Does your family get a say in hifi purchases?

[Anonymous]

igglebert:It never ceases to amaze me how society 'allows' television to be on in the lounge by default but hifi has to be by exception. At least, that's the way I see it happen. Hifi is a nuisance that gets some air time but then the TV is the immediate default when I'm done. Personally one of my compromises has been having a TV at all as if it was my house alone then I'd only have an ickle one in the kitchen.Living alone I can have the tv in the bedroom and not the livingroom so when folks do come over its not instantly switched on and people staring like zombies. Its fortunate that most friends would also listen to music than watch tv. 🙂

the next hopefully bigger flat it'll probably be tucked into the spare room.

@ Chebby - Do you have a flickr site? I'm still very much learning, but hopefully going to pick up a Canon EOS 450D in the next few months as the manual focus on the bridge camera is annoying the hell out of me.

 

[chebby]

fast eddie:@ Chebby - Do you have a flickr site? I'm still very much learning, but hopefully going to pick up a Canon EOS 450D in the next few months as the manual focus on the bridge camera is annoying the hell out of me.

Yes...

[url deleted]

 

[John Duncan]

Mark Ellis:The only thing she wont let me have is a turntable...

My wife bought me mine

 

[John Duncan]

andyb190:
JohnDuncan:My wife's Mulberry bag cost as much as the Neutrons. I got some swoons behind me in the queue in John Lewis when I bought it........

Are you sure it was the bag ?

Or were they heard to say..'Isn't that the front runner in the WHS&V Personality of the Year Award 2008 ?'

No, I think it was the line "my wife bought this 35 quid bag and I think it looks cheap - can I swap it for this 400 pound one?"

Admittedly all the people in the queue in JL Kingston did look like this:

 

[Anonymous]

They're some fantastic pictures!

 

[chebby]

fast eddie:They're some fantastic pictures!

Thanks.

 

[Pike900fish]

In my household it's always (sadly!) been me who investigates, auditions and purchases the HiFi...My wife loves music and can play anything from an Alto Sax to a clarinet but when listening likes to do something else. She would never sit in the ultimate position between two speakers and just listen to the music.

To her, she thinks all systems sound the same and refers to HiFi shops as "Shops with big windows". Like recently, when upgrading my system she said" oh..I see the cardboard boxes are arriving again" It's a shame but there you go.

Don't get me wrong, I've found the same reaction when i've bought new motorbikes in the past (she's a biker too!) but I think some people and not just women don't see leisure items as a necessity.

My daughters think I'm just mad and my son prefers his ipod and computer based system...oh and his live playing of course!

I've got a brother-in-law who has often said "when you going to stop buying all these bits and pieces and buy a proper system"..He means a speaker package supplied with his TV and all in one midi system!..Still..the flashing lights on his Graphic Equaliser look nice..eh?

 

[Anonymous]

Collectus:What I want to know though is why wives think it's so boring and unnecessary? What would they prefer instead?

Well, mine was quite happy with a telly and a stereo. She thinks that finding the right TV, the right amp, the right speakers, the right blu-ray player etc. is just plain unnecessary. As long as it is a HDTV, it doesn't matter whether it is a plasma or LCD let alone Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, LG, Samsung, Phllips, Toshiba, Sharp, JVC etc...

Even now, I think that she feels that, although she admits everything I've bought produces excellent pictures and sound, it wouldn't really have made much difference what piece of kit I bought really.

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:Mark Ellis:The only thing she wont let me have is a turntable... My wife bought me mine

And that makes me feel better how?

 

[John Duncan]

Mark Ellis:
Collectus:What I want to know though is why wives think it's so boring and unnecessary? What would they prefer instead?

Well, mine was quite happy with a telly and a stereo. She thinks that finding the right TV, the right amp, the right speakers, the right blu-ray player etc. is just plain unnecessary. As long as it is a HDTV, it doesn't matter whether it is a plasma or LCD let alone Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, LG, Samsung, Phllips, Toshiba, Sharp, JVC etc...

Even now, I think that she feels that although she admits everything I've bought produces excellent pictures and sound, it wouldn't really have made much difference what piece of kit I bit really.

Same here - "so why do you need nine guitars?"

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:

It does continue to puzzle me how many women will condone - nay, encourage - expensive ornamental furniture/room 'dressing' that has no function whatsoever yet see expenditure on AV kit as 'wasted' money when it has the capacity to entertain and move you like no damn sculptured bauble can.

Clare - apart from agreeing with you, I just wanted to say that I like your new avatar...

 

[Anonymous]

My bird does appreciate good sound/vision, but Ive been extremely creative with telling her the cost..

A case in point is when I recently got a new Bryston 4B SST power amp. I convinced her it was a 'lesser' brand than Cyrus and was c. £200!

If she did a simple google search, id be in trouble!

 

[nickers1969]

My wife absolutely loves our living room system! Particularly since i invested in the logitech Harmony remote!!!

Before we got married she didn't have a clue - but now she's quite the expert!

However, she swoons at all the gobeldy **** language re: cables and specs etc!

So,

 

[Anonymous]

Collectus:What I want to know though is why wives think it's so boring and unnecessary? What would they prefer instead?

To go shopping for shoes with a friend. Lunch and a chat to follow and then home to proceed to ring same friend and chat for further 25 minutes. A viewing of some soap or program about sick children follows dinner and then she pops round same friends house to 'catch up' (probably on the soap)

My OH would like for me to point out that this a concentration of all my friends experiences and nothing to do with her. She won't go round Vera's to count shoes 'til I've let you know.

