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audiophile

/ˈɔdiəˌfaɪl/
IPA guide

Other forms: audiophiles

An audiophile is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound production. Your friend who's always adjusting the equalizer on the car stereo and spends a lot of money on "the best" speakers may be an audiophile.

The word audiophile combines the Latin audio-, meaning "sound" or "hearing," with the Greek -phile, meaning "one who loves." So an audiophile is literally a person who loves hearing sounds — and wants them to sound the best they can. In a home setting, an audiophile wants to capture the experience of a live musical performance. This requires specialized equipment, such as high-end speakers, and music recorded in "lossless" formats that retain all the sound data. It might even require a room with specialized acoustics!

Definitions of audiophile
  1. noun
    a person who cares a lot about high-quality sound reproduction and equipment
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