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General Asylum: That is missing the point... by jamesgarvin

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That is missing the point...

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Certainly the sound can detract from the live music event. Or it can make it more pleasurable. And the sound can detract from the recorded event. Or it can make it more pleasurable. The point is that a music lover listens beyond the sound, and appreciates the music on its own terms, regardless of the sound. The music loving audiophile may notice the sound, but listens anyway because the music is worth it, and they allow their souls to be moved. For example, audiophiles who listen in the car, and attend live music events, and perhaps even on a clock radio. They are still audiophiles. And they are music lovers. Then there are the audiophiles who cannot listen to a music performance unless it sounds right to them. Or they only purchase music that accentuates the positives of their systems.

How to characterize someone who only listens to music on a high end audio system, who refuses to actually experience live music either because of laziness or because they don't like the sound of a venue? They can call themselves whatever they want. I simply don't believe someone who listens to music only on a high end audio system and does not listen to music anywhere else and does not attend live music events because the 'sound' is not up to par is truly a music lover. They are a sound lover.

It is sort of like calling yourself a good citizen because you watch MSNBC or Foxnews, except you can't take the time to vote.

I suspect you believe audiophiles are automatically music lovers. My point was they are not automatically music lovers. Listening to music does not automatically qualify someone as a music lover. They are audiophiles because they own the equipment. Really, all it takes to be an audiophile is to write checks, or flash plastic. That requires little effort. The heavy lifting is actually immersing yourself in music.

We can all appreciate better sound. I think your opera example is a little misleading. I suspect you are not a fan of the opera. Consequently, for you, the sound was more important than the content. On the other hand, I suspect there were a great many opera fans there that evening who were moved, sound be damned. I read that Avery Fisher Hall is a terrible acoustic - yet it regularly fills up.

And that is the crux of the matter. I think you can group listeners into three catagories. Are you into sound? Music? Or both? (1) The music (genre dependent, of course) moves the music lover, who cares not a whit what it sounded like. (2) The sounds move the non-music loving audiophile, who is focused more on the sounds than the music, and will not listen to a recording because it lacks or has something objectionable. (3) And then there is the audiophile who, after listening to a record or live music event, would say "I loved the music and had a great time, but I wish it were just a little ......," or had "a little less less....." or "it sounded really crappy, but man, they did some great things up on that stage. I am impressed." The music loving audiophile appreciates the sounds, but ultimately judges the music on its own terms.

My point is that there are many audiophiles who are also music lovers, but not necessarily. It takes more than buying square boxes and having electricity to be a music lover. For me, personally, I find it difficult to call someone a music lover who does not attend live music events. You've heard the saying "actions speak louder than words?"


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Topic - Audiophile vs Music Lover --What's the Difference? - thetubeguy1954 04:12:17 01/24/12 ( 102)