I think there is an angle missing in the article. iIt comes close, but not quite: “Audiophile” has become a term that objectivists use in a derogatory manner to mean people who are a “lost cause” in their minds, people who ignore all facts, logic and sanity, and will believe anything. It’s no longer “Audiofools” - it’s just “Audiophile”. In the eyes of the objectivists, you are not an “Audiophile” if you are interested in facts.
My point is, it’s not really about elitists taking over the term. It is that the term has become something derogatory. I want to consider myself an “audiophile”, but not if it means that people take this to believe that I want to ignore facts. But I also don’t want to be considered an “objectivist”, if it means that I am labelled as someone who ignores subjective listening as long as the measurements look good. I am neither of those things.
In other words, I don’t think people stopped identifying themselves as Audiophiles to avoid being seen as elitist. I think they do it to avoid being labelled as a fool (“Audiofool”). In other words, the arrow should be pointed - at least partly - to the people using the term negatively.
