Some of the questions in this survey were interesting, both because of the implicit assumptions and many because

Sex [typical write-in answers would be: ‘yes please’, ‘all the above’, and ‘only when I’m awake’

Age [I imagine we all expect this will be titled upward with the normal (bell) distribution centering on, oh, 35?]

The country you are from: (Please fill in) [The U.S. will be last (i.e. not many audiophiles in the U.S.), after Zimbabwe and Antarctica]

Yearly income [I imagine we all expect this will be high as well]

Education (completed) [audiophiles have usually attended some amount of school]

Your marital status typical write-in answers: ‘happily’, ‘Unhappily’, ‘Don’t remember’, and ‘hanging by a thread’

Do you have children? [I would say many have grown children – the question should differentiate this. In our society lately, the kids have parents, parents do not have kids, and the kids decide how the money is spent]

For how many years have you been in this hobby? [the transition from music lover to audiophile is a gray area. Perhaps the date of purchase of 1st system better than Bose [aka average]. But what about Bose 901’s – which I would consider to be a purchase by an audiophile. So this question really means… at which date did you self-select yourself to be a member of the audiophile hobby? For me, the answer is 10 – when I was playing with Heathkits, or 18, when I bought my first $600 stereo system]

Do you play any musical instrument? [This is an assumption only a few people make, that audiophiles typically play instruments more often than the population at large. Also, I *can* play guitar and piano. But *do* I? And how frequently do I play? Perhaps a question to ask is do you [usually] *own* a musical instrument – or do you usually have one in the house? We have 2 guitars – although one is ostensibly my daughters – and had a professional keyboard until recently]

Is your profession in any way connected to music/sound? [I do think audiophiles in general try to get closer to having music in their lives during the 9-5 grind. Whether it is writing software for a sound processor or doing websites for indie bands. But I doubt if the opposite is true – that people in the sound industry are not more likely to become audiophiles. To differentiate this – the question should add “BEFORE you became an audiophile”]

Your musical preferences

The type of music you listen to MOST: [Again, I wonder about cause and effect here – are classical music lovers more likely to become audiophiles? Or are audiophiles more likely to expand their horizons to include classical music? My guess would be that the answer is … yes to both questions. To this question I would say: all of the above [though I do not really know what ‘pop’ is].

* Classical
* Jazz
* Rock
* Pop
* Other:

Which environment do you prefer for music listening? [‘prefer’ is an interesting word here… the questions really is asking – where do you most often listen to music? I want to answer this question with how many hours per day I WANT TO BE listening to music in each area]

The amount of hours per day you listen to music IN YOUR HOME: [24]

The amount of hours per day you listen to music IN YOUR WORKPLACE: [0 (zero) if I didn’t work at home – most workplaces had gawd-awful systems when I do work outside the home. I prefer the quiet hum of the machines]

The amount of hours per day you listen to music IN YOUR CAR: [0(zero) although, like all other 6 billion people, I listen to music or news in the car 100% of the time I am in the car]

The amount of hours per day you listen to music ON PORTABLE DEVICES: [0(zero) – there is some quality of life issues to do with shutting out everything and everybody around you – and experiencing unexpected musical selections instead of music from your own playlists – that I am not willing to accept at this point. But that is just me.]

What percentage of the time that you spend listening to music is DEDICATED music listening? * (Dedicated here means that you totally immerse yourself in music with undivided attention, as opposed to casual listening when you listen to music in the background while doing something else) [Well, for all your sakes, I do NOT do DEDICATED music listening in the car. And I hope you do likewise. 🙂 This is another question where I want to say 100% (and in fact, here at Audio Federation it is close to that), but listening to music at the gym, Whole Foods, etc. is (thank goodness) not dedicated and I enjoy it but it would be too depressing to listen with full attention to music in these locations].

