As prompted by Art, I thought it would be fun to start a thread listing off funny things non-audiophiles have said about our equipment, pet-peeves, and other random comments.
- "Are those Bose?" A coworker in reference to my KEF speakers
- "I didn't think you bought no-name equipment." and "Man those must be loud." Same individual commented about my maggies
- "Why did you spend that much on a CD player when my $20 DVD player will play CDs just as well." This one I left alone. I offered for an A-B demo
One of the worse moments I ever had was at a house warming party for my wife's old boss. They just bought a Bose Lifestyle system which cost them like 3 grand and absolutely sounded like crap. This was going back only about two years ago now. These people thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. What bugged me the most, was as people started rolling in, every single person had the same reaction to the sound system..." OH man!! YOU GOT A BOSE SYSTEM!!?? WICKED!! Ah man Bose are the best..blah blah blah... I couldn't handle it after a while.
I wouldn't be able to resist telling those folks that Bose is garbage. Even just tell them to google Bose and do their own research.
They may end up feeling like idiots but it's better to be enlightened, and it's their fault to begin with anyways, isn't it? We all have the capacity to do some research before dropping 3 grand.
I guess if it's your wife's boss though, saying something may not be a wise move.
If I see the word 'palpable' in a review one more time...........
The reaction of people seeing my panels for the first time is funny. Usually disbelief followed by a funny smile when I sit 'em down in the good seat and put on something they are familiar with.
And when you put something on they are familiar with - does that mean you've been peeking at their - er - wardrobe?
Leo, I think you're writing in the wrong forum.
Sorry Leo, I couldn't help it.
What irks me is when I go to a friends place - rather wealthy friends in one case - and they have just bought a cheap set of ht speakers, receiver and dvd player as a source and can't wait to let you listen and you sit there and nod and smile enthusiastically and offer a little compliment or two and you feel like crap because you are being totally dishonest.
Not really a peeve, but my wife occasionally will criticize how I have my room set up with gear, treatments, isolation, etc. etc.
So a local high end dealer comes by a couple of nights ago to drop off a cable and a power conditioner. While up there he offers some suggestions as to improve the room acoustics. We try it and I am pleased. It was just moving around what I had and literally made the room look more disjointed in a way.
So after he leaves I mention to Marsh that he was helpful in how the room was set up and such. She then comments "Did he have you pull most of that crap out of there?".
Now here comes the pet peeve part, but it is Marsh's pet peeve, not mine, I replied, "No, not only did he not move anything out, he said that if he had such an ideal room for a system that not only would he not give it up, they would only get him to out of there after he died."
Speaking of putting one's foot in the mouth reguarding Bose...
It is known that I have a disdain for Bose speakers among my coworkers. But I still managed to put my foot in my mouth with my boss.
I made a comment about Bose in general being a marketing machine driven by substandard lifestyle products that have no midrange, shrill treble, and boomy midbass.
He asked which products I was referring to, so I stated the Acoustimass / Lifestyle line.
the comment was followed up with....
man gavin I own a lifestyle system for movies and I think it is ok... you really don't like bose?
I instantly turned bright red and told him that I do not care for them, but if he likes them it is what matters.
When I worked at best buy we all hated the sound of the bose but at the same time we were told to sell them whenever possible as they had huge mark ups and prifit margins compared to the other products being sold, even the premium stuff from the magnolia section.
Biggest pet peeve for me, are the use of absolutes.
"If they don't measure good, they won't sound good."
"Power chords and cables don't make a lick of difference."
If you stick an IMO in there, you're good. But some people just don't think there are opinions, just facts. There are lots of facts of course, but many of them aren't guarantees of superiority in sound quality.
A few years ago I was in Audio Center in Montreal, to hear a Wilson setup that they had, and I had a day off there. At the front left of the store there was bose setup of maybe 3 models. There were, I kid you not, 4 couples in their late 50's in that area, and 3 guys helping them.
I asked the one salesguy WYF was up with that. Large eye roll there, he says the manager will get fired for this. He also told me they sold 15 pieces of that stuff, none to anyone under 50, in a week.
He had a genuinely sincere and pained look in his eyes. I don't think he was sleeping well...
I guess one of my biggest Pet Peeve about this hobby, is people who say things about pieces of gear; they've never even sat down to listen to or experienced, whatsoever.
"Not really a peeve, but my wife occasionally will criticize how I have my room set up with gear, treatments, isolation, etc. etc."
my wife is just as into it as I am fortunatly. She mentioned to me last week that I should move the couch back a bit, and move the speakers a little further out in the room like I had before because it sounded better.
She goes with me to pick out / audition gear. The last time we did the salesman seemed to get a kick out of it.
I think in situations where you have an audiophile and anyone else there are always compromises.
Many here, myself included have espoused WAF.
Not everyone has a dedicated listening or media room, not everyone here has mutliple systems, nobody here has unlimited resources.
We all deal with the compromises in our own ways, each of us has something different to deal with when it come to our kits.
Bottom line is it is our hobby and we take it as far as we reasonably can. No doubt there is something every one of us would love to do with our kits except for limitations, boundaries not crossed, or .......................compromises.
This hobby is not really different than anything else in life other than it being a priority of sorts for us.
Being a priority it captures our attention and money for that matter. At what point do we say enough?
A dear friend made a good point with me today, you know once you find that you just want to accept your kit as it is then it is just about the music.
I am not there yet, someday maybe, but I find that it is almost addicting to keep pushing my kit further. I am running out of things to push, so that someday is looking like it may be sooner than later.
You mean with all your great stuff, you're not there yet Mike? Kidding though I know what you mean. I'm about as 'there' as I'm going to be for a long, long, time. So it really is about the music right now and I'm loving it. Just remember, when you get it just right, there will always be something else better and unless you have a few thousand oil wells you are on a futile quest lol!
Audiophiles saying that they are "just about there" until they buy the next upgrade and realize that they now have to upgrade everything else in the system to maintain synergy...lol!
In a sense I'm already there in that my house design does not allow me to spend the money to do what I would really want to do. So I allow for that limiting factor and think I'm happy.
