25 Influential People You’d Never Guess Are Audiophiles

Their sound systems reveal stories beyond public achievements.

It’s obvious that there are many world leaders and celebrities who enjoy music. That said, only a select few qualify as true audiophiles. Being an audiophile requires a deeper dedication to sound quality, equipment, and the overall listening experience.

We have some examples that not only fit the bill, but might surprise you.

1. Elijah Wood

The Lord of the Rings actor owns several Klipsch Heritage speakers, including rare La Scala models.

Turns out, he got into high-end audio through DJing and his friend Zach Cowie.

He and Cowie even have a designated room for their records.

Spoiler alert: it looks like any audiophile’s dream.

2. Jimmy Fallon

The lively host of The Tonight Show isn’t just into comedy and music. He takes sound quality very seriously.

Fallon’s love for great sound was on full display on CBS Sunday Morning in 2023, when he showed his amazing listening setup.

It includes Magico S5 Mk II speakers, two McIntosh MT5 turntables, a McIntosh C49 preamplifier, and a pair of McIntosh MC611 power amplifiers.

3. Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is famous for doing his own stunts in action movies. When he’s not on set, it turns out he knows a lot about fancy sound systems.

This came up in a 2015 segment on NBC’s The Tonight Show. Jimmy Fallon thanked Cruise for nudging him toward audio gear, because Cruise had emailed him a list of recommended products. Fallon took that list to a high-end store and used it to build his listening room.

The NBC clip itself is no longer available, but the part people kept repeating was how specific they got. They were casually name-dropping brands like McIntosh, Synergistic Research, and Magico like it was normal friend talk, not a promo.

4. Martin Freeman

The star of “Sherlock” and “The Hobbit” has loved vinyl records and quality sound equipment his whole life.

Freeman’s system includes a Garrard turntable (probably from the 401 series) and a Naim Audio Nait 1 integrated amplifier—the company’s first model, released in 1983. Though small, this amp puts out around 15 watts per channel with a special sound quality that many sound enthusiasts love.

Freeman started collecting records when he was young and strongly prefers vinyl over digital formats.

When asked about his favorite technology, Freeman said, “It would have to be a record player, because that’s the one I’ve used most since I was a child and the one I use most now. It’s the one I use for all my music, and I thank the person who invented that.”

5. Gloria Reuben

Reuben earned Emmy nominations for her role as Jeanie Boulet on ER (1995–1999, 2008) and appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Mr. Robot. While she has a secondary music career as a singer (she toured with Tina Turner in 2000),her primary fame comes from acting.

According to audiophile forum reports, her home system features Atma-Sphere OTL tube amplifiers paired with Magnepan planar magnetic speakers, a Linn CD player, and a Linn LP12 turntable with SME tonearm.

The combination represents deep audiophile knowledge. OTL tube amplification paired with demanding planar speakers requires careful matching and understanding of impedance curves.

Her collection reportedly includes over 4,000 vinyl records and 6,000 CDs.

6. Steve Jobs

A once-viral 1982 photo of Jobs’s place is still one of the funniest “tell me who you are without telling me” images. The apartment is basically empty, except for his mattress, a lamp, and his sound system with some records.

And it wasn’t some random setup either. Acoustat Monitor 3 speakers, a Threshold preamp, a Michell GyroDec turntable, plus a Denon TU-750s tuner.

If you tried to rebuild that same vintage chain now, Wired pegged it at around $8,200.

Aside from this, Neil Young also once told The Guardian that even though Jobs built the iPod, he still preferred vinyl at home.

7. Andrew Han

The founder of EVGA built NVIDIA’s top authorized US partner in North America. In 2022, he made headlines by terminating EVGA’s partnership with NVIDIA—a principled stand worth hundreds of millions in revenue.

His audiophile obsession led directly to EVGA’s NU Audio sound card line.

He owns vintage Western Electric horns, a dCS digital front-end, and Audio Note UK amplifiers. He fabricates his own cables because he can’t find commercial ones he likes.

But, for some listening sessions, Han prefers a vintage Philips CD player over his cost-no-object digital gear.

8. Gideon Yu

Yu served as CFO of both Facebook and YouTube, negotiated YouTube’s $1.65 billion sale to Google, and led Microsoft’s $375 million investment in Facebook. As San Francisco 49ers President and Co-Owner, he became the first person of color to lead an NFL team.

His audio passion runs so deep that he acquired Bowers & Wilkins for an “undisclosed sum” in 2016 through his startup EVA Automation.