How big is your music collection: (please fill in numbers below CD:__, DVD:__, DVD-A:__, SACD:__, BD:__, HDD:__gb.) [This is one of the more interesting questions – because it simple and evocative. Better yet, have this be fore each year of the last 10 or 20 years. And I will add LP___ . Our answer would be approximately CD:5000, DVD 1000, DVD-A: 0, SACD: 150, BD: 8, HDD: 1 gb, LP: 1000

Are you prepared to pay / pay more for the high resolution downloads (24bit, 88.2/96/192kHz)? [This question has too many assumptions. Is this a monthly service fee? Or on top of a 99 cent download? What about buying the song in low res and then upgrading for a small fee? I think the business model used has a large impact on whether I, personally, would bother paying for any kind of download at all. And supporting electronics in the audiophile’s system is also required. The question as amended would be: would you pay a nominal amount 10% – 20% for each download to have your downloads sound better? I think the answer would be almost universally YES.].

Your preferences in audio equipment

What type is your main music system? [Have no idea how to answer this. I will say …, ‘female’]

Which type of equipment do you prefer for your main music system? * (High-end vs. mass market vs. all-in-one, etc.) [Oh boy. Well, let’s assume this questionnaire for audiophiles would have most of them preferring to have high-end gear in their main system. Many people with small homes, and those who want their decor to conform to the local norm, would want high-end all-in-one systems (i.e. BOTH. And this is a gigantic market that is wide open).

What type of amplification devices do you prefer? (OPTIONAL) [tube vrs. solid-state vrs. hybrid vrs. OTL vrs. SET vrs. large vrs small vrs….? I prefer good sounding amplification devices]

Which class of operation do you prefer? (OPTIONAL) [presumably class A versus AB, B, D, etc. I’ll let my previous answer stand]

Your buying preferences

Do you prefer to acquire components made by: [components by different manufacturers or all the same manufacturer?[ In our experience some small percentage – 10%? – would like them to all be by the same manufacturer if possible. These are often the people who want a screaming good deal and so rarely end up with these types of systems].

When you are shopping for new components, do you primarily consider produce of: [Essentially this is trying to determine people’s preference for small vrs. large manufactures. Interesting question – I think people prefer a mid-level company – though this means different things to different people. Should also ask about if people care about the age of the company.]

How many components (equipment pieces) do you buy per year? [Uh. Good question. It will really depend on where this survey is circulated. On Audiogon, expect the answers to average about 50 to 100… ;-)]

How much do you spend on audio equipment per year? [Uh. Rarely do people have an ‘audio budget’ it seems to me. They splurge in one year and then mellow out for several years.]

How much do you spend on audio accessories per year? * (accessories here mean speaker cables, interconnects, valves/tubes, vibration control devices, etc.) [ Not sure speaker cables and interconnects are ‘accessories’ since there is no music without them. This is a lot of work for the survey taker and the reliability of the data would be suspect in my estimation. With the following question and ‘num components per year’ question, one could kind of get a sense of this audiophile].

How much does your main music system cost? [Uh. Depends on the day of the year. See previous question’s answer]

Do you plan to upgrade / change any components of your sound system this year? [Uh. I would imagine most if not all audiophiles do SOMETHING each year]

If “Yes”, which component you might be buying / upgrading this year? (you may check more than one box)

* Headphones
* CD player
* DVD-player
* Blue-ray player
* iPod or other portable player
* Network media player
* Hard drive (HDD) media player
* DVR
* Amplifier / Preamplifier
* Digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) / signal processor
* HDMI home theatre processor or receiver
* Speakers / subwoofer
* Home theatre PC (HTPC)
* Audio accessories (cables, valves, etc.)
* Other:

When you are reviewing the price/quality ratio of a component you are interested/consider buying, which price/quality segment do you aim at? [This is interesting way to segment the audiophiles by buying pattern: “Lowest price while achieving acceptable quality”, “Medium price while uncommonly high in quality”, “Utmost quality regardless of the price”. I would say 90% of the people we see are of the first type. It is just that ‘acceptable quality” is awfully darn high . 🙂 ]

When choosing new equipment, how important are the following variables for making your final decision? [These questions reflect a good knowledge of the audiophile buying public, in my mind. specs, reviews, functionality [which is different from ergonomics – i.e. ability to use the functionality without cursing], build quality [not on the list], etc. A good list.]

