Reaction to your system from non enthusiasts

[MajorFubar]

What reaction does your system have on non HiFi enthusiasts? Do they ‘get it’, even if they aren’t really interested in HiFi? Or do they think you’ve lost the plot?

For the most part, I get indifference. Few non enthusiasts rarely comment on the sound, good or bad.

If I told them how much the components cost when new, they’d think I was mad (even though I bought most of them second hand, other than my TT (gift), my Nak and my speakers).

The only instance I can think of was a good many years ago, there was one acquaintance I had who was a massive Vangelis fan. One time when he came round I just happened to be playing the album ‘The City’ and he was totally convinced that I had a completely different mix to the one he had and knew so well. Every few minutes he was like, “that sound’s not on this track on my album”, and, “that reverb effect is completely different”. He never would believe that I ha completely the same CD, even though I showed him the case.

 

[chebby]

Generally, friends & family turn their tellys off, or down, when we visit and I pay them the same courtesy when they visit us.

Once, when we were having some building work done, I turned up my old Naim system to mask the noise going on in the kitchen.

One of the builders came in to ask something - whilst it was still playing loud - and was very impressed by the sound.

I was playing LPs on my old Rega P2 at the time, and he found it difficult to believe the record player was the source of the music because he had always assumed all records had to sound crackly and scratched.

On another occasion, when the builder wandered in again, I was playing Radio 4 and he thought I had someone in the room arguing with me! (It was a radio play.) Again, a similar conversation ensued. He had always assumed radio had to be hissy and tinny sounding.

 

[Anonymous]

Having told my friends that before moving out I plan to spend about £7,000 on my Hi-Fi, they all think I'm nuts....

I've only ever let one of my friends properly hear my system, as a drummer he kept commenting on how easy it was to tell what kind of drums (and what they're made from) people were using in certain recordings. He even picked out that on one of Chris Rea's albums, he goes through 3 different builds of snare drum. He appreciates that this isn't something he can do with his Arcam/Mission setup. I'm assuming I have the detail box ticked then...

I'd like to think that my system would blow away any 'non-believers' but the problem is the room it's in....

 

[chebby]

I'd like to think that my system would blow away any 'non-believers' ...

Why is that important to you? Isn't the pleasure you get from your £7000 system enough without having to 'blow away' other people's systems?

As for those 'non-believers', aren't they really people who (a) have other financial priorities, or (b) can't afford £7000 systems, or (c) are just not really interested in how much a system costs in the same way that I am not interested in how much golf clubs or state-of-the-art fishing tackle costs?

The use of terms like 'believers' and 'non-believers' makes us sound like some kind of cult.

Having told my friends that before moving out I plan to spend about £7,000 on my Hi-Fi, they all think I'm nuts....

I've only ever let one of my friends properly hear my system

So you tell all your friends how much the hifi cost you, but only 'let' one of them listen to it. What is that about?

 

[matthewpiano]

Couldn't give a monkeys what anyone else thinks of my system. It is for the enjoyment of myself and my other half. I never tell people how much I've spent. Why would they be interested??

 

[jockey.wilson]

What reaction does your system have on non HiFi enthusiasts?

"...you spent HOW much???"

or

"...what do all those black boxes do???"

 

[BenLaw]

I'd like to think that my system would blow away any 'non-believers' ...

Why is that important to you? Isn't the pleasure you get from your £7000 system enough without having to 'blow away' other people's systems?

As for those 'non-believers', aren't they really people who (a) have other financial priorities, or (b) can't afford £7000 systems, or (c) are just not really interested in how much a system costs in the same way that I am not interested in how much golf clubs or state-of-the-art fishing tackle costs?

The use of terms like 'believers' and 'non-believers' makes us sound like some kind of cult.

It's more (d), that there are 'carers' and 'non-carers' I reckon. There are plenty of people out there and on the forum who care, but fall into your (a) or (b). Most of them would appreciate a good (expensive) system.

I don't think the golf / fishing analogy works tho, because music and TV are something that the vast majority of people consume. So 'carers' are people who care about getting the best out of that. I'm sure there are golfers who play casually, but the majority of people don't play at all.

The only reason I would tell anyone the cost of my system is if they're friends and I think it'll give them a good laugh, ie take the mick out of me a bit. I'm fine with that, it is kind of crazy I like to play my system to friends when they come over, who are almost exclusively 'non-carers'. They get to choose the music if they want. If they can tell the difference, great; if they can't, at least there's some music on that they like

 

[Anonymous]

My wife is a believer, enough said.

