# What are the best audiophile forums out there?



## dafox (Aug 12, 2021)

Looking to get back into the audiophile world, what are the best forums out there? I was an audiophile before the internet, stereophile and absolute sound magazines.


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## LostHighway (Aug 12, 2021)

I'm really not current on the subject but IMO Audio Asylum at least used to be the best one. The problem with many special interest forum sites is that the people who actually know something often either get bored or annoyed by the pushier cohort among the noobs who think they know more than they actually do and leave the forums. With any specialty sites it can take awhile to figure out who is talking out of their rear orifice, post count tends to not necessarily be a good guide. Overly heavy handed moderation can also destroy formerly good sites. AVS is more mid-fi and home theater. Ditto Audioholics. The Steve Hoffman site has or at least had its moments. I'm not at all anti-measurment but I find the purely objectivist sites fairly annoying.


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## Corradobrit1 (Aug 12, 2021)

Audiocircle, Audiogon forum, AVS. If interested in own-builds DIYaudio.


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## rob (Aug 12, 2021)

Not many anymore to be honest.
I have been in the hobby for 30 years and use audio forums less and less often.

In saying that a few i could suggest.
Audioscience Review (mostly measurement based, many members with good technical backgrounds)
Stereonet. ( An Australian based forum which is generally pretty friendly)
Whatsbestforum ( Mostly covering very high end 100K plus systems, lots of snake oil and so called experts with some good members)
Audio Asylum and Audiogon are not very popular anymore.

The problem with audio forums is there are many people involved in the industry (retailers,importers,on sellers etc) posing as members that group together to promote certain brands.

Good Luck!


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## Barashka (Aug 12, 2021)

I've been happy with www.head-fi.org/ .. lots of personal thoughts about specific headphones.

The HEADPHONE Community - a newish thing I think .. don't visit the forums, but their youtube is pretty great (though somewhat too much concentration on flatness and frequency response)

HifiGuides Forums - a newish thing by Zeos, don't visit the forums, but his youtube is pretty great (though somewhat long videos).


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## LostHighway (Aug 13, 2021)

Barashka said:


> I've been happy with www.head-fi.org/ .. lots of personal thoughts about specific headphones.
> 
> The HEADPHONE Community - a newish thing I think .. don't visit the forums, but their youtube is pretty great (though somewhat too much concentration on flatness and frequency response)
> 
> HifiGuides Forums - a newish thing by Zeos, don't visit the forums, but his youtube is pretty great (though somewhat long videos).



I think HeadFi has been around for about twenty years. The headphone community and the resurgence of vinyl has been the growth part of the high end audio market for the past two decades. Personally, I tolerate headphones more than love them both from a comfort standpoint and their depiction of space. There also seems to be a significant contingent of the headphone brigade that aren't really after accuracy, per se, but I am, for the most part, an outsider looking into the headphone world.


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## Bobby2shots (Aug 14, 2021)

LostHighway said:


> I think HeadFi has been around for about twenty years. The headphone community and the resurgence of vinyl has been the growth part of the high end audio market for the past two decades. Personally, I tolerate headphones more than love them both from a comfort standpoint and their depiction of space. There also seems to be a significant contingent of the headphone brigade that aren't really after accuracy, per se, but I am, for the most part, an outsider looking into the headphone world.



Sounds like you might be interested in over-the-ear open-backed headphones. The AKG-K702 may be a decent choice, and not over-the-top $$$$. I've also got a set of closed-back Sennheiser HD-280 Pro's, but those are closed back. I use those strictly for monitoring individual tracks for "live" recording, or band sessions. Good isolation, but I find them tight.. I also find most closed-back phones to be boomy, and I hate that.(bass-boost crap). I've also got a pair of open-backed Stax electrostatics (SR-5 ????) Mine are broken right now, but what a sound when they're working. Veeeeery pricey. I bought mine over 40 years ago.


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## refcast (Aug 14, 2021)

Yeah audio forums are pretty cliquish to me. . . . I prefer Super best audio friends (sbaf) most of the time, but I have my preferences pretty set now, and I can tell when things are misleading to me on an audio forum. I like the measurements on this site, though they don't describe everything of course -- which sbaf in general mentions. I went to a head - fi and sbaf meet, and the sbaf meet was quite a bit nicer, but both were, uh, kinda, weirder to me than the kitchen knife world.


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## dafox (Aug 14, 2021)

I've been enjoying Steve Guttenberg on YouTube. 
Restarted my Stereophile magazine subscription after a 25 year hiatus.


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## WildBoar (Aug 14, 2021)

I pretty much just read ASR these days. It's a great counter to the $$$$$$ audiophile world. Frankly gear has gotten ridiculously expensive over the last 20 years for what you get. I've gone over to the dark side, with DACs that less than $500 and amps that cost less than $1,000. And they sound just as good -- and actually a little better -- than the 'audiophile-approved' gear I amassed over the years.


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## dafox (Aug 14, 2021)

WildBoar said:


> I pretty much just read ASR these days. It's a great counter to the $$$$$$ audiophile world. Frankly gear has gotten ridiculously expensive over the last 20 years for what you get. I've gone over to the dark side, with DACs that less than $500 and amps that cost less than $1,000. And they sound just as good -- and actually a little better -- than the 'audiophile-approved' gear I amassed over the years.


What is asr?


