getting people into 2 channel audio.....

I had something similar happen to me. My mom was helping me move, when we got everything in the new place she started telling me where she thought things should go, playing interior decorator. Her opinion was that one of my speakers should go in one corner, and the other in the corner diagonal to it so that I could have "surround sound" and of course to hide my speakers. Um...yeah. Whatever.

I've never been able to convert anyone to two-channel. People get so sucked in by mass marketed big-box store garbage that all they want is "surround sound" or something made by Bose. Something behind them and something to go BOOM.

In high school I was lucky enough to have a pair of magneplanars. Five or so of my friends at that time went from boom boxes and walkmans to good quality stereo systems after hearing the magneplanars. I'm assuming that the love of music and good sound can be at a critical forming point when we are the height of hormones and emotions. One of my friends has gotten into hi fi recently and is neering 50. I dragged him into a shop when I was looking into the Watt/Puppys. The dealer played some dynamic pop music at full volume and my buddy was hooked then and there. He is no longer a Bose person.

Sc53,

...and what does it take to be your friend?

Just kidding! Nice post BTW!

cheers...

Recently for Christmas put the finest, musical, least expensive system together for my dad. Bought a used mint Kenwood KR-2120 Rec.($22),
Electro-Voice Bookshelf Spks.($35), 80's Hitachi CDP (1st
CDP I owned, still mint/perfect), and 25' of AQ Type 2 speaker-wire. ($10) This system sounds absolutely wonderful. The EV's lack bottom-end, but the most important mid-range is exceptional. The Kenwood will pick up stations (in stereo) w/o an antenna! He's very pleased. Everyone who's listened to one of my system's has been surprised at the sound quality possible given the cost of the equipment.

I watch little TV, few movies, but go to alot of live music concerts - all types of music. "stereo" or two - channel sound is what it is all about for me; not matter what kind of system a person can afford. I like and respect you guys in Audiogon and in the 'high end community', and log on to Audiogon every few months to read the forums.... I guess I really belong on the "audioasylum vintage" forum; I buy older stuff cheap... I guess what is referred to as "mid-fi".
I kind of knew I had an uphill battle with my friend mentioned in the post when I said, "You get better cassette copies when you hook two separate single tape decks together than with a double cassette deck." He looked at me blankly and I think he said, "what???" I did not say anything, I did not know exactly how to explain it to him.....
THAT I guess lets you know how far I am into high end sound... I still run cassettes. I DO have two Nakamichis, three three head Yamahas, And I have a five Auto-Reverse single decks hooked up to timers to record radio broadcasts....... my computer using, MP3 using, music burning friends really make fun of me and my stack of cassette decks and timers...... Hey - it is analog! We'll see ya, JB