 

[Anonymous]

My wife is a now believer, enough said.

 

[Anonymous]

I've only ever let one of my friends properly hear my system, as a drummer he kept commenting on how easy it was to tell what kind of drums (and what they're made from) people were using in certain recordings

I have the same experience. The only friends to ever comment on my system were musicians. One of my friends is a guitar player and I literally made his jaw drop when I played some acoustic guitar piece. And that was on my Arcam/Kef AV setup, before I had the Rega DAC...

Most people don't get it, and that's fine with me. I usually don't speak of the cost of my setup either, and people don't ask. It gets annoying though when people try to impress me with their €100 miniset and expect me to agree that their kit is 'almost as good' as mine.

 

[the record spot]

My friends know I like music a lot and they see the stereo, but it's not a talking point, though it does take up room (too much). That said, they enjoyed the blu-ray of Star Trek when it was on a few weeks back!

 

[Olli1324]

None of my friends think it is normal to spend £650 on headphones! Listening to good hifi is not something that any of them are particularly interested. Try comparing it to come people's clothes shopping though - lots of my friends have as much, or more, invested in their wardrobe as I do in my hifi stuff.

 

[shooter]

They want it.

 

[Paul.]

"Why does it all have to be so big? Cant you have a smaller one?"

 

[Anonymous]

I'd like to think that my system would blow away any 'non-believers' ...

Why is that important to you? Isn't the pleasure you get from your £7000 system enough without having to 'blow away' other people's systems?

As for those 'non-believers', aren't they really people who (a) have other financial priorities, or (b) can't afford £7000 systems, or (c) are just not really interested in how much a system costs in the same way that I am not interested in how much golf clubs or state-of-the-art fishing tackle costs?

The use of terms like 'believers' and 'non-believers' makes us sound like some kind of cult.

It's not that I require it to - obviously my system is tailored to my own ears. But if you bought an expensive car that was very quick, you'd like to think that it would impress your friends when they hopped in.

Having told my friends that before moving out I plan to spend about £7,000 on my Hi-Fi, they all think I'm nuts....

I've only ever let one of my friends properly hear my system

So you tell all your friends how much the hifi cost you, but only 'let' one of them listen to it. What is that about?

Not so much 'let', more a case of only one has ever heard it, bad wording on my part. I mostly go to their houses, only one ever really comes here to hear it at all. Not uncluding my girlfriend, who simply winces and says "Would you please turn that down!". Notice I didn't use a question mark... :roll:

 

[plastic penguin]

We don't care how others react or don't. When family comes around we talk family stuff - not hi-fi. Of course I have a friend who likes to talk shop, occasionally bringing new music to play...

Our hi-fi is purely for us plus the cat...

 

[plastic penguin]

I'd like to think that my system would blow away any 'non-believers' ...

Why is that important to you? Isn't the pleasure you get from your £7000 system enough without having to 'blow away' other people's systems?

As for those 'non-believers', aren't they really people who (a) have other financial priorities, or (b) can't afford £7000 systems, or (c) are just not really interested in how much a system costs in the same way that I am not interested in how much golf clubs or state-of-the-art fishing tackle costs?

The use of terms like 'believers' and 'non-believers' makes us sound like some kind of cult.

It's not that I require it to - obviously my system is tailored to my own ears. But if you bought an expensive car that was very quick, you'd like to think that it would impress your friends when they hopped in.

Having told my friends that before moving out I plan to spend about £7,000 on my Hi-Fi, they all think I'm nuts....

I've only ever let one of my friends properly hear my system

So you tell all your friends how much the hifi cost you, but only 'let' one of them listen to it. What is that about?

Not so much 'let', more a case of only one has ever heard it, bad wording on my part. I mostly go to their houses, only one ever really comes here to hear it at all. Not uncluding my girlfriend, who simply winces and says "Would you please turn that down!". Notice I didn't use a question mark... :roll:

I've had fast cars before and couldn't give a stuff if people like it or not. Pure self-indulgence IMO.

 

[azorro]

If someone of my guests is interested in music and my hifi is playing, usual comments are "What a clear and clean sound!", "It almost seems real musicians are playing, I didn't known it was possible at home!", "No distorsions even when you turn up the volume!". Then, when they aks the price (and I do not have a very costly system), the typical reaction is "that's a lot..." and are no loger interested in the subject... But many of them spend lots of money on smartphones and other gadgets like that... usually exchanged or broken after few months.