Sound quality (your own subjective evaluation)
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Excellent set of technical measurements
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Component being positively reviewed by specialized press and internet community
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Functionality and Ergonomics
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Aesthetics / Visual Appeal
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Price
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Reliability and longevity
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Service, afterservice, attitude to the customers
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Familiar/respected brand, company’s reputation
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Advice from a trusted friend
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

The product satisfies your specific needs
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

Social status / Fashion / Pride of ownership
1 2 3 4 5
Least important Most important

What new / additional features are important enough to you to make a purchasing decision? (you may choose more than one) [Well, very PC music server specific. How about NONE OF THE ABOVE?]

* enhanced network connectivity / multiroom streaming
* ability to reproduce lossless formats (flac, wave, etc.)
* ability to connect a flash drive, HDD, or an iPod
* lack of any restrictions like regional coding, or no digital output on protected disks
* ability to integrate PC
* more versatile inputs like SATA and USB slave and host interfaces
* HDMI and SPDIF inputs on a Blue-ray player to utilise its processing power for other sources like PC or HDD media players
* Other:

Are you MORE inclined to change / upgrade your equipment, when the following changes are introduced: [How about: real breakthroughs – like CRT to LCD. And anti-breakthroughs: like LP to CD. NONE is my answer]

* evolutionary / incremental changes (going from 5.1 to 7.1, from DD to DD EX, from DTS to DTS ES, etc.)
* breakthroughs / performance leaps (going from component to HDMI, from bass management to digital 5.1 acoustics correction)

Where do you usually buy equipment from: [poor old Audiogon doesn’t even make the list. 🙂 Gray dealers must be a EU thing. Here, gray dealers are slimy people who lie and cheat and narrowly avoid getting busted to make sales and then become large importers for desperate/clueless EU manufacturers :-)]

* Generic shops
* High-end salons with listening space
* Internet dealers
* Gray dealers
* Ebay

Do you usually buy new or pre-owned equipment? [Good question. This is, of course, changing – and it is the trend that is most interesting]

Perception of the brands and the market

Do you perceive mass market equipment manufacturers (big companies like Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, etc.) as: [several options to ascertain how these are perceived by audiophiles. I would say I perceive them as ‘uninterested’.]

Does the fact that a company is able to produce a statement product, that is regarded by the experts and the customers as one of the best in existence, make you more likely to purchase their less expensive products? [The answer is obviously yes. That is why Porsche etc. make the cheap knockoffs (see the new Porsche sedan? Not a knockoff for a change. Looks cool.) The problem is with “regarded by the experts and the customers”. Are these experts and customers being coerced to say this?]

There is a wide spread opinion that designing a truly great sounding component is more art than just science, and only a handful of visionary guru-like engineers can transcend from mechanical sound reproduction to a free flow of beauty and emotion. Do you agree? [Hmmmm. I wouldn’t have put Nelson Pass on this list – although he is a visionary industry leader, he is not one in the context of the question vis-a-vis transcending mechanical sound reproduction. Tells us something about the author of the survey huh? My answer is B and C. B is obviously true, and C is experientially true]

* No, this is typical audiophile superstition, arising from lack of technical knowledge and the marketing hype.
* Only to a certain degree, as a lot of practical experience is needed to complement the technical knowledge.
* Yes, it is visionary industry leaders like Hiroyasu Kondo or Nelson Pass, who advance the state of the art electronic design in music reproduction.

Based on the previous argument, do you think the competences needed to create good sounding equipment are: [this just restates the previous question differently]

How would you react if you were to find out that inside of your $20.000 Goldmund Eidos20 DVD player, 95% of all parts come from a $200 Pioneer DV-600AV? [This is a question by someone who hangs out on various forums. It really asks whether the audiophile is looking at each part and its progeny. But it is really, REALLY is asking whether this particular technique of slander works on the survey taker.]

* I would be furious – what a rip off!
* I would trust engineers from Goldmund – they probably picked the best player in the mass market and then substantially improved it.

Are you aware that the following mass market manufacturers are making efforts to produce equipment to audiophile standards? Put a mark next to the product that you are aware of or at least heard about. [Hmmm. Audiophile standards are different for different people. A similar question might be… if a manufacture were to do what is listed below, would you consider them to be developing high-end audio equipment? My answer: NO (just reading what is written here and not hearing any of this stuff)].

