?

  2. Whatever you want to call this community, what got you into it?

Let me give an example of what I mean: What happened to me was I played a video game. I really liked the game, so eventually I found the playlist of it’s ost on youtube, and I listened to that ost all the time. Then one day I was like “Screw it!”, time to buy this ost so I can get all the detail and really experience this music as it was intended, instead of some rip from the game. Yikes, that was a lot more of a plunge into the unknown than I thought it would be. The game is called Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and I did some research and found a place to buy it in FLAC format. Ha ha, that site was called mora.jp, and no they don’t sell to anyone outside Japan. So after jumping through hoops(like hours worth of hoops) I finally got the music. Long story short this lead to me buying better headphones, then the FiiO K3, then more headphones, a custom balanced cable, and now I just got the Topping 30pro stack. Dude, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was definitely the thing that made me into the audio enthusiast community. So what happened to suck you into this crazy world? Was it music, home theater, needing headphones to work from home, or something else?

  1. Since entering this literal money sink hole how has the way you experience/use music in your life changed?

Shorter example than the above: Since entering this space I’ve noticed my hearing is much more sensitive. I notice a lot more when listening to music and tend to analyze music much more heavily. Before this I would go through certain periods of time where I would find a certain group or song that I would listen to on repeat for a month, and then essentially stop listening to music on any kind of regular basis for months on end, rinse repeat. Ever since I dipped my toes into the “Audiophile” world I listen to lots more kinds of music, and I listen to music all the time. Now I use music to help me focus on my school work, and even to relax after doing a metric tone of work. What’s your experience?

  1. What kind of “Audiophile” are you? Do you look for the most fun sound(tube amps, interesting tuning, etc…) or are you the type to want a very “sterile” sound(solid state amp, neutral tuning, etc…)? Or maybe you try both ends of the audio spectrum?

Example: I tend to try and go as neutral as I can, but I’m branching out and waiting for a good time(monetarily) to get into tubes.

  1. How long have you been part of this community, and why do you continue to take part in it?

  2. Are you happy with your current setup and headphones, or are you still looking for something more? If you are still looking, do you think you’ll ever stop looking? Is enough ever enough?

  3. How do you view this community/yourself? Are we all just riding the placebo effect of new stuff with small, if any, improvement to our previous setups? Is this practice wasteful(Who needs five+ pairs of headphones?)? Or is all this justifiable as the trail we walk in the search for audio bliss?

I’m not planning on including any one’s name/tags, etc., and if you think I’m missing I key aspect of the culture of our community please feel free to tell me how wrong I am. I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this and even more so anyone who responds. Thanks guys. This forum is so chill, and I’m glad to be here and hope you all feel the same.

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Can’t deny a man/woman doing education so here I go:

  1. Do you consider yourself an “Audiophile”, and how would you describe what an Audiophile is?
  • Yes. An audiophile is someone who wants to experience music reproduction at a very high level.
  1. Whatever you want to call this community, what got you into it?
  • Equipment research.
  1. Since entering this literal money sink hole how has the way you experience/use music in your life changed?
  • I probably listen to music more.
  1. What kind of “Audiophile” are you? Do you look for the most fun sound(tube amps, interesting tuning, etc…) or are you the type to want a very “sterile” sound(solid state amp, neutral tuning, etc…)? Or maybe you try both ends of the audio spectrum?
  • I want both. A system that represents high fidelity and one that’s just fun.
  1. How long have you been part of this community, and why do you continue to take part in it?
  • HFG for a couple of years I guess. I stick around for the cool people and attitude of the forum. Audiophiledom in general…since 1990s.
  1. Are you happy with your current setup and headphones, or are you still looking for something more? If you are still looking, do you think you’ll ever stop looking? Is enough ever enough?
  • I’m happy but I have one more level up to go to what I consider my “good enough”.
  1. How do you view this community/yourself? Are we all just riding the placebo effect of new stuff with small, if any, improvement to our previous setups? Is this practice wasteful(Who needs five+ pairs of headphones?)? Or is all this justifiable as the trail we walk in the search for audio bliss?
  • It’s all good. Hobbies are life. I don’t understand people who don’t have hobbies. Are they just dead inside?
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Thanks for the response! I really appreciate it.

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  1. Do you consider yourself an “Audiophile”, and how would you describe what an Audiophile is?

I would call myself an Audiophile, yes.
In my definition, an Audiophile cares about the music in all its aspects and facets.

