audiophile

American  

[aw-dee-uh-fahyl] / ˈɔ di əˌfaɪl /

noun

1. a person who is especially interested in high-fidelity sound reproduction.

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audiophile British  

/ ˈɔːdɪəʊˌfaɪl /

noun

1. a person who has a great interest in high-fidelity sound reproduction

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Usage

What is an audiophile? An audiophile is a person who is interested in high-fidelity sound—that is, sound that’s recorded or reproduced with very little distortion from the original. High-fidelity sound is sound reproduced in a way that closely follows the original as much as possible. Audiophiles are professionals or enthusiasts who enjoy high-fidelity sound recordings, whether they’re producing the recordings or just listening to them. Audiophiles often have a strong knowledge of how sound is recorded or played back. They likely have an understanding of speakers, headphones, microphones, audio converters, and other sound equipment. Audiophiles are often technology enthusiasts and may make a hobby out of fine-tuning their systems in order to get the best sound quality for the least hassle.Audiophiles may be interested in music, voice acting, film, environmental sounds, or any other type of sound that can be recorded and played back. Interests can be as varied as audiophiles themselves.Example: Opal was a bit of an audiophile and helped me set up a fantastic sound system for my house.

Etymology

Origin of audiophile

First recorded in 1950–55; audio- + -phile

Example Sentences

Jr. Market — whose name is inspired by Japanese convenience stores known as “junior markets” — isn’t trying to appeal to audiophiles though Richardson does stock studio-quality recording decks.

From Los Angeles Times