An audiophile is a
state of mind. Quite opposite to many peoples predilections that audiophiles are
egotistical eccentrics with a lot of money to blow on equipment, an audiophile is just someone who is really into sound.
Not to be condescending, but most people will never understand what makes an audiophile an audiophile because they'll forever be content with mass-market japanese consumer crap sound systems that focus on colored lights over actual quality. And that is fine, if that's your thing. But to say audiophiles are merely gadget freaks is just plain silly. While people may like to brag about their system, it is something that they've, most probably, spent a lot of time and money on perfecting. It is no wonder they are proud.
And that's really the goal of an audiophile: perfection. While this involves a high degree of personal preference (e.g.
vinyl vs. CD's, etc.), an audiophile will try to create for themselves the best music or sound experience possible.
Some say that until the introduction of two-channel stereo sound, there were no audiophiles. But I disagree. Being an audiophile means that one is especially geared towards sound in it's purity. And sound is a cosmic entity, a child of the vibratory forces that permeate our universe, providing structure to it. There are all kinds of theories about various frequencies that incarnate the divine, etc., and it's hard to dispute the fact that sound can be pleasant. An audiophile is just in a state of mind that is deeply in touch with the pleasantries of sound, explicitly spiritual or not.
While the very term connotes some kind of affliction, it is a positive one in the least. Well, except being one can be hard on the wallet. There is a stereotype that says audiophiles are either filthy rich, or single, and always male. But an audiophile can be anyone.