Sorry but I have to ask

Can anyone tell me ,is the HI FI hobby/religion something that only men are passionate about? I expect that it's an invasion of privacy or something equally non-PC to actually dare ask if members here are male or female.
The reason I ask is this. I have been married for a little under 50 years.During all that time I have only ever owned what I consider to be very nice sounding equipment. Having started my working life with Western Electric which later became Westrex and being familiar with Westrex Acoustilens and 20-80/20-90 systems I got used to listening to some extra nice sounds. Although I couldn't match those sounds it at least enabled me to know that I was on the right path.
However (and this gets back to my first sentence) my wife is completely unable to appreciate the difference between a completely off-tune M.W. radio station and anything coming out of the HI FI.She is also incapable of actually listening to any type of music for more than about 2 mins without asking a question about something totally unrelated,coughing,clearing her throat,turning the pages of the newspaper or doing a crossword, sometimes all of the above simultaneously.
Now obviously, having been married for as long as we have,I love her.But I am curious to know whether she is unique or has anyone else got a similar model?

 

I have one too, mine is very nice to look at, keeps me fed and watered and has produced two fantastic children. The house is always cleanish and tidyish, but I am a messy bastard so it's a never ending task. I also love her very much and would not trade her in under any circumstances.
However her lack of music appreciation gets right on my tits, she refuses to have any hifi in the main house, so I am forced to listen in my garden office and then she moans I spend to long up here ! I have now, after employing various psychological techniques tricked her into allowing speakers in the conservatory, so once I have completed the 300 little jobs she has drawn up I will be able to enjoy my music without going to the office. I shall be using a squeezebox into a mf CD-pre 24 which sound very bloody good and also avoids the requirement of having cds in the house, also not permitted.

 

granville if you are happy in life, it is the most important thing, enjoy

Its a shame she doesnt share your passion. Perhaps some top quality headphones, and she can still be with you?


I must admit, as time passes, the unthinkable thought of ''not having massive hornloaded speakers and 3 power amps etc '' in the living room doesnt sound quite so horrible any more.

Being without someone who loves you, not in the same ballpark !

Maybe it's an age thing....

 

I've lived with several woman over the years. None of them has ever shown any interest in, or appreciation of, good quality music reproduction.

 

Samantha, who sometimes posts here, seems to be a HiFi enthusiast. My younger daughter shows interest in sound quality but my wife and elder daughter do not. So I'd say there are some women that are interested in HiFi, it's not the sole preserve of the male species.

 

hey dev, i must very lucky, i think i am.

 

I have been married for sixty years i have been a HIFI nut for fifty so you can see i have had my share of gear coming and going. My wife listens to the music i play of a
night before we watch TV or a Video and enjoys it. But what gets me mad is she says
they are all boxes they all look the same.I love her dearly and find it hard to think of
ever being alone but i wonder what sort of box she will pick for me one of the same i
suppose. Noel W.

 

There is a knowledgeable lady who posts here.

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/

 

Well, for my wife (22 years and counting) hearing was beliving as she showed extreme scepticism when I spent my 'boat' money on a second-hand amp. She was equally enthusiastic to pull out various CDs and LPs one after another to 'see what THIS sounds like!'

We now sped time together in the music room and are still moved by the improvement in sound reproduction.

Having said that, I've just splashed £2.5k on a boat so my planned speaker upgrade will have to wait because I simply cant get spouse-support for more expenditure on my hobbies!

Its the music

 

Nope.

I have been into music / hifi for all my adult life. It is my hobby, one that my fella is just 'coming round' to ..... He does joke about the fact I MUST have the speakers well away from the walls, irrespective of whether that means you cannot use one chair and be able to see the TV. And I have a huge amount of space taken up by my record collection. Plus have sunk a rather large amount of cash into my hobby ....... and will have friends over that are like-minded and we will enjoy music together, taking turns to chose stuff to play, often with lights dimmed and wine being consumed.

He has even been dragged to shows and bake offs with me - bless 'im.

 

the enjyment of shearing both tv and my wife watches all soaps as well as football. but come sat evening tv off phone off both we go to the music room, bottle of spanish wine and music till dawn....bliss
nando.

 

I've often wondered who lives in that house ......3 o/c in the morning ......Ravels bolero blaring out .........

 

samantha, have you got a sister?

 

I would say my wife's tolerant and comprehensive, that's as far as she'd go. Then, she's Danish, so what do you expect?

We've recently moved to a new house in the countryside and the hi-fi placing question eventually arised. I offered her to put my rig in the spare bedroom downstairs, but she'd rather place it in the main living room: "I want to spend some time with you or at least be a witness of your presence in the house", she said.

Now I'm able to look at my valve amp, turntable and a pair of big (1, 6 metres tall) horns will be soon conquering the room. Thus I'd be blessed with Thomas the Train, Little Einsteins, Spiderman, Bob Sponge, Gormitti, El Zorro. I could even turn the valve amp on and watch "High Fidelity" Cartoons. You know, no sibilance, inteligible vocals, mesmerizing dynamic swings :cry:

Little did he know...

Of course I love her.

My revenge? Want design? Well, only Ikea for at least a couple of years, I say!

Regards,

Vincula

 

lol.

Sadly, I'm a one-off.

 

My Mum is the only lady I know who appreciates good sound reproduction. I can't say she is interested in hi-fi itself, but she has an interested because of the end result of enjoying the music more. She is very sensitive to most things, so really hates nasty distortion and room reflections etc..

My girlfriend is a Music graduate, and she also appreciates good sound, although it isn't a requirement to her for enjoying music. I think she is learning though about good sound since she has been living with me though She gets quite excited when she can hear the difference of some change I make.

P.S. Sorry for my bad writing today, feeling a bit lazy, lol.

 

Most ladies I know don't appreciate the obsession/OCD bits of hifi - I recall enthusing over some WBT hi-line phonos fitted to a rather nice cable ............ it was one of these whistling winds as tumbleweed rolled across the floor moments ;-)
I think the end product (good sound) is appreciated but the minutiai and detail is thought of as a bit sad - "Yeah, it sounds nice,. . . . but . . . Gods sake!"
There's a parallel with motoring , honourable exceptions excluded, Samantha, my current partner likes a quick car (in the past has driven Volvo T5, Impreza P1) but mention Koni shockers or the much missed skills of the late Bill Blydenstein in terms of cylinder head gas flowing and you can forget it.
Also the reproduction of music (as opposed to live music/instruments) is seen as an artifact, merely requiring to be acceptable.

 

That can really put people off.
Some of what we do seems utterly bonkers to those outside of our little bubble.

 

quote

like i said i am lucky, no neighbours complain, we all enjoy roots reggae, soul and what ever the mood and soul demands, as for bolero no i leave that to T.&D/. TA

 

Nando - what Roots reggae would you recommend? (off topic I know but need to ask!)