So did mine, and the only time ever saw him play a record, it was to show off the equipment. I’ve got it all now, and I play the hell out of it!
Slight hijack: I knew a guy who had a $1000 CD player and fancy speakers, Hi-Zoot Tube amp, turn-table and lots of vinyl. You know what he used to play music? His phone and one of those cheap-ass battery operated bluetooth speaker. 
Ever hear a polka on Klipsh Heresy?
I have. I’m pretty sure it was a Lawrence Welk album.
I was working at an older couples home. They had quite an audio set up. I remember the Integrated Crown Amp with a turntable and reel to reel deck. My eyes bugged out after noticing the Klipsh speakers.
The had several shelfs packed with tapes and albums. I’d assume there were a lot of Broadway shows I didn’t look.
People have forgotten that serious music lovers was purchased on reel to reel. No clicks from the needle
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You could alternate this with John Cage, to appreciate how few crackles and pops there are. (In fact, you’d think maybe Cage would also have a written a piece for white noise, or cello and white noise or something, but I can’t track anything down.)
Everybody knows audiophiles prefer pink noise.
Truly enlightened audiophiles play noise from all cultures.
Yeah, audiophiles listen to whatever music they love.
It used to be older men that liked big band, Sinatra and Jazz.
Today it might be a 40 year-old reliving their love affair with Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
I always prioritized owning a good system that was also affordable. I didn’t have the money for high end.
Jazz and captain beefheart. At least thats what I’ve seen from the handful of audiophiles I know.
Yeah, a lot of my favorite music does not deserve expensive audio equipment… Seattle grunge bands, midwest garage bands, weird foreign what-the-hell-is-that-instrument? music…
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I forgot about that! A big part of getting together with high school friends was taking a new LP over to their house, one you were sure they’d love but hadn’t heard yet.
But we couldn’t do that when we played Risk™ at Billy’s house… his awesome basement audio system was reel-to-reel only. And sounded beautiful… we first heard Abbey Road there, with no need to turn the album over.
Same here with the audiophiles I know. Lotsa Floyd.
Recorded.
Audiophiles listen to recorded music.
Fans of Bill Nelson are partial to Red Noise.
I like being surprised by small elements in music. America does that a lot. One guitar will hang out in one channel, do do doodle, long rest, do do doodle, long rest etc.
When I’m listening in my car, there,s traffic noise and I’m focused on driving. I only hear the main parts in music.
Months later I’m relaxing in the den and listening on my home system. I perk up when that guitar pops in do do doodle. Months of hearing the song with road noise had made me accustomed to missing that part.
You don’t need an audiophile system to hear that part. But I hear new things in the mix on better systems. I really enjoy listening to the bass line on good woofers. A low bass note shouldn’t sound like phlat. There should be tone and it rings out.
I’m not a dyed-in-the-wool audiophile, but I have a decent system (think two monobloc amps and a pair of Magnepan speakers with dual subs).
When we were engaged, my fiancee mildly mocked my system. I put on a Richard Thompson CD (no, nothing fancy…not vinyl or super-high sampling) and then steered her to my recliner located in the sweet spot. She was truly shocked by the imaging and presence of the acoustic guitar. For the next five minutes, she moved back and forth, walked around the room, and generally tested out the effect.
Sadly, I’m much older now and have to wear hearing aids, negating much of the beauty of the music and the system.
TL;DR: The presence, imaging, dynamic range, and other qualities of a system can make even middle-of-the-road recordings quite an experience, regardless of genre.
I bought most of my Steely Dan records in the early days of the CD, when most CDs that were transferred from vinyl (I know, they weren’t technically transferred from vinyl, but you know what I mean) got still shoddily remastered and sounded awful. But the Steely Dan first generation CDs already sounded great (though a few years later, they were rerelased as remastered versions anyway).
You should take a detour to the Steve Hoffman Music Corner to experience Audiophilism from the trenches.
An unbelievable amount of back-and-forth was devoted to a recent reissue of David Crosby’s first solo album - who’s mastering it? What sources are they using? Which version from the past was the best? Where can I get a pristine Original 1971 copy? What method of analysing dynamic range truly tells you the pertinent information? And on it goes, 37 pages and counting. Not always in the most civil fashion.
I always thought a good sound effects record was the best way to get the most out of your hi-fi.
I worked for an ‘audiophile’ speaker manufacturing joint and I heard waaaay too much Jennifer Warne’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’ and Dennis DeYoung singing Broadway.
But every now and then, Stevie Ray from a really good recording of Austin City Limits would get put on and it was worth all the schmaltz.
Here is where I get a little fuzzy on the question at hand.
Was it that SRV’s jam was epic or do they want a super pristine recording that only the best equipment can deliver regardless of how good the music was (although the people who cared enough to make superb recordings usually turned out great jams)?
Generally the best musicians gravitate towards the best recording equipment because the studios and their engineers recognize that they are great. They also get the best studio musicians.
I would imagine ACL also invests in good equipment and people for much the same reasons- to attract great musicians and produce great live albums.
Sort of a virtuous circle type effect.