Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A person having an ardent interest in stereo or high-fidelity sound reproduction.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person with an interest in high fidelity sound reproduction and its associated technology.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

audio +‎ -phile

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word audiophile.

Examples

  • Like or not, the term audiophile is associated people who spend $500 on a 6' Dennon ethernet cable expressly for digital music and helpfully labeled so it's installed in the correct direction.

    Boing Boing Rob Beschizza 2011

  • Like or not, the term audiophile is associated people who spend $500 on a 6' Dennon ethernet cable expressly for digital music and helpfully labeled so it's installed in the correct direction.

    Boing Boing Rob Beschizza 2011

  • If you're into audio recordings (which I am, since I'm prone to huge car drives), an invaluable tool in the arsenal of any audiophile is Audible. com.

    The Greats of Spoken Word 2004

  • Unless you’re engaged in audiophile-grade recording, any general-purpose preamp should be adequate.

    Apple question « BuzzMachine 2005

  • The headphones could be described as audiophile grade for sure by most users.

    SlashGear 2010

  • Generally speaking the listening to so-called audiophile recordings irrespective of their inscription format is predicated on the listener's aural perception; to wit, a good ear is a must, and good judgment a necessary requirement.

    Audiophile Audition Headlines 2009

  • You got these so called audiophile lossless albums recorded in 1970 or something with a DIY microphone build in a garage.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2009

  • In the case of 'classical,' the dynamic range and various orchestral - and human - voices require engineering that would blow most "audiophile" pop releases out of the water.

    Archive 2008-08-01 Patrick J. Smith 2008

  • In other words, the baseline sound for 'classical' releases is very good, but "audiophile" recordings are more of a mixed bag.

    High fidelity recordings (if it's 1957) Patrick J. Smith 2008

  • In the case of 'classical,' the dynamic range and various orchestral - and human - voices require engineering that would blow most "audiophile" pop releases out of the water.

    High fidelity recordings (if it's 1957) Patrick J. Smith 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • It is apparently derived from audio, meaning electronic/mechanical reproduction of sound, and the Greek phile, meaning lover.

    June 26, 2009