  1. Whatever you want to call this community, what got you into it?

Started with a pair of bad plasticy cheap headphones. Then “upgraded” to another even more plasticy “5.1 gaming headset”. That were 100€ down the drain.
After that, I looked at some videos and read some reviews. My dad having a hand full of hifi magazines and me helping out with some small local events, I went down the rabbit hole that is audio.

  1. Since entering this literal money sink hole how has the way you experience/use music in your life changed?

I do not care much about genres anymore (few exceptions where I avoid certain music). I want music that someone has put some effort into. Music with a feeling, a story.

  1. What kind of “Audiophile” are you? Do you look for the most fun sound(tube amps, interesting tuning, etc…) or are you the type to want a very “sterile” sound(solid state amp, neutral tuning, etc…)? Or maybe you try both ends of the audio spectrum?

I don’t think I developed a taste in this regard yet.

  1. How long have you been part of this community, and why do you continue to take part in it?

Five years, I think?
To know where you want to end up, you need to know what is out there.

  1. Are you happy with your current setup and headphones, or are you still looking for something more? If you are still looking, do you think you’ll ever stop looking? Is enough ever enough?

My current setup is adequate for enjoying music and movies while on the computer. I would like a second, higher end system that can function without having to sit in front of a screen.
There will be an end. If there was no end, the journey would be pointless.

  1. How do you view this community/yourself? Are we all just riding the placebo effect of new stuff with small, if any, improvement to our previous setups? Is this practice wasteful(Who needs five+ pairs of headphones?)? Or is all this justifiable as the trail we walk in the search for audio bliss?

I don’t want to die on “Mount Stupid” in any hobby of mine.

Despite what some in the Audio Hobby boldly broadcast, the world is not simple. Lines are never straight, differences never black and white.

Judge everything in the context of the ecosystem. And don’t die on “Mount Stupid”!

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Doing my part to support education (and avoid doing real work this morning):

  1. Do you consider yourself an “Audiophile”, and how would you describe what an Audiophile is?
    Yes.

Someone who appreciates and enjoys a wide range of music, and seeks to listen to it in as high quality and enjoyable manner as possible.

  1. Whatever you want to call this community, what got you into it?

I’ve always loved listening to music, but I’ve never been able to play a real instrument. My friends have always been musical, my wife is a talented singer and guitar player, but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. For me music has always been an experience, helping me understand life and express how I feel. So owning, playing, listening, experiencing music has always been a part of my life. But it wasn’t always at a high quality. I didn’t have much exposure to true HiFi equipment for most of my life.

My entrance into “audiophile” HiFi music was with the HeadRoom Micro Amp and Micro DAC back in 2005. I bought it to improve my digital music listening experience (those Napster downloads deserved better hardware to run on). This was very eye opening to me for how good music can sound. I ran with this setup for about 5 years, and then due to circumstances of life it got put in a box and lost to the moving gods. I really didn’t pick up the hobby again until March 2020 with the COVID lockdowns. I needed something to keep me company while locked in my 12’x12’ home office all day. And good music, good headphones was the answer. This was reinforced by the HiFi Guides community - people to discuss and experience the hobby with, while working from home. I don’t think I would have gone nearly as deep into this hobby without HiFi Guides. And I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much.

  1. Since entering this literal money sink hole how has the way you experience/use music in your life changed?

It’s more present in my life. I have music playing almost all day in my office - mix of headphones and speakers. I consistently take a portable player with me whenever I leave the house, just in case I have an opportunity to listen. I’ve discovered genres and bands I would have never thought to even try before. I think more about the reproduction of the music than before: what’s the source? what’s the signal chain?

  1. What kind of “Audiophile” are you? Do you look for the most fun sound(tube amps, interesting tuning, etc…) or are you the type to want a very “sterile” sound(solid state amp, neutral tuning, etc…)? Or maybe you try both ends of the audio spectrum?

I try to hit neutral in my listening - not sterile, but not too funky either. I don’t usually care for EQ, and I try to have as lossless of a signal chain as possible (no ROON DSP turned on). But the more I listen the more I realize that there is no way to reproduce EXACTLY what the musician intended. I don’t have their equipment, their studio, etc. Lately I’ve started shifting my perspective to less of a pursuit of “original intent” by the musician, and more towards what makes me enjoy the music most.

  1. How long have you been part of this community, and why do you continue to take part in it?

Approximately 1 year. The people. The discussions.