He founded EVA Automation to create “the ideal multiroom audio and video system.” And his motivation for buying an entire speaker company? “What I want for my own living room has not been created.”

9. Jimmy Carter

According to Carter’s son Chip, they had a McIntosh amplifier with AR1 speakers.

He also brought this hobby in the White House, when he quickly installed a hi-fi sound system during his first month in office. And he played classical music for eight to ten hours a day.

It wasn’t enough, though. So, he hosted plenty of musicians there too, including Willie Nelson, Charles Mingus, Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, Sarah Vaughan, and Linda Ronstadt.

10. Gene Wu

This Texas lawmaker loves audio gear but says he’s never met another politician who shares his interest.

Not only is he passionate about the topic but he occasionally posts in r/audiophile.

According to one of his threads, he uses an Outlaw RR2160 Receiver with Zu Audio Dirty Weekend speakers and streams music through Tidal.

Three years ago, Wu was planning some major updates to his system.

We hope he got to see his wish come true.

11. Haruki Murakami

Murakami reportedly owns more than 10,000 records, and his listening room matches that kind of commitment. He’s got Tannoy Berkeley speakers, two turntables (Thorens TD520 and Luxman PD-171A), and Accuphase amplifiers.

And the “why” isn’t hard to trace. Back in the day, he and his wife ran a jazz club in Tokyo called Peter Cat. He’d write after closing time. Now he still does the same basic thing, just in a different setup, as he plays music while he writes.

12. Clint Eastwood

While you may know him as a movie star, Eastwood plays his records on a high-end Rockport turntable. And, his taste is deep-jazz territory, with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Fats Waller.

This interest shows up in his work, too. He owns Malpaso Records through Warner Bros., which releases all his movie music. Plus, he’s also written music himself, including scores for Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Changeling. He did piano pieces for In the Line of Fire as well.

13. Quentin Tarantino

The celebrated director’s way of using music in his movies shows how much he cares about sound quality and song selection.

Tarantino sees music as an important part of telling stories, not just background noise. He starts picking songs early when writing scripts, using his large record collection to personally choose each track for his films.

For “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” he used real recordings from a 1960s Los Angeles radio station, showing his dedication to authentic sound.

Online forums also mention his love for vintage music and hi-fi equipment, suggesting he’s an audiophile in his private life too.

14. Fabio Lanzoni

The romance novel cover icon graced more than 50 million book covers and became the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spokesman. His beefcake image represents the polar opposite of audiophile stereotypes.

Yet Fabio assembled a system worth approximately $2 million by 1995.

As Fabio told Stereophile publisher Larry Archibald, “When I’m with my stereo, I’m in my world.”

His setup included equipment from Krell, Martin Logan, Infinity, Sony, and Pioneer, featuring 12 sub-woofers and 76 panels per speaker column for mid-range and tweeters. The system pumped 2,000 watts of power through custom-finished speaker columns.

15. Magic Johnson

Before the NBA fame, Magic Johnson worked as a college radio DJ at Michigan State. Around 1985, a photo shows him with a system that looks built by someone who actually enjoys the gear side of music, not just the music itself.

The setup in that photo includes McIntosh components, specifically the MC2205 power amp and C34V preamp, plus a Nakamichi RX505 cassette deck and a ReVox B77 reel-to-reel recorder.

There’s also a turntable in the shot that appears to be a Technics SL-1200, and he’s wearing AKG K240 headphones.

16. Mike Piazza

Piazza holds the record for most home runs by a catcher in MLB history with 427. His 12 All-Star selections and decade-defining career with the Dodgers and Mets earned him Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 2016.

A professional athlete as an official hi-fi endorser is rare.

The Chicago Tribune confirmed Piazza as an official endorser of Krell Industries during a 2004 factory visit in Orange, Connecticut. He was named alongside Alex Rodriguez, composer James Horner, and Béla Fleck as celebrity Krell owners.

17. Carmelo Anthony

Anthony is a 10-time NBA All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the highest-scoring players in league history.

His $12 million “Sognare Estate” in Littleton, Colorado spanned 25,000 square feet—including high-end audio captured on MTV Cribs.

During the broadcast, viewers spotted a McIntosh amplifier in his entertainment setup. Forum users confirmed the sighting: “You can see his McIntosh amp for a second.”

McIntosh’s iconic blue VU meters are instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with high-end audio. The brand represents serious investment in sound quality, not just flashy home theater.

