Shattering audiophile stereotypes

Audiophile gear is always really expensive.

Not true. While there's no shortage of stupid expensive audio toys, there's lots of affordable stuff too, such as Rotel's beautifully built RA 1062 integrated amplifier ($699).

(Credit: Rotel)

Audiophiles rarely embrace new technology.

Guilty, with an explanation. Audiophiles don't jump on every new tech gizmo that comes down the pike, so we steered clear of iPods for the longest time. But now that we can get uncompressed digital directly out of the little buggers with devices like Wadia's 170iTransport, audiophiles are getting with the program. We were just waiting for them to sound decent.

All audiophiles are really old.

You got me, there are very few under 40 'philes, and I wish I knew why. That certainly wasn't true when I was in my early 20s. Please don't write and whine that younger people can't afford the good stuff. Good stuff was always expensive, but if you really wanted it, you found a way to buy some. Second hand high-end gear is a good way to get in.

Audiophiles are all anti-digital.

No way. Sure, there's a lot of hard-core vinyl junkies reveling in analog bliss, but at least three or four times as many audiophiles are into digital and steer clear of vinyl. Most stick with CD and some mix CD and SACD/DVD-Audio discs into their collections. Some go both ways, and savor the best of analog and digital.

Audiophiles are weird.

True, but no weirder than guys who obsess about watches, cars, baseball cards, or boats. Audiophiles have a passion for sound and music. Is that such a bad thing?