  1. Are you happy with your current setup and headphones, or are you still looking for something more? If you are still looking, do you think you’ll ever stop looking? Is enough ever enough?

Recently I’ve become very content with my setup. There’s not much about it that bothers me. I’m thinking about my next upgrade, but it’s a big $$$ jump. And I’m not ready to spend that much. I feel I’ve summited in my price bracket. Will I ever stop? Probably, but not any time soon.

  1. How do you view this community/yourself? Are we all just riding the placebo effect of new stuff with small, if any, improvement to our previous setups? Is this practice wasteful(Who needs five+ pairs of headphones?)? Or is all this justifiable as the trail we walk in the search for audio bliss?

This is a community of hobbyists and aficionados. Like any hobby, if you go deep enough into it you see the subtle differences and enjoy those differences. Compare it to cigars or whiskeys. People who are into those hobbys can tell you more about tobacco variation and the influence of different types of woods on flavoring than you would ever want to know. But it’s their hobby, and they dive deep. Same with audio. We can talk all day about tube variation, power supply influence, signal chain purity, etc… outside of the hobby it lookse INSANE. Inside the hobby these are the subtle differences that keep us coming back for more. Is 5+ pairs of headphones too many? It depends on the listener, what they are looking for, and what differences they like to focus on. Just like cigar brands - is 5 different stogies in the humidor too many? It depends on the smoker.

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While I personally wouldn’t consider myself one, most people I know would, so I guess I am lol. The reason I don’t want to be considered one is because of all the salty people out there that have diluted the term and it now has a negative connotation imo, so I’d prefer to not have that attached. Also can’t say I enjoy being called a -phile anything lol.

In the past I just basically considered an audiophile as someone who was devoted to the enjoyment of high quality music reproduction, someone who was really devoted to hearing something in the best way they could possible, the way they enjoy it the most. It’s also something I think is 50% gear 50% music, the person has to enjoy both, and without one or the other, they just simply don’t get that much enjoyment, since let’s not kid ourselves on the fact that gear plays a large role in this outside of music, that being said though it’s interconnected and equally valuable, can’t have a good experience without either imo. Of course that’s my idealistic definition of the term, it’s not actually used this way lol

Basically ever since I can remember I’ve been in this community somewhat. The mass majority of my family and friends growing up have been a part of this community in some fashion, so I was exposed at a young age and have had this as my main hobby (can it be called a lifestyle?) 24/7. Been continuing since

For myself it really hasn’t changed, but that’s only because I haven’t done anything else so there isn’t much to change lol. Still devote most of my time listening to music and enjoying my systems, can’t think of many times I won’t be listening to music when I don’t have the time. Still focus most of my resources into the hobby as well, as I really do prioritize it more than I should (if I live cheaply in other aspects of my life, more money for audio lol)

I guess I can say that my music tastes have continued to grow, I would have expected I would have stopped liking some of the new genre and experimental stuff at this point and my music tastes would have solidified, but I’m surprised I continue to enjoy different things. At this point I pretty much listen to anything that catches my interest, regardless of genre/style or language (although I’m more likely to enjoy something if it’s in a language I can understand if it has vocals, but I’m not one for vocals or lyrics all that much so eh)

Honestly I just listen to what I find enjoyable, sometimes that’s realism, sometimes that’s a specific enjoyable coloration. Personally I don’t have a set target per se, and find a large range of signatures and sonic goals enjoyable and worthwhile, again as long as they are well executed. I don’t enjoy warm compressed mush, and I don’t enjoy sterile overanalytical garbage either, so I guess I don’t lean towards the extremes of the spectrum, but do like to play around on the various sides.

And regarding the technology and designs itself, I’m not opposed to nor favor specific type of tech, I don’t personally get wrapped up in how something works (nor feel one technology is overall superior to another), as it’s all in execution imo, and the final result is what matters. I’ve had expectations and biases about different types of tech before, and the mass majority of the time I have had them broken and things sound totally different than I had expected, so I just ignore that stuff now and try to listen with an open mind, as generalizations and blanket statements have really not done me any favors lol

Longer than I should have been lol, but still getting enjoyment from it, so I’m not going to stop anytime soon. I have no idea why I’m still here outside that. Ah I do enjoy just talking and chilling with people in the hobby, can be fun (or not at some times, but personally prefer to only take part in enjoyable conversations, not really here to start arguments)

I’m fairly satisfied with my current setups, but that doesn’t mean I am not willing to continue to explore and hear new things, it continues to give me perspective and refine my preferences further, and also show me what’s possible at the next level so I can compare if it’s really worthwhile to make the jump when the time comes (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t). It’s also enjoyable to hear new things regardless. I don’t think I will ever truly stop looking, but I have noticed that each year I get less and less interested in what comes out and tend to stick to what I still have (in specific spaces at least).

