On a Scale of One to Ten, How big of an Audiophile Would You Say You Are?

[QuiteAlright]

I'm like a 3... there's always reviews on amazon or some site that are like "ONE STAR FOR SOUND QUALITY - POOR REMASTERING". Then i get the album and find no problem with its sound... I do love me the occasional vinyl gift however.

BQ: Favorite 2 Rick Rubin produced albums?

[killerpeaches]

Sadly... a pretty big one.

I have super sensitive hearing, so little things like compression bug the crap out of me. It's why I don't like mp3's at all. Sugaree told me about flac files, though and I plan to check them out. Might make digital music listenable finally.

I would say I am at least an 8.5 -9 on the scale. Part of it I believe is due to my having aspergers..not only am I more sensitive to sound, but I am very obsessive by nature, and music is one of the things I obsess on most, in case some of my answers didn't make that apparent.

mind you, I am not saying that autism makes one a better music critic, but that it is documented that many aspies, like myself have very heightened sensory perception, and poor ability to filter out what we see, smell, hear, taste and feel. I can't have tags in my clothes, am super picky about foods, and can't stand to be near a lot of people because even after a shower, they smell. (sorry if I offend)

But, likewise, I hear most of the background noises, dynamic compression and stripping, and the average youtube is earrape. the hissing garbage in the background is horrid. *shrugs*

Not much I can do about it though, except put it to good use, and since I love music, it does serve a purpose, at least.

In truth, I would prefer not to be one. I think of those people who are cheap drunks, or who can eat McDonalds and Hearty Man meals, and how much easier it is for them to go through life. Cheaper too. If I could be less picky about music, and still be satisfied, it would open up all kinds of possibilities.

BQ-
Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
Dixie Chicks – Taking the Long Way

of course..I actually prefer Bob Rock as an actual mixer. Whatever people wanna say about Rob Rock era Metallica, one thign they cannot due is argue with the sound quality. Compare that to the overcompressed crap on Death Magnetic (a Rick Rubin album) and it becomes obvious.

***@Jimmy Jazz.. I would concur wit the crappy speakers and also add to it Ipods and earbuds. An Ipod in itself is useful, but have never seen or heard a decent sounding set of earbuds, no matter how expensive.

But then, I have a Bose sound system for my computer, and my home system is built around a pair of 50 year old Altec Lansing A7 theater speakers I inherited from my grandpa. Oh the lovely sound they make.

[JimmyJazz]

Ahhhhhh, those reviews on Amazon are the worst, I'm always torn between

it must sound terrible, there must be that constant background sound that old albums sometimes get when you turn them up loud,
or
maybe this guy has super hearing and I will totally never notice.

I would say I'm about where you are, a 3. The whole vinyl vs CD debate eludes me. Mostly I think people just have crappy internal speakers on their laptops which is where people seem to play music these days.

Raising Hell - Run-DMC
Seasons In The Abyss - Slayer

[SexyTuba]

I spend lots of money on headphones but I really don't care that much about the format of the music as long as it sounds good to my ears.

Maybe 4

[Rejoicearejoice]

not too big. I'd like a nicer system, but I just don't have the money to afford it right now. I'd rather have stuff to listen to than a beautiful system and one pristine recording to listen to. I keep my files (ideally; this is not always possible) at 256kbps or higher, usually AAC, but I am considering making the transition to lossless.

as for the recording quality, it really depends on the music. Some benefits from cleaner recording, some benefits from having some grit to it. barring really low budget basement recordings or purposely raw black metal, recordings will always be far cleaner than anything that you'd hear live anyway, so I don't make a huge deal out of it.

[ShotGun]

Two, three at the most. That probably has a lot to do with liking a lot of music from a time when recording technology was much cruder than it is today.

[WeKeptDancing]

Definitely not higher than 2

[Lindsey]

It doesn't matter much to me since I do enjoy lo-fi (i guess this doesn't really apply here but oh well)
uh, well i mean, if it's new music i do enjoy that crisp sound. i have a few albums that are a little screwy, but it kinda adds character i suppose.

i do listen to detail of songs with my headphones, but for the most part, it is fine by me. as long as it's not REALLY taking away from the music. so i guess i'm about a three too

BQ: Blood Sugar Sex Magik and uh.. just any RHCP albums he's produced i can't think of any other bands he's produced besides metallica :x haha

[dukenukem]

1
BQ: Reign In Blood & World Painted Blood

[Erik]

I might be a 4

Right now I'm listening to Suffocation's (first run through of their discography) Breeding The Spawn and the album is said to suffer from poor production. This is true as the production isn't too great, but the production's lessening of the emphasis on the instruments at times gives the album a really smooth feel