Why are people so defensive about their hifi?

I've read 5 out of the 7 pages of the "expensive cd player" thread by johnny.....

TBH, I dont really see what he did wrong, other than perhaps question some of the "accepted wisdom" of some of the old timers. Maybe i am too drunk to see it but his posts were not all that aggressive to me, its just that he questioned why someone would spend thousands on hifi....

I am not questioning that at all, each to their own, etc, but why are people on here so seemingly defensive of their rigs?

I am sure most people (i.e. 90+ %) have rigs that would, by average joe's opinion, be ****ing amazing to listen to. The differences between different rigs, have in my experience, been fairly minor overall. My rig was far less than a grand for example but its up there with quite a few i've heard, yet i'm yet to hear something i'd consider to be particularly bad, so why is it some are so uptight with their hifis? Does it really matter when they clearly sound damned good anyway?

 

I don't read it that way at all Paul. Read your own post back, look at how use inflection with a mature writing style, a conversational style, most of us do this although some better than others of course.

When I read Johny's posts, fluency is missing and my first thoughts were that English might not be his first language, then I seemed to notice a certain pointedness and short, sharp posting style which suggested he might indeed be an engineering guru. Then I followed some of the 'conversation' and asked myself if he was an engineer and mixed in very different circles to mere listening enthusiasts, why would he bother at all? What could possibly be his motivation? Then I looked at how he ignores well meaningful and polite points and questions addressed directly to him, finally I lookd at a certain technical-tourettes syndrome.

In a pub amongst a real conversation, no matter who was there I don't believe he would last five minutes before someone took offence rather violently or tried to drag him outside.

Time after time I see appeals for him to interact with common courtesy and mutual respect, irrespective of position, values and opinions. I don't think I've seen anything which approaches this yet.

 

Ah well, i cant really see it myself i guess, but i always think people are considerably different in real life than what they are on forums....

I believe that i come across better in person myself than on a forum - i feel it somewhat difficult to truly communicate what i feel in the manner i wish to communicate it with on a forum... for other people it does seem to come naturally but not to me really and perhaps, not to johnny either!

I still want to know why people are so quick not only to be so defensive but to be so insulting towards other people on forums like these... its quite funny to read to be honest, and i tend not to get involved, not worth it and lifes too short, but when i've been to bake offs, everyone is totally polite to each others face, and i cant really believe that anyone on here has a bad rig.

 

Paul,

It's not just HiFi. We like our cars, houses, watches, cloths etc.etc. Some of us get hurt when our choice is criticised. We all like to assume we have made a good buy, have good taste and all other bollox and if anyone disagrees we don't like it because it makes us look less clever. In a way we like to fit in and be thought of as clever clogs.

 

People are always defensive about the things they won or the things they want, its human nature.

 

Wives?

 

I guess your right, but I must admit I find life much more pleasant to not give a ****

 

Hello,

I was one of the ones who felt offended and gave a little back.
He asked a question then would not reply to questions asked.
When replies were given he would mock.
He talked about designing equipment, yet it seemed he did not know how to describe the REDBOOK CD standard, , He decided I was talking nonsence when I tried to describe the "watts filter" (ie Chord DAC 64 WTA), He said there was no difference between CD transports, and they were nothing like turntables.
He accused me of not having as good a system as him because I did not design my equipment therefor knew nothing about why it sounded like it did.

We then find out he knows nothing about digital electronics, has a £150.+ Marantz 6000 with slightly modded analogue output stage, has designed his own amps by ear with no measuring kit, and could give no technical details, all driving a small pair of PMC's in a room which is 13 + 13 + 8.

He continued to talk down to us and be offensive, even after I gave some technical views, my own findings, and what I have read and been told.

We were then asked to tone down a little, so I deleted all my posts apart from the red book details.

For my part,
I am 34 years old, 35 next month.
I have been interested in audio equipment for the last 20 years, have helped out in second hand shops, and bought and sold and demo'ed more Hi Fi than I care to remember, I still have too much equipment.
I have 12 CD playing sources ranging from £200 to £7.5k with around four systems, various speakers and cables.(only because I used to have this habit of putting stuff in a spare room when something new came around, and never seem to have the inclination to give it away for praticaly nothing unless I have to)

I am interested in neutral, "full" range , dynamic , detailed yet musical equipment, though I like high end its not the be all and end all, besides I cannot afford it (most of my kit is from the 90's). I am poor, and can be grumpy.

 

Well, I'm reliably informed that is has been known to happen. To those lucky sods, I'd like to ask if it hurts?

 

I've only been here a few days and it seems like a pretty ok place to gain some hifi knowledge and help (cheers Z). Like other forums I am a member of it also has it's fair share of dust offs! If you think Johnny's performance is bad you should read some of the row's on the kite forums I am a member of.

I do agree he seem's a little Trollish but if thats the case just hit the ignore button......or if it's truely unbearablethen the Mods should clear him up


Now that I've got that off my chest I'll just go and continue building my new kit from some old cats whiskers, half a potato and the orange pipe I found under the fridge.

 

Originally Posted by Dev
Paul,

It's not just HiFi. We like our cars, houses, watches, cloths etc.etc.



Cloths?

 

Well, quite. Unless you make the stuff yourself or own shares in the companies that make it, criticism of one's hifi should be met with a condescending smile, and pity for the poor deaf soul who is unable to appreciate good sound when he hears it.

 

But if you like what you like and it gives you personally pleasure and satisfaction, do you really care what other folk think of it? I know I don't. Perhaps I'm used to having a minority taste in my attitude to equipment/music and, on sites such as this, a very minority attitude to cables/stands/tweaks/whatever, but I really don't care, and personally I think neither should anyone else.

 

"If you think Johnny's performance is bad you should read some of the rows on the kite forums"

lol

I appreciate this new sense of perspective. Give us a flavour of the points at issue ...

... is there an objectivist vs subjectivist debate

... just how close to the wind do you get [embarrassed]

 

Indeed. The standard J-cloth is clearly inferior to the hand-woven cloth I use. This was made in the Peruvian mountains from only the very fines llama wool, by peasant craftswomen who are taught their weaving skills by their mothers, using techniques honed over many centuries.

Granted, the cloths I use cost £2000 each, but given their quality they are actually something of a bargain.

 

OK I can't spell!, wot's ur point? I'm tempted to correct my post but I won't do that to you.

 

Well you did ask

 

Nope, I like it. That's all that matters. As for other stuff like clothes (or cloths), I have NEVER knowingly worn designer. I think the designers should pay me for all the free advertising rather than asking me to pay through the nose for them.

Cars are different though.

 

Because they're things we own.

Haven't you ever come across the person with an alfa romeo who when you say how unreliable they are responds "Oh no, they're really not bad like that. It's only broken down twice, needed five tappets and a wuffenvalve by 30000 miles". Then when they sell up and buy something else, in retrospect they'll say "Oh, it was terrible", but while they own it they can't admit that it might not be brilliant.

 

I've never owned an ALFA but I still have an emotional attachment to them. It's difficult not to like them if you've driven some good ones. The screaming V6s makes a lot of HiFi systems redundant IMO.