Slightly off topic but semi relevant, there is no such thing as diminishing returns most of the time imo, but there is a reasonable stopping point (to clarify yes if you have endless funds you can reach diminishing returns, but it’s so high up there the mass majority of people including myself will not reach it imo). So I’m basically continuing to push to reach that reasonable stopping point for me, and it depends on the person and changes all the time lol.

Even though I’ve spent a ton of time in this hobby, I still don’t feel like I really know much about it lol, so I’m typically down for trying new experiences to try and get a better grasp. Although sometimes I just realize trying to understand some topics are a fruitless effort so I go back to enjoying music lol.

Throughout the time that I have been apart of this hobby, I’ve found the majority of things aren’t placebo (don’t get me wrong it still exists though, but it’s way less common than people think), but that doesn’t mean all things make sense to pursue either, all depends there. Your skill as a listener and dedication to the hobby + your enjoyment of music will determine the amount of difference you hear as you move up, and you can decide for yourself where that reasonable stopping point is. For some people it’s up to the top, others find themselves satisfied right after they start out, all depends on the person and how much enjoyment they get out of this hobby.

Edit: sorry for the run-ons lol, let me fix that

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  1. Do you consider yourself an “Audiophile”, and how would you describe what an Audiophile is?

What’s in a name? To me the audiophile label is just that, and people can have a lot of differing reasons for answering the way they do. I love music and I’ve always enjoyed listening to music that elicited a sometimes visceral experience and at some point in my life I realized that better gear heightened that visceral experience.

  1. Whatever you want to call this community, what got you into it?

I have only come here seeking knowledge, one they would not teach me of in college. :wink: It’s a pretty straight forward answer, just being able to talk to people that enjoyed music, perhaps in that same visceral way that I do and talk shop about way to enhance the listening experiece.

  1. Since entering this literal money sink hole how has the way you experience/use music in your life changed?

It doesn’t have to be a money sink. I think the $ aspect is people chasing, but you can quote me here on various posts that a Bottle Head Crack w/Speedball, a Sennheiser HD600 and for a whopping $650 a lot of people would have be satisfied to end the spend there.

The change is simple, I listen to more music, more diverse music and find myself listening with more purpose and presence.

  1. What kind of “Audiophile” are you? Do you look for the most fun sound(tube amps, interesting tuning, etc…) or are you the type to want a very “sterile” sound(solid state amp, neutral tuning, etc…)? Or maybe you try both ends of the audio spectrum?

I said not to use that “audiophile” label on me! lol

I like whatever moves me, again the visceral experience, but I gravitate to staging and detail, voicing and timbre, where the stage almost becomes holographic IRL experience… a good recording on a good system, bliss.

  1. How long have you been part of this community, and why do you continue to take part in it?

About two years now I guess. Familiarity and forum friends. I think also a sense of wanting to pay it forward and share experiences with people as they begin their journey.

  1. Are you happy with your current setup and headphones, or are you still looking for something more? If you are still looking, do you think you’ll ever stop looking? Is enough ever enough?

I’ve been happy about a half dozen times along the way. There’s always more, but the question then becomes justifying the investment. But the joy of finding a sweet spot. Whether you spend $500 or $5000 or $50,000? That visceral joy doesn’t increase with more money, you just find different price points that elicit that visceral joy.

  1. How do you view this community/yourself? Are we all just riding the placebo effect of new stuff with small, if any, improvement to our previous setups? Is this practice wasteful(Who needs five+ pairs of headphones?)? Or is all this justifiable as the trail we walk in the search for audio bliss?

Everyone finds their own answers, and everyone’s experience will be different. So there is no right or wrong, only what you like and don’t like.

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Yes…Someone who loves music and enjoys listening to music played back in a way that makes them happy.

A love of music and the tech that goes along with it.

Pretty much the same tbh which has always been music first, yeah I’ve spent extra £ over the years when it’s been available, probably the biggest change for me is music streaming which I use 24/7 that’s opened up a whole new rabbit hole of stuff to checkout and revisit.