 

[Andy Clough]

thfcwestlower:
My bird does appreciate good sound/vision, but Ive been extremely creative with telling her the cost..

A case in point is when I recently got a new Bryston 4B SST power amp. I convinced her it was a 'lesser' brand than Cyrus and was c. £200!

If she did a simple google search, id be in trouble!

My brother-in-law did a similar thing. Bought some very expensive interconnects (we're talking three figures) and made me swear not to tell my sister the real cost. She could have fed the kids for a month...

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:fast eddie:They're some fantastic pictures!

Thanks.

No , they are seriously good.I've just spent an enjoyable 45 minutes looking at them.

Now, I know nothing about photography, so take this as a purely personal aesthetic judgement,but I don't find the colour landscapes as captivating as the b&w which are unusually warm and have depth. The way you frame some of the architectural shots is superb. My fave is the Yellow Gates which due to the colouring and shape I found strangely oriental.

Good work and has anyone ever said a Bowler suits you.

 

[Anonymous]

My wife likes the stereo but not the music I play. She does not therefore spend much time listening! In fact so much so she made me relocate the hi-fi to the extension which used to be the dining room!!! Now she complains that she doesn't see me enough!!!! However she does have a say in purchases...this is usually no but occasionally she relents. Infact to be fair I value her opinion, for instance a couple of years ago I spent a day shortlisting speakers before inviting her input on the final choice - happily we agreed on the PMC's. Just recently she sat with me and listened to some Leonard Cohen....we'd been having a few drinks!.... when she acknowledged how fantastic it was to listen to on (my) system - result! I then said I was thinking of upgrading the CD Player, she said 'Forget it' or words to that effect.

 

[Craig M.]

i've got to say that my gf so far has been 100% behind recent upgrades. i initially tried to convince her we needed new speakers by pointing out how much nicer they looked, i needn't have bothered, once she heard the difference in sound she was nearly as keen as me to upgrade. i had drugged her beforehand though.......

however, i feel there will be more resistance should (when) i want to upgrade again.

chebby, only had a brief look, but well done on the abbey interior shot. tricky lighting.

 

[Anonymous]

Craig M.:
i had drugged her beforehand though.......

however, i feel there will be more resistance should (when) i want to upgrade again.

Just use the Roofies again

 

[survivor]

No.

I got my B&W685`s in light oak to match the decor, a silver and frosted glass Atacama rack for the same reason, not to mention a Project Xperience X-pack turntable only because it is largely a glass colour which also blends in with the decor. What more does she want?

 

[survivor]

JohnDuncan:My wife's Mulberry bag cost as much as the Neutrons. I got some swoons behind me in the queue in John Lewis when I bought it........

Could have been the fact you were recognised as the singer/guitarist from Waxed.

 

[survivor]

BigGuads:No Chance! My Mrs thinks ours only cost about 3k! The day she discovers searching for equipment on the internet I'm DEAD!

Same here. If I suddenly disappear one day and you never hear from me again you`ll know what`s happened. My wife will have done her impersonation of Caesar

 

[survivor]

chebby:fast eddie:@ Chebby - Do you have a flickr site? I'm still very much learning, but hopefully going to pick up a Canon EOS 450D in the next few months as the manual focus on the bridge camera is annoying the hell out of me. Yes... http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorhare

Just looked at your pictures. Absolutely stunning, You must be very proud of them.

I didn`t realise you could get such good results from a Kodak disposable.

 

[JoelSim]

My g/f thinks it's crazy and childish, but every day when I get home from work it's switched on and something is playing. I have an ally in the 13 month old who seems to love music.

I am 100% responsible for buying new kit, as I would find it hard to justify the expense, I've been guilty of underestimating the cost of various components from time to time but she readily agrees that it sounds sublime and is made easier by her friends saying what a nice system it is when they come round too.

I recently had to give her the replacement value of c. £8k for the insurance - oh how she laughed! Think I just about got away with it by telling her that it is all second hand, again a bit of a white lie, although I've never paid RRP for anything.

She definitely thinks I'm sad for reading hifi mags tho'. She's gone out on a mum's night out now so I have the stereo on, glass of wine in hand, 1/2 of the ultimate guide to browse...

Now that's an idea, do you think I'll get away with that big f**koff Krell amp without her noticing? Perhaps I could tell her that it will save us on heating bills during the winter, we could all sit around it, perhaps cook a couple of eggs on it too. And I really fancy trying out the more expensive Quad electrostatics too, you know what? I really want to hear all these - Clare/Andrews, how about a competition to win a few hours helping to judge the next Ultimate HiFi guide? I suspect there will be quite a few of us 'virgins' with mid range kit (under £10k) who would really appreciate something that they are unlikely to ever achieve by hearing just how good it can be.

By the way page 38, 'deceiving', isn't the correct word 'deceptive'? There you go I will proof read a whole article in exchange for a listen at WHF Towers = Krell, dcs and Wilsons please, amongst others, although I doubt it will hold a candle to my iPod now I've relocated it to the granite chopping board and put half lemons underneath the corners to counter vibration and installed my AVI actives in the broom cupboard.

ÿAnd by the way JD, a handbag for 400 notes? Now that is crazy! I bet it's out of fashion next year, and the hifi will still be on.ÿ

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Well, having been in and out of the industry since 1989, my partner is used to boxes coming and going and has never been afraid to express an opinion (I remember one particular speaker inducing the threat of me being thrown out on the street if I didn't unplug it!). We both have a love of music so appreciate the value of any system through the enjoyment it brings. We watch films and music DVDs together through an AV system.

But, what is this 'purchase' concept of which you speak? 😉