18. Jimmy Page

In the documentary It Might Get Loud, there’s a moment where Jimmy Page lights up listening to Link Wray’s “Rumble.” It’s a small scene, but it tells you what kind of listener he is. He’s fully locked in.

Away from the studio, people have pointed to him keeping a dedicated music room with quality gear, including a Technics turntable.

Page has never really branded himself as an audiophile, though. So, the best evidence is this kind of stuff: the way he listens, and the fact he keeps a proper setup for it.

19. Jimi Hendrix

The game-changing guitarist cared a lot about how music sounded in his home.

A photo from around 1969 shows Hendrix with his London sound system, which had a Leak Stereo 30 amplifier, Bang & Olufsen Beogram 1000 turntable, and Lowther Acousta 115 speakers.

20. Louis Armstrong

The legendary jazz trumpet player and singer was quick to embrace quality sound equipment.

Several photos show Armstrong with an impressive office system that had two Tandberg reel-to-reel recorders, a Dual 1019 record changer, and Marantz components (probably a Model 7T preamplifier and Model 10B tuner).

Obviously, Armstrong cared more about sound than your average listener.

21. John Lennon

There are multiple photos of Lennon around his home systems, and one, likely from 1980, shows him relaxing with a guitar, with the gear nearby.

In that shot, the setup includes a Sansui AU 9900 amplifier, a Sony STR-6120 receiver, and a Diatone LT-3 turntable, also known as the Mitsubishi LT-3. Yamaha YH-1 headphones are visible in the cabinet below.

Other photos from the 1970s show Lennon and Yoko Ono with a system that uses the same Sony receiver, along with a Thorens TD-125 turntable and Koss Pro4/aa headphones.

Across the different homes and years, the pattern stays the same. He kept proper gear around for listening.

22. Matt Berry

Though most people know him for comedy acting, Berry’s real love is music production, where his audiophile side clearly shows.

Berry strongly prefers analog equipment and doesn’t like digital effects or sampling. His love for analog tape recording and old synthesizers shows he values the warm sound and character these older technologies create.

His collection includes a Yamaha CS-60 and other analog synthesizers, which he likes for their hands-on feel with knobs, dials, and sliders. Berry records quickly and naturally, avoiding too many takes to keep the real quality of the performances.

His albums have a unique vintage sound that mixes different styles with retro and psychedelic touches, showing his dedication to sound quality and analog realness.

Oh, and his record collection is the stuff of dreams.

23. Robert Fripp

The founder of progressive rock band King Crimson is known for his creative approach to music and sound experiments, with a special love for analog sound equipment.

Fripp owns a Sony TC-850 professional reel-to-reel tape recorder, prized for its great recording and playback quality. This machine uses tape speeds of 7½ and 15 inches per second for excellent accuracy and low distortion, with three motors and three heads for reliable use.

His setup also has a Dual 1229 high-quality automatic turntable from the early 1970s, with a 12-inch aluminum platter with vibration control and a precise tonearm with adjustable anti-skating.

A classic Harman Kardon receiver completes his vintage system.

Beyond just collecting equipment, Fripp’s careful attention to sound quality in King Crimson recordings shows his audiophile nature.

His work in mixing and mastering helps create clear, faithful recordings. His solo projects, meanwhile, deliver mesmerizing soundscapes.

24. Rick Rubin

The legendary producer co-founded Def Jam with the Beastie Boys and revived Johnny Cash’s career. While producers typically focus on studio monitors, Rubin invested heavily in home listening systems.

His main system runs Zellaton Stage speakers ($79,750/pair) with FM Acoustics electronics and Schnerzinger cables, installed by Gideon Schwartz of AudioArts NYC.

Throughout his Malibu home, Wilson Audio Sabrina X speakers fill multiple rooms. He’s also a confirmed Legacy Audio customer with Focus SE and Signature SE models.

“His highly developed listening skills have him listening to music for hours on end, making speaker choice a critical decision,” Legacy Audio notes.

25. Ron Carter

Carter is the most-recorded bassist in jazz history with over 2,200 album credits. While musicians obviously care about sound, his meticulous approach to home listening demonstrates the distinction between “making music” and “audiophile obsession.”

Stereophile’s “Musicians as Audiophiles” series profiled Carter, documenting his high-end system and listening philosophy.

Billy Drummond, nicknamed “the Pusherman,” introduced many NYC jazz musicians, including Carter, to high-end audio. The nickname stuck because once musicians heard what was possible, they couldn’t go back.