I'm Not an Audiophile - 9 Reasons Why

Reasons:
1 - I'm rational. This may sound insulting, but if you are totally honest about being an audiophile, it includes a lot of mystical thinking and taking things as facts when there's no evidence to back up the claims. Long and short of it is I don't believe in magic and I also know how prone most people are to self deception.
2 - No vinyl. I had records when I was a kid, because that (and 8 tracks) were all there were available. Then I owned a lot of cassettes. Then I started buying CD's and still buy CD's today, because I can rip them and put the music files onto my computer.
For me it's all about enjoying the music and not the ritual of messing around with antique media. Having all of my music on a computer is convenient and I can listen for hours without leaving my chair.
3 - Digital vs analog. It's been proven that digital is superior. It has greater resolution, dynamic range and lower noise than analog media. With digital you are listening to the music instead of listening to the music plus whatever other stuff the analog gear adds to it. Did you know that vinyl recordings are equalized? Most real audiophiles shun equalization but have no qualms at all about the one that's in their phono stage. How accurate is it?
4 - Compressed audio. I've tried to hear a difference between a compressed and uncompressed files and couldn't. Granted, my hearing isn't golden, but I've seen similar tests taken by young people who have excellent hearing and they had difficulty discerning a difference.
And a difference is just that - a difference. Is one clearly better? If you think it must sound better because it has more information (bigger file), then why do you so enjoy your vinyl records? In reality, records are a form of compression.
5 - "Entry level" amps. I've built amplifiers and I know how they work. They are supposed to provide a louder version of what they are fed, without changing it significantly. So all competently made amplifiers will "sound" exactly the same, unless they are distorting (equalizing) the music in some way.
If you want an amp that equalizes the music you are listening to, why not just buy a cheaper (but perfectly accurate) amp and use an equalizer? Be honest about it!
6 - DSP. Digital signal processing. This goes back to the analog vs digital debate and is pretty much self explanatory from an audiophile perspective.
7 - No tube equipment. Again, an antique technology that really should have died out many years ago. Modern solid state can do everything and can even be made to sound identical to the distortion mills that tube amps are. Once more, if you want to EQ your music why not just be honest about it and get a good quality equalizer and do it. Better yet, use DSP.
8 - Cables and interconnects. If they are making a real difference that you can hear, then they are actually degrading the signal. And that includes audiophile quality power cords as well.
9 - Room treatment. Some audiophiles are slowly coming around to the reality that the single biggest factor that affects what we hear (other than our ears / brain) is the room. Room treatment has been showing up over the last few years in rooms where it never was before. And that's a good thing.
Most are still not convinced and will spend thousands (seriously!) on a new power cord or ridiculous power conditioner while listening in what amounts to an echo chamber.
When your room is untreated, half (or more) of what you are hearing is the room. Better speakers, gear and cabling won't fix that, only properly done room treatment will.
And the best part is it allows you to endlessly tinker, if you are so inclined. You can add as much or as little as you like to "tune" the room to sound the way you want it to.

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