Disappointing Evening

Showing a normal person your all tube system is like asking them do they want to see your coin collection. Most people won't care. Don't be insulted. It's not like you're interested in their carved ivory figurines.

What I've noticed is that people who like music don't pay attention to the equipment, but they get giddy when they see my music collection (either physical or computer files). Friends will spend time looking for specific recordings or will ask if I have something. It really puts a smile on their faces when I actually have some recording they haven't heard in years. Typically they say it sounds good, but they really aren't paying attention to the sound. It's about the music.

In my experience B&O makes pretty decent sounding equipment that has solid engineering behind it. They were one of the early proponents of moving coil cartridges, Dolby HX significantly advanced cassette recordings, they were one of the first to emphasis a speaker's phase performance and more recently they engineered the ICE amplifier modules. I think of them as a true audiophile company.

Well, since I'm still not happy with the sound of my system, I definitley don't concern myself with attempting to impress anyone else with it. Markpao, insulted!? Don't be. We are a tiny niche group in society. No one gets us or the "expensive" gear we buy.

My best friend and his family from out of town were visiting us for the weekend and stayed at my house. He knows I have this big interest in audio and thinks I will never stop changing out speakers and other gear. During the weekend, he never once mentioned my system or asked about it, and he was sitting in the same room with it; not even to ask about those "tubes" sticking out of the tube preamp, and I know he never sees vacuum tubes.

A dinner party is a social get-together centering around conversation. Listening to music carefully is a silent, solitary activity. There's a disconnect between the two. I actually think your guests were polite to listen quietly for a few minutes. It means they were likely pretty interested, but other priorities exist.

A slightly different story: I was listening to music on my main rig one afternoon recently when my four year-old daughter comes in and quietly sits on my lap, waking up from her nap. The first thing she says to me is, "Daddy, your speakers are working really good." I was so pleased I didn't even correct her grammar!

That's daddy's little girl and proud papa! Very nice!! When I was in first grade, I would sometimes go to my best friends house after school. I would always head straight for his parents stereo and listen to their records. I recall my favorite one being Herb Albert "Whipped Cream and Other Delights".

My friend never understood why I was so interested in his parents records!