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## WildBoar (Aug 14, 2021)

Audio Science Review (@rob mentioned it a few posts up)

It is definitely the pendulum swinging in the other direction. But there is a ton of great info there. It has been infinitely more useful than any other audio forum I have spent time at in the past.


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## dafox (Aug 14, 2021)

WildBoar said:


> Audio Science Review (@rob mentioned it a few posts up)
> 
> It is definitely the pendulum swinging in the other direction. But there is a ton of great info there. It has been infinitely more useful than any other audio forum I have spent time at in the past.


Thanks, I'm likeing that forum.


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## gregfisk (Aug 15, 2021)

I spent several years on Audiocircle and met a lot of great people there. Most of the vendors who have circles there are good guys. I’m not fond of the owner though, which seems to be a common feeling from a lot of people who hang out there.

What you will learn there is how to get the best sound possible by NOT buying name brand products. People are extremely passionate about music and finding gear that produces it well. Finding small custom vendors that are passionate about music and their work can get you to a sound quality that most people can only dream of. And you can do it without breaking the bank or buying overpriced name brand audiophile gear. It’s a long road but I have heard incredible sounding gear in my audio room that people have brought over. Most of that gear normal people have never even heard of.

I had a falling out with the owner because he’s basically a prick. And I understand from friends that still hang out there that the place has really slowed down traffic wise. However, I’m sure there are still a lot of great people that hang out there, so you might want to take a look.


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## MarcelNL (Aug 15, 2021)

If you're looking to get ack 'into' the scene I'd vote for visiting some shows of current high end (and indeed the high in that name has been re-invented lately) and some vintage niche shows/gatherings. Reading about stuff is one thing, hearing it play music is what it is all about. the comparison (if possible at all) between new and old may help putting price tags into perspective and may help pinpoint areas/elements you want to focus on.


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## LostHighway (Aug 15, 2021)

MarcelNL said:


> If you're looking to get ack 'into' the scene I'd vote for visiting some shows of current high end (and indeed the high in that name has been re-invented lately) and some vintage niche shows/gatherings. Reading about stuff is one thing, hearing it play music is what it is all about. the comparison (if possible at all) between new and old may help putting price tags into perspective and may help pinpoint areas/elements you want to focus on.



This is important advice, there is no substitute for listening. While shows do offer a broad range of equipment they suffer from unfamiliar acoustics and sometimes not ideal set ups. The room is one of the most important components in good sound. It pays to cultivate a relationship with a good dealer or dealers where you can become familiar with how their rooms sound and hopefully get good advice. Home auditions where available can also be good but shipping turntables, large speakers, or heavy amps is not a minor project. I also recommend picking gear that you can get competently serviced in your own country. You're fortunate in that Northern Colorado is something of a hotbed both for shows and manufacturers. There are also a relatively high number of dealers, population base considered, although it has been too long since I've spent time there to recommend specific shops. Used gear can be a great value but you need to establish at least a basic knowledge base before you venture there. The audio sites are at best a useful adjunct but listening is really the best education..


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## dafox (Aug 15, 2021)

Anyone know of any upcoming shows in the Denver area?


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## dafox (Aug 15, 2021)

dafox said:


> Anyone know of any upcoming shows in the Spencer area?


Just discovered a show while reading Stereophile mag, Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, October 8-10, I plan to go on Friday.


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## MarcelNL (Aug 16, 2021)

dafox said:


> Just discovered a show while reading Stereophile mag, Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, October 8-10, I plan to go on Friday.



That is a gathering I have only heard good things about!

You can also try forage the internet to see if there are groups/forum meetings in your area, usually those groups (if you pick well, I'm sure the áudio enthusiasts that are trying to break the sound barrier in a car are a slightly different bunch) organize get togethers that usually are a mix of folks loving great food and drink and music and audio. 
I'll be visiting an audio meet around Klangfilm gear in a couple of weeks


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## dafox (May 17, 2022)

After looking around at the audio forums and doing numerous searches about all kinds of audio topics, and participating in a couple of forums, I have settled on the Steve Hoffman forum. It's set up like this one which I really like and seems to be very active, also has a lot of music lovers, kind-of like knife nuts that like to cook  I'm using the same user name there.


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## scrappy (May 17, 2022)

I am a songwriter/producer with a headphone fetish. I second the Head-Fi (www.head-fi.org/) recommendations. It’s a fantastic resource.


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## MarcelNL (May 17, 2022)

There just was a show, no idea where ; Axpona
This week I'll ve visiting High-End Munich.

A forum on audio with folks that actually like music is a great start!


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## LostHighway (May 17, 2022)

MarcelNL said:


> There just was a show, no idea where ; Axpona
> This week I'll ve visiting High-End Munich.
> 
> A forum on audio with folks that actually like music is a great start!


Axpona is in the Chicago, Illinois area (Schaumburg)


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## ModRQC (May 17, 2022)

Some folks on What HiFi have real good contributions. Overall I prefered Head-Fi as well. 

Usually on audiophile forums people just bounce their own ideas and move on... I mean I've rarely seen an interesting subject followed until some resolution of any kind. More and more opinions get bounced off until anything is lost.


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## gregfisk (May 17, 2022)

There used to be really good conversations on Audiocircle and on Audiogon but it seems like those are somewhat a thing to the past. I haven’t been on Audiogon for a long time now so maybe good conversation can still be had. Audiocircle has really gone downhill in the last few years, at least that’s what I’ve been told from people who are still spending any kind of time there. The owner is a real douche bag for sure.


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