* Pioneer G-Clef series of stereo amplifiers which Pioneer positions as truly high-end products; Pioneer home theatre receivers and car amplifiers that use the famous B&O ICE technology.
* Philips MCD908 DVD valve micro system, which has ribbon high frequency drivers, valve preamplification stage coupled to a class D amplifier, and upscaling HDMI output.

If you are unaware of the products from the previous question, what is likely to be the cause? [Uh, not advertised on Spintricity?]

* Not advertized in the right places
* Not reviewed by right authority
* Other:

As an example of brand perception, do you perceive Sony PRIMARILY as: *

Do you consider Sony audio products to possess enough differentiation to make it stand out in the market on quality, or functions, or price? [Not interested in Sony-specific questions]

If a company is traditionally perceived as a strong player in a certain market (even if it doesn’t consider it strategic any more), does the fact that it produces non-differentiated (too generic or inferior) products for that market, undermine its reputation as a brand, and make you less likely to buy their products in other market segments? [I do think brand-identity is important. And so do many other people. I can’t imagine this would help a brand unless they advertise it as helping get the guy who can’t afford it into the hobby].

Companies tend to claim that they know best what their customers need or want, and provide the market with the best solutions. However, clients often think otherwise. Do you usually find the wanted features and the needed solutions in the products in this market? [Generic question. How about the real issue with their being so much stuff – no one knows everything that is out there – much less had a chance to use it].

Do you feel that when getting new products to market the companies are often pursuing their own strategies rather than trying to satisfy the actually existing customer needs? If you think so, please elaborate on that shortly in the box below (or just write YES). If you do not think so, leave the box blank.

What sources do you use to get the industry news, find out about new products, trustworthy independent reviews, and other relevant information? (you may mark more than one) [He left a few sites out :-)]

* Audiophile publications (Stereophile and the like)
* More mass market oriented publications (What HiFi? and the like)
* Audiophile websites (6moons.com, audioreviews.com, etc.)
* Generic web sites (Cnet, TrustedReviews, etc.)
* Audiophile and specialised forums (Head-Fi.org, AudioAsylum, etc.)
* Other:

Do you think that the market capacity is underutilized?

If the mass market audio-visual companies like Sony or Phillips were to come back to audiophile market, do you think it would have a positive effect on the MARKET? [I think it would indeed help. Money would trickle up if there were lots of new audiophiles in the marketplace – assuming that ultra high-end audio buyers are 10% of the audiophile community – the larger the community the better].

* Yes (It will make for a more competitive marketplace, with better quality, more features, and more adequate prices).
* No (It will mean price wars, lower margins for companies, lack of R&D budgets, cost cutting, falling quality and increasing commoditisation).

If the mass market audio-visual companies like Sony or Phillips were to come back to audiophile market, do you think it would have a positive effect on these COMPANIES? [I think so. Improve their profile, give them bragging rights, excite their customer base, etc.]

* Yes (They will develop new competencies that will give a quality boost to all their product lines).
* No (They do not have the necessary competences and knowledge of customer needs. Both are expensive and difficult to develop. Given the small market size, they will suffer financial losses).
* Other:

In High End Audio, a large part of the market is preowned equipment. This creates often unwanted demand for servicing the legacy products. Are you more likely to buy equipment from a company that continues to service their equipment after 10 or even 30 years after the warrantee expired? [Well, everyone who is conscious will answer YES – even tho many act as if they believe NO].

* No (Quality of sound is the most important factor, while quality of service won’t affect my decision much).
* Yes (It is an indication of both product reliability and the attitude to customers).

Do you think, that with advent of faster networks, high bitrate downloads, and better formats like the Blue Ray uncompressed audio, the audiophile community and market are likely to grow? [See trickle up prediction 2 questions up].

* Most certainly. More and more people are enjoying better quality digital radio, lossless satellite broadcasts, Blue ray music, etc. It is only natural, and is called Progress.
* No, the majority has trouble telling a low bitrate MP3 from the standard CD sound. The few who want something better will remain the few.

[OK. A long post. Now I must do something besides sit here in this chair. Like post some more photos of the Studio Electric T3 speakers on Spintricity :-)]