Audiophile

Reading Time: 9 minutes It has become a somewhat common trend to try and eliminate a stereo preamp, particularly in digital-only systems. Connecting an amplifier directly to an audiophile DAC, to some, saves money on component costs, cable costs, and, theoretically, provides a shorter signal path. For any system with more than one meaningful source, though, a preamp is a requirement. Read More

Audiophile values may be applied at all stages of music reproduction: the initial audio recording, the production process, and the playback, usually in a home setting. In general, the values of an audiophile are seen to be antithetical to the growing popularity of more convenient but lower-quality music, especially lossy digital file types like MP3, lower-definition streaming services, and low-cost headphones.[4]

Audiophile

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The term high-end audio refers to playback equipment used by audiophiles, which may be bought at specialist shops and websites.[5] High-end components include turntables, digital-to-analog converters, equalization devices, preamplifiers and amplifiers (both solid-state and vacuum tube), loudspeakers (including horn, electrostatic and magnetostatic speakers), power conditioners, subwoofers, headphones, and acoustic room treatment in addition to room correction devices.[6][7]

Although many audiophile techniques are based on objective criteria that can be verified using techniques like ABX testing, perceived sound quality is necessarily subjective, often with subtle differences, leading to some more controversial audiophile techniques being based on pseudoscientific principles.[8][9]

A preamplifier selects among several audio inputs, amplifies source-level signals (such as those from a turntable), and allows the listener to adjust the sound with volume and tone controls. Many audiophile-oriented preamplifiers lack tone controls. A power amplifier takes the "line-level" audio signal from the preamplifier and drives the loudspeakers. An integrated amplifier combines the functions of power amplification with input switching and volume and tone control. Both pre/power combinations and integrated amplifiers are widely used by audiophiles.

Headphones are regularly used by audiophiles. These products can be remarkably expensive, some over $10,000,[17] but in general are much cheaper than comparable speaker systems. They have the advantage of not requiring room treatment and being usable without requiring others to listen at the same time. However, many audiophiles still prefer speaker systems over headphones due to their ability to simulate an immersive, rounded sonic environment. Newer canalphones can be driven by the less powerful outputs found on portable music players.

The audiophile community is scattered across many different platforms and communication methods. In person, one can find audiophiles at audio-related events such as music festivals, theaters, and concerts. The online audiophile community is even more widespread, with users on web forums and apps such as Facebook, Reddit, and others. These groups are self-identified audiophiles and will often contribute to their communities by mentoring new audiophiles, posting their current audio configurations, and sharing news related to the audiophile community.

Among the listeners themselves, audiophiles will commonly differentiate community members between "golden eared" and "wooden eared" individuals.[25] Those who are deemed as having "golden ears" are people who can accurately express the description of a sound or sonic environment, whereas those with "wooden ears" are implied to be untrained in listening and needing more guidance or assistance. These labels are not permanent, however, and people within these two groups can move between the groups interchangeably, often depending on the judgement of others within the community.

There is substantial controversy on the subject of audiophile components; many have asserted that the occasionally high cost produces no measurable improvement in audio reproduction.[26] For example, skeptic James Randi, through his foundation One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, offered a prize of $1 million to anyone able to demonstrate that $7,250 audio cables "are any better than ordinary audio cables".[27] In 2008, audio reviewer Michael Fremer attempted to claim the prize, and said that Randi declined the challenge.[28] Randi said that the cable manufacturer Pear Cables was the one who withdrew.[29]

I put the HomePod through an extensive listening test of my favorite music and typical audiophile music. In the rare instance, both of these categories (favorite and audiophile) contain the same music, but that's like a total solar eclipse, it doesn't happen frequently.

Let's start with a song that leans much more toward the audiophile end of the continuum, but is a very nice song nonetheless. Randi Tytingvag's Red or Dead from her album Red is a track I use frequently when reviewing HiFi gear. Through my reference HiFi system Randi's vocal sounds very crisp and piercing at times. Jens Fossum's double bass lays a great foundation throughout the track. This bass sounds like it has the correct number of strings, four, because it indeed has four strings. Other very distinct instruments such as the rebab and Glockenspiel can be heard filling in throughout the track. All of the instruments including Randi's voice are a bit sterile because they seem to exist on their own, rather than as instruments played by a group of musicians in a room. I'd be very surprised if this album was recorded with all the musicians sitting in a room. That's neither here nor there for this review. The sterility of the track can help one evaluate some aspects of HiFi equipment because it's very easy to listen for a single instrument and compare it to one's reference.

The HomePod shouldn't come close to my reference system, and it doesn't. Let's not kid ourselves. Apple has more money than some countries and has hired very smart engineers, but it can't change the laws of physics. Starting with the impressive aspects of the HomePod playing Red or Dead, Randi's vocal is crisp and clear, but has a very slight soft edge. The very fine details for which audiophiles frequently listen aren't nearly as audible through the HomePod as they are through a true HiFi system. The HomePod has a very nice sound that will likely please most listeners without causing fatigue on tracks like Red or Dead. If I was unaware of the true sound of this track, I'd think the HomePod had done a pretty good job reproducing the vocal portion.

Switching to Eddie Vedder's track Society from the Into The Wild soundtrack, I heard what could be the worst sound from the HomePod that I've yet experienced. I can handle exaggerated bass and highs that are a bit soft, but this track had a haze over the entire thing. Even worse, it sounded like Eddie's vocal was emanating from a box in front of me (or should I say Pod in front of me). I've heard this track sound fabulous on many HiFi system over the years. In fact, I remember listening to it with an engineer who worked on Pearl Jam's tours through a Focal / Micromega system. He loved the sound as much as I did and though it was incredibly accurate. Sure that system was thousands of dollars more than the HomePod, but people are calling this Pod an audiophile product and saying it may get more listeners into HiFi once again. With this in mind, I have to at least set a bar for what high end sound is like. And, the HomePod was nowhere near any of the HiFi system on which I've heard this song. Closed-in with a jumbled mess of sounds and a haze over the top is how I'd describe this track through the HomePod.

I switched back to music to write a little bit more about the HomePod sound for this review, but really don't have anything new to report. I put on Natalie Merchant's Tigerlily album, playing the track San Andreas Fault. Good vocals, to a certain extent, but also a little veiled with haze and boxiness. Then the boom. It's like a broken record with the HomePod. Sure, I'm likely being a bit tough on this speaker, but I'm human and it's hard to ignore all the hysteria calling this thing the second coming of the audiophile and the last speaker anyone will ever own.

My main speakers are Kef LS50W and I welcome moving on from the traditional audiophile setups. I think a lot of audiophiles are enraged by the HomePod because they don't feel special anymore knowing all the arcana. Or because it's from Apple. Or because it's new. Get off my lawn is pretty prevalent in this hobby.

Apple isn't marketing this as an "audiophile" product. They are marketing it as a high quality home speaker. And then you listed the "reference" speakers you would compare it to...the TAD Compact reference One CR1 which a pair cost more than all of the equipment in my three different music rooms put together. Not exactly a fair fight or an appropriate comparison. A better tactic would have been just to compare it to the Klipsch The Three which makes more sense for this audience and is a product most major publications aren't comparing it to.

Finally, Apple does has experience delivering high quality sound to their products over several years. Remember the iPod Hifi? Steve Jobs himself introduced that over a decade ago to do better than the boomboxes of the day or more expensive Bose systems. And there have been other examples over the years. Again, they aren't looking to be an audiophile product, but a product with higher quality than the competition. Did they succeed here from a sound standpoint? The jury is out but most reviewers say yes. e24fc04721