:man_shrugging: Just listen to stuff…sometimes fast 'n Loud, sometimes slow 'n quiet

“This community?” since pretty much day one…I’m a Mod slave so there’s no leaving lol.

Yeah it’s good like my relationship with my missus…very happy but I can always spoil her now and again :+1:

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I’ll answer your questions in more depth later, my schedule is a bit tight today. But…there is this thread:

which may be helpful. Also, if you’re reading this an never replied to that thread, please reply to that thread!

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It probably is the best term. I think the term applies to those music lovers who have also crossed over into the enthusiast/hobbyist side of electronic reproduction of music.

“Community” here could apply to being an audiophile or being active on HFGF, right? I answered how I got into the hobby in the thread I linked to above. I got on HFGF back in 2019. I watched Zeos a lot and also realized that I literally knew no one else who was into the hobby like I was. I also don’t get into social media very much. Truthfully, HFGF is the most invovled I’ve ever been in an online community by miles. I don’t have Twitter. I have a FB but average like 1 post per year, and basically just use it to see what my friends and family are doing with themselves these days. In 2019 HFGF was just starting and quite small. It was a less intimidating way to connect to some other audiophiles than a huge place like Head-Fi. So I jumped in. It’s been quite fun.

That’s tough for me to answer. If you read my post in the What Got You Into This Hobby? thread, I’ve been around music and audio my entire life. There isn’t a clear ‘before’ that I can compare to. I will say the last 4-ish years of rapidly climbing the ladder of quality audio reproduction though has been really exciting. I find myself gravitating more toward music listening in my free time than before. I used to be a heavy binge-watcher of Netflix or whatnot when I had free time. Now a much larger chunk of my free time is spent listening to music. I don’t not watch TV anymore, but definitely less by proportion. I have also expanded my music taste some as well. I didn’t listen to jazz much at all years ago, now I will occassionally sit down and listen to some.

A couple years ago John Darko did a video about being a music-first audiophile. I identify with that idea quite a bit. My first love is rock and many of its subgenres (classic rock, metal, prog, punk, just to name a few…). IMO, that type of music is complemented by a warmer, thicker, smoother, subtly detailed sound far more often than it isn’t. I also really like classical/orchestral music and find that it is complemented by a more neutral, quicker sound far more often than it isn’t. In either case I like great spatial performance, natural timbre, and a level of detail retrieval that resolves the things but doesn’t aggressively force those details on the listener. So, the type of sound I go for depends on the kind of music I’m listening to.

If ‘community’ refers to being an audiophile, then nearly 30 years. If ‘community’ refers to HFGF, 2 years. Although it was somewhere around late 2016/early 2017 that I really got into exploring audio gear as a hobby. That coincided with getting something resembling financial footing (which still wasn’t great at the time). I stick around because I enjoy it. It’s nice to have a ‘tribe’ for lack of better term. It’s really hard to interact with other audiophiles in the wild. And that was true before COVID.

The happiest I’ve been, yes. I still have a couple of ideas of some improvements I’d like to make or things I’d like to try. But I also don’t have a burning need to do them anytime soon.

No. Learning about how different brands do things and hearing how new tech is implemented is part of the fun now.

What is ‘enough’? Seems like a hard thing to nail down. For me the hobby isn’t about being flashy, materialistic, or keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak, it’s just about connecting to the music I love. I don’t know if “enough” is a relevant question in that pursuit. It’s more about balancing the pursuit with other responsibilities in life.

For the most part, no. Some differences can be placebo for a time. But I think to someone who really cares, pays attentions, and most importantly is honest with themselves, placebos will reveal themselves as just that. There are definite sonic differences in similarly-priced items and definite sonic improvements in higher-priced performance tiers as compared to lower-priced performance tiers. There are exceptions, but by-in-large you really do get what you pay for.

I think the “wasteful” question is a corolary to the “enough” question from earlier. Do some people waste their money on audio gear because they don’t know what they’re hearing beyond a certain point? Yes. Does that mean we all are? No. For many, $1000 seems like an exhorbitant amount of money to spend on a single piece of audio gear, and they may call doing so wasteful. But, somebody took the time to design that piece of gear. That somebody needs to eat. That somebody may very well have their own family to provide for. I also think our hobby gets criticized for being wasteful far sooner than most other hobbies. Why is spending $100k on a sports car seen as less wasteful than spending $10k on a pair of speakers? Having 5 pairs of shoes is not criticized for being wasteful nearly as often as having a nice Hi-Fi system is criticized. If you listen carefully, it also strikes me that people complain about being a serious video gamer as wasting one’s time but not necessarily wasting one’s money…and that’s a hobby that can be just as expensive as audio once you talk about gear and the cost of games. Maybe I’m biased, but that’s what it feels like anyway.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your project!

