Stop what you are doing and pay attention. Have you noticed that the conversations around audio are growing? There are more audiophile people than there have ever been. Everythjng from Bluetooth to IEMs are on the table. Everyone from men and women, young and old are all a part of this. Forums are full of thousands of people going back and forth over the ends and out of the audio community. We have those who are tourists and those who are purist. But what is an Audiophile?
And based on that simple definition we already are at war. Some that call themselves purists don’t like tourists. Some that have Bluetooth are outcasted by those that only listen to wired IEMs and Headphones. And then you have the war of the $. Those who spend their hundreds VS those that spend in the mid to upper 10 of thousands on their set up. Some who use EQ and those who refuse to. Those that seek even 1% difference justify to themselves why they have to go get yet another DAC, DAP, or IEM. And all of them are fighting over the right to be called and justified as a true Audiophile in others minds. It’s not good enough to be this just in their minds, they have to have the approval and justification from others that what they have is worthy and actually solidifies them as a true audiophile.
Then we have the forum wars. It never fails that someone will finally find something that they are happy with and is at the end of their searches. They call this the Endgame. Once they find this, their search is supposed to be over. But most of the time, it’s just a stop gap for the addict. But when it’s believable, what follows isn’t supported. It’s a form of hate or encouragement for them to go out and buy what someone else has. All of sudden what was supposed to be a celebration turns into a game of “show and tale” of others claiming what they have is better and that the person that is happy just doesn’t understand how useless their choices are in what makes them happy. Very few are just happy for the person because to accept his or her happiness means to them somehow that what he has is somehow better than theirs or a challenge to what makes them happy.
The saddest part to this Audiophile stuff is that it’s 80% or more about Subjectivity. There is no real absolute truth for the majority of the issues this topic brings up in people. They will all quote that this is subjective but they don’t act like it. And no matter how nice a person is about things or how many times they bring up that this is just their own personal love or subjective thought. They will be attacked for it.
So yes this is why next to Religion and Politics listed as the topics you want to avoid, you better add “Audio” because it’s ugly out there. And God help you if you find your endgame or express appreciation into something that isn’t equal to someone else’s belief in their perfect IEMs or Headphones. You’ll be lucky if you aren’t completely trashed for having an opinion. And I guess my only question is why? Why let something like audio divide us and cause us to fight or argue when we claim to already know it’s subjective? Life is too short to waste time like that. I refuse to allow that to kill relationships or friendship. I refuse to allow my happiness to play out through someone else’s approval.
I think it’s just time to leave this Audiophile life behind. I didn’t get into this to find chaos. I sought to experience peace and connection in the one subject that has meant more to me than most things this society and structure of this life has brought to me. I don’t fit in this world and I don’t think like others. I’m already an enemy the moment I mention my faith. I’m not willing to add more hate or chaos for something as simple as a headphone or IEM that I find joy in.
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