When showing your system to others, what do you do


When you guys demo your system to a hifi virgin whats your procedure? Do you ask musical tastes first before the first song? Do you first play somthing that you feel best demonstrates your gears abilities? and then have them pick somthing out? If they bring some of their own music do you throw that on first? Im curious as to what your opinions are. Since we(the audiophiles) are showing our friends hifi for the first time its our responsibility to make it great, right? I have alwaysed played somthing i pick first to let them relax and adjust and then ask what they want to hear, or put their music on. I have never had someone leave and say that was not enjoyable but im sure i could make the experience more enjoyable. Any comments you have will be much appreciated. thanks
jlind325is
No I am joking by any means whatsoever and at $600K is not even in the realm. I am talking mega bucks. People in this range of equipment have the resources to indulge as they please. When one gets into this range of gear and the ultimate validation of the musical experience to be heard.

Believe me these folks are not trying to impress anyone, they know what they have and what it took to get to that point. Most are in the entertainment business, and indeed have a fine ear to evaluate recorded music. For them it is not dollars spent or to impress anyone. Although there is a pecking order among the elite, it has nothing to do with something as mundane as an audio system.

But most of these systems are custom made, by some of the most gifted designers in the business today. This is not off the shelf units by any means. and the $600K you speak of probably would not buy the speaker cables.

However with that being said it is subjective on how one perceives sound. While one may be very happy with what they have and would not trade it for anything, then that is good and you have found your comfort zone. I certainly have found mine.

With that being said, there are ultimate,no holds barred systems that defy sonic description, which few will ever hear, much less ever own. And in this case dollars do make the difference or many more of us, would have something of this nature.
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I found many years ago that I kept better friends when I never demonstrated my system at all. This was especially true of female company. People just don't relate to the "my toys are better than your toys" scenario especially when the implication is that their toys are inadequate.
Still we are all human and like to show off the result of our labours.
Best not to be in a hurry. I don't even switch on the system the first or second time a new person visits. Most people like to talk about themselves and about things that interest them. Allowing them to talk and joining in with your experience in similar areas makes most people feel at home. After that the system might provide some background music that does not interfere with talking. Eventually the guest will provide a cue by asking you to play a favourite piece or by bringing a CD along and asking you to play that. (If that never happens then you know exactly how much he or she cares.)
By this time you will have a really good idea of what music the person likes and can have a selection of the top recordings in that field set aside.
I have a very large collection of music and can usually contrast different recordings with the one that breaks the ice. For example the same song by different singers or bands, or the same piece by different orchestras and so on. From there things tend to flow pretty naturally on to an in depth listening session.
Why bother? Well the best reward comes when someone has similar interests and can introduce you to music you might not have come across before. Even non audiophiles can have large record collections, which could include some great music you might not have come across before.
thanks for the clarifiaction Ferrari, i understand where your coming from now. I would like to say that my system is by no means at the point where i wouldnt trade it for anything. I just wouldnt trade it for that mega bucks(in my opinion) system i heard. So 600k for speaker cables, you got any pics or descriptions of those bad boys? When i saw/heard Transparent Opus MM speaker cables i thought that was near the top, i guess i was wrong lol. I would love to hear about some of the vinyl rigs these people are running if you have any info on those too. thanks
Amen to that Viridian. How many more American Idol and like shows do we have to suffer with? Oh wait I forgot, its about the Benjamins. How could I have missed that!!!! yet again!!!

But I degress, the thread is about showing off one system to a neophyte??? In the final analysis, who really cares ?? No one but said owner of system asking for validation. The super rich need no such validation of which I have been constantly reminded of for more years than I can possibly remember.

Main thing enjoy what you have and the music one derives from it. If others happen to enjoy - fine - but keep in mind it is not validation. The validation is you and no one else. It all about the music and your perception of recorded music in what medium you choose to listen to.

Listed below are some of the creme d'la creme systems I have heard, over the past 48 years,

Michael Bishop, Telarc Records
Jack Renner, Telarc Records
Bob Woods,Telarc Records
CBS Listening Room, Century City,CA.
Telarc International Corp
Herb Alpert
Ricky Lee Jones
Arturo Sandoval

Of this bunch I remember the Telarc Labs system very well indeed. Oops forgot to menetion the ever changing system we had while I was with CBS NY in the 70s. Sometimes mind boggling and other times mind numbing, but always searching and pushing the envelope of what was possible. Nice when one has those kind of resources to use.