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Always happy to help with research, no matter at what level.

I guess yes, I am. Like M0N said, I understand the whole negativity associated with the term, to the point of people at my work citing it as something bad. But it’s an already widely used term and it seems pretty accurate to describe what I think of it.
As for what is an Audiophile for me: is someone who perceives music at multiple levels. We don’t just hear music from any source, in any way, in any transducer. I like to think audiophiles search for the feeling of hearing new things in music they already know like they’re rediscovering it all over again. But maybe that’s just me.

Don’t know if in English the origin is the same, but in Portuguese, the term apparently comes from the greek “Filos”, which means a form of “love”, from my understanding more on a fraternal type. So the “Audiófilo”, or Audiophile in Portuguese, is “the one that loves audio”.

Like many in this forum, reviewers got me into gear, and Zeos was one of them. That said, I actually saw first Joshua Valor, and he got me mesmerized at Headphones. I always loved music, had a Walkman as a kid, an iPod nano in my teens, and since early smartphones, I looked at ones I could hear music from. But never looked at it more than albums, singers, and tracks. But after some time looking at reviews and videos, in 2019 I decided to try experimenting with some gear (Tin T2 and later, AKG K712), and begin my sink into the rabbit hole. Still a long way to go in this journey, but I at least try to be more conscious and go as slow as I can.

I think a lot can be had with what I described early about how I experience music. Since getting better gear, I look more at other characteristics. If I know some detail in a song I’ve heard with my equipment, I will inevitably look for it no matter what I’m using to hear it. Also, some details like spatial presentation, instrument separation and positioning, and the loudness between them is a lot more prominent for me to hear now.

I don’t really know, this is something I’m still figuring out. My current amp is a more “transparent sound” one, so maybe I’m more on this side? I’m very tube curious, but so far my experience with it hasn’t been great. Granted, I still need to hear better amps.

I do know I don’t like aggressiveness in headphones too much I guess? At least so far these ones have been a big no-no for me.

Almost 2 years now? A little less maybe. I was originally a little intimidated in Head-fi and ASR, but I did find people in HFGF to be more receptive and helpful, and especially don’t just judge you for your choices, even if sometimes they don’t align. And although I think the forum has expanded and some conflicts may have brew, I would say still mostly people are very ok talking to each other here.

I’m very happy, but I do sometimes begin to dream about upgrades and “the next step”. I think is natural to look and be excited, especially for me as a general tech enthusiast. That said, I try to be conscious and not just buy on an impulse. I like to plan steps ahead, with some flexibility to change course if a good deal appears. Elegia was the case of unexpected purchase, and I couldn’t be happier.

And I guess I could end up being bored and stop, but right now I think this is not in the future. I’m trying to enjoy the ride as much as I can.

Now that’s a difficult one. As a scientist, I try as best as I can to stay objective and to avoid “perceived truths” and pseudo-sciences. That said, I have some complaints about the objectivist way of acting, especially with regards to headphones/speakers and how they just look at graphs and say “either fit this preference curve or it’s bad”. Human subjectivity and even perception of sound is still a field under a lot of research and with a lot of unknowns, so overall I’m still guided by some subjective opinion, even though I don’t completely dismiss graphs and measurements.

I myself changed a lot in the perception of audio gear, and I changed other people I’ve exposed to better gear too. Hearing an Amp for the first time was very much a “wow” experience and with less than $100 gear. One friend of mine was a fervent believer she would not feel any difference, and now she does and she’s excited at trying different stuff. Granted, none of them is in this sink like me, so they are still reluctant to spend too much money on it.

That’s kind of a guilty to me. I try to get used gear not only because is cheaper, but because it also kind of washes my guilt a little I guess. I know there is more at play, and only one person is meaningless in the whole context. But I don’t really like the industry tendency to launch something different every couple of months, especially with IEM companies. I feel like this generates a lot of waste, and we’re already past the point of just “trying” to reduce our footprint on the planet.

