Pity the audiophile. The term should be an aural counterpart to “cinephile”—as that word means a person who greatly appreciates movies, so “audiophile” should refer to a person who pursues a pure music listening experience. “Audiophile” should properly refer to someone who appreciates listening to music as it was recorded and who isn’t afraid of paying extra for high-quality equipment to chase after a “live” sound. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. “Audiophile” has become synonymous with “person who spends hundreds of dollars on magic rocks.” MORE@ArsTechnica
