The Best Compliment You've Gotten On Your Rig?

Years ago, using a far different system than I do now (a pair of old Quad ESLs, driven by ARC electronics and of course a vinyl source, cheating a little by using a small set of rear speakers on a delay line), my dear, late audio friend Chuck Lamonica commented: "You can kiss every note."

About 20 years ago, my daughter then 13 years old, suddenly arrived at recognition walking by while I was tweaking my tone arm while listening. She stopped in her tracks and just gazed in astonishment. Before that she could never understand what it was that made me have to pay so much attention to my gear. She thought it was just a macho man thing. That's when I knew I "had it goin on, man"

There was that one chick who said:

"Oh my, look at those giant speakers....I want you now!"

That was a pretty good one.

I have a friend who lives in Bali and visits Sydney every year.
After lunch....we inevitably sit down to listen to vinyl, whereupon Pavarotti singing Nessum Dorma on Decca brings tears and uncontrollable sobbing from this wizened old hardnose.

But often a delivery man will look incredulously on his way out and remark....."Do you still play records?!"

Try telling anyone not invested in this stuff how happy you are with your new power supply. The tube amp does elicit some surprise since you can see the tubes, and I just tell people, "don't be frightened". Unless you are hanging with another audiophile it's interesting how hard it is to listen to anything with another person...especially when "entertaining". I always have some background music on (instrumental jazz usually...my preferred background stuff), but you look like a jerk if you say..."hey...listen to how GREAT this new LP/CD/Streamed whatever sounds like" and then you MAYBE have 8 seconds before attention goes back to conversation...as it should actually. It is a solo hobby...a shame really...I remember an entire room of us listening to maybe a new Yes album or something through my fabulous KLH Model 20 (anybody have one of those? The non FM tuner one) in the 70s. I guess we didn't drink as much or something.