I also like that things are a lot more affordable now, or at least this seems to be my perception. This way, more people can get into the hobby and bring more opinions to the table. As someone from a developing country, I hate elitism and how a lot of people take HiFi as “oh yeah, you haven’t seen nothing until you get to the $1000 range”. You can share your experiences being nice and without diminishing other people’s experiences.

Sorry for the long post, hope this helps you out.

Edit: quote wasn’t working, I think it’s fine now.

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It’s somewhat similar for english, I just personally don’t like how it sounds, that’s basically it for me lol, otherwise yes it is a somewhat fitting term

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At the beginning when I just started in this hobby, I would definitely call myself as an audiophile, but then as I get in to the hobby more, I start to feel like the hobby is more gear centric rather than appreciating the music on its own. So because of that, I just tend to see myself as someone who enjoys a good sounding music. Well, in a literal term I would be an audiophile, but because of the community, I kinda try to not associate myself with that term. I hope it makes sense.

My journey started in 2014/2015 when I accidentally played a FLAC file on my Sony phone. At that time I have no idea about what a lossless music is or what a high fidelity music is. What I knew was that music is better to be downloaded rather than streamed. So how do I accidentally get the FLAC file? It was because of Adam Young. Around that year, he had a project where he would release a score every month and you can download the score from his website. At that time, all of his scores was released in mp3, except one score. At first I didn’t know it, but when the score comes up, I noticed a really significant improvement in quality and clarity of the music, and because of that, I googled what a FLAC file is and it got me in to this rabbit hole.

I think in term of experiencing the music, I definitely appreciate it even more than before, especially after I learned how to make use of spectogram to analyse a music file. In term of using the music, I’m still using it the same way I did like before. Nothing has changed in the way how I use the music.

Currently, I’ve reached the stage where what I care is how enjoyable the music is. I don’t really care whether it’s a tube amp or a delta sigma DAC or a R-2R or anything. I think whatever the designer decided to use, it all has to achieve the same goal, a music that the listener can enjoy, and because of the same reason, I despise companies that only strive to get measurement, rather than the enjoyable aspect of the music.

I think I’ve been in this community for about 5 years (around 6 months in HFGF). I kinda like the people in this community, although if you find yourself in the wrong one, it can get toxic really quickly. Other than liking the community, being here kinda makes me feels good about my GAS because I realised there are other people with worse GAS than I am. HAHAHA.

Yeah I’m happy with my setup, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped my journey in buying more product. I think being happy with my setup makes me not that critical and clingy to the gears that I buy. I don’t really feel bad if it doesn’t perform as good, but if it’s better then I would welcome it in my setup. Sometimes I would also buy products just for the sake of my curiosity.

I think eventually I will stop looking for something better, but I know that it is not anytime soon. I’ve made a plan for myself so that I would get the end game when I’ve reached my retirement. I think there’s a joy on its own in acquiring new product and trying what the new releases has to over, and for me it’s a part of the experience.

For this question, I’ll answer it one by one.

In terms of the audiophile community in general, it’s kinda toxic, especially everytime there’s a new controversy such as the recent MQA stuff or a new banger product like the GL2000 (or any hypetrain). I think it’s easy to be toxic in this hobby partly because the thing that we enjoy here is a qualitative thing. In my other hobby such as leathercrafting and blacksmithing, if you claim something to be true, it’s really easy to check because those hobbies has a physical product that we can see whether something is working or not, but in this hobby, it’s all so vague sometimes. We can’t know for sure if the person ranting about the product knows for sure what they’re talking about. In blacksmithing, if someone trying to be a smartass, then we can see how his handcrafting comes out and so everyone is held accountable to their claims, but in this hobby everyone can simply say I have the golden ears and you don’t or I got more experience than you and that immediately makes their statement true. There has to be some way to make people in this hobby held accountable to their statement.

But for HFGF, I really like it. I think most people here are really chill and open-minded. I can see myself staying here for a long time.

I think it’s a yes and no. It’s kinda frustrating sometimes because it’s all a qualitative thing that we seek for in this hobby.

I think with more experience and exposure to more product AND learning what to listen for, someone can prevent that placebo effect.

I think if the aim of the person is to understand more about the hobby and find the perfect one for themselves, it’s justifiable. But if the person only wants to hear something good and don’t have any interest in getting the bliss, then it’s not justifiable. Just get something you like and end it.

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1. Do you consider yourself an “Audiophile”, and how would you describe what an Audiophile is?
I’ve always thought Audiophile is such a snobby term tbh. I always imagine a plump boomer surrounded by a million dollar system (no offense to the plump boomers out there). I like the term audio enthusiast. What separates this community from music lovers, is that we also care about how the music is presented. I imagine the two as a venn diagram, where I would hope most ‘audiophiles’ are in the middle. There are those however, who do solely listen to their system rather than the music which is a bit saddening.

2. Whatever you want to call this community, what got you into it?
My dad was a sound technician and huge dead head. I’ve always been surrounded by quality systems (though not expensive) and lots of music. When I finally started earning money, I invested in a nice headphone system and last year got a speaker system. I simply fell in love with hearing my music so lively and punchy and I love experiencing new or old music with my dad. It makes up a bit for all the past concerts I wasn’t able to see.

3. Since entering this literal money sink hole how has the way you experience/use music in your life changed?
I wouldn’t say I have fallen down the sink hole yet. I also don’t think I will to be honest. I am easily satisfied with my budget system and the expensive systems I have heard haven’t been life changing. Maybe I am not a good listener, but hey it saves me a lot of money haha. One thing I will say, is that once you upgrade the initial time, music opens up so much more. The exponential detail gain and bass response that you get with a budget system is awe-inspiring. Most people haven’t truly experienced bass (not necessarily good bass). Plus the hobby kind of guilts me into listening to more music to justify my purchases which is a boon in my book.

4. What kind of “Audiophile” are you? Do you look for the most fun sound(tube amps, interesting tuning, etc…) or are you the type to want a very “sterile” sound(solid state amp, neutral tuning, etc…)? Or maybe you try both ends of the audio spectrum?
I have been experimenting with eq’ing just for this reason. I like versatility in my audio. Bass boosting for the hell of it, or maybe a midrange hump during a moody jazz album. One thing I never do however, is increase treble. Treble sensitive or not, I can’t stand bright sound or any sibilance. Ruins the experience for me. Warm and dark are my go-to sound signatures.

5. How long have you been part of this community, and why do you continue to take part in it?
I got my first system in 2015, so around 6 years now. I go long periods of time between upgrades, but I like to stay up to date with the latest releases sheerly for the hell of it. Audio stuff is very fun to think about, even if not all of it would provide the ‘night-and-day’ changes people talk about (at least in my experience so far). I like the technical aspect a lot and have always been a bit of a gear head or collector.

6. Are you happy with your current setup and headphones, or are you still looking for something more? If you are still looking, do you think you’ll ever stop looking? Is enough ever enough?
I don’t think there is a full stop end in any hobby, however I definitely think there will be a 90% finishing point for me. Once I have disposable income, I will probably invest in a nice system and then just enjoy it. Little upgrades here and there would most likely occur, but like I said previously I am easily satisfied for the most part. As of right now, I am very happy with what I have put together for the price point. I know the flaws of my system, but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying music and I know it’s better than most of my neighbours. I will say enough is enough at a point though. On the expensive dacs and amps I have heard, the change is so minimal for the cost. The only thing that really makes a difference in my experience is the room and the speakers (and eq obviously).

7. How do you view this community/yourself? Are we all just riding the placebo effect of new stuff with small, if any, improvement to our previous setups? Is this practice wasteful(Who needs five+ pairs of headphones?)? Or is all this justifiable as the trail we walk in the search for audio bliss?
Change is minimal at a price point. I am very wary of people who claim ‘night-and-day’ differences or other exaggeratory shit. It gets tiring hearing how HUGE the change is from (insert old gear) to (insert new more expensive gear). I think a lot of it is delusion, which I am not going to judge. If you want to spend thousands chasing the dragon, go for it. I just hope people aren’t being irresponsible with their budgets. I have five? pairs of headphones, which I kick myself for. I really don’t think it is necessary in my case, but they are remnants of my upgrade path. They do all have different purposes which makes me feel better: IEM, noise canceling, open-back, closed-back, lightweight and cheap (Koss ftw). I think that as long as they each get use time, then it isn’t wasteful. One final note on the community, I wish people were a bit more fun. A recurring theme of audio forums, discords, youtube comments, ect is that everyone is so defensive or quick to anger/fragile. I don’t know, maybe it is my background in more light discussion boards, but I wish people would be more open to mess around with or joke about how silly this whole thing is. We are a bunch of people who have to collect expensive black boxes in order to enjoy music. When you look at it like that, it is silly.

Hope you do well on your project!

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