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The dumbest stereo experience ever!

Hello all. I went through a divorce 20 years ago. I really needed to convert some equipment into cash. I sold amongst other things my prized Sony TC 880-2 open reel recorder. I had a lengthy conversation with the buyer typical of us lovers of gear. I told him my situation and he said he would sell it back to me when I got back on my feet down the road. OK, fair enough. I lost track of him as this was pre Audiogon. I managed to locate him five years later. Someone informed me that he had 125 open reel decks and his wife wouldn't let him buy any more. (terrible woman!) I got him on the phone and after another lengthy chat I asked him if I could buy it back. He didn't want to sell it back as he said he didn't even have time to play with it yet. OK, I thought; I'm a horse trader. SURELY I have some bargaining power. I have many studio open reel tapes. I could trade him some of them plus cash in exchange for the Sony back. I asked him what kind of music he listened to. Here is what he said "Oh, I don't listen to music. I just like to watch the reels go around". I was dumbfounded. I told him to have a nice day and I hung up the phone. Can anyone top this one? Joe
128x128jnovak
Post removed 
desktopguy
395 posts
 
I'm not sure this story qualifies. It's more about simple observation than stupidity. I have this friend, Joe--a wonderful man in every way, a former drummer. Loves music, really knows it. But he's crazy busy in his work and has neither the time nor inclination to really figure out audio. So he bought some relatively low-fi stuff to put around his big flat screen (a sub + 4 satellites) and was happy w/that.

I was over there at a party last Easter, and Joe (who knows I'm an audio wonk from hell) was complaining that his living room system "doesn't sound right." He was cranking it up a lot louder than usual and "something was missing." He asked my advice.

I walk over to where the sub sits right below the receiver to which the 4 satellites are connected. The receiver is typical flash & sizzle--dozens of different color lights. This thing is very obviously on. But the sub is dark, front & back panels.

I say, "Joe, your sub isn't turned on." He gets this very funny "How stupid am I?" look, so I just press the sub's "ON" button, and all of a sudden this somewhat mediocre system sounds 1,000X louder & better. We burst into hysterical laughter. I mean, he had no idea how to turn his sub on. It might have been off for a year. My friend, Joe...
andrei_nz
192 posts
 
Call him back. If his wife answers leave her a message offering 8 grand for it back and for her to have him call you. Remind her of the shoe sale this weekend in her area. Then don't answer your phone.
Now that is what I call Creative Problem Solving!
drsteve
12 posts
 
Before the internet people like this (the reel-to-reel watcher) existed, but you rarely heard about them. Now with internet forums...
BTW, I wish in some ways I lived in The UK, where they value eccentrics.
parabolic
106 posts
 
Not sure I can 'top' your story, but here's mine.

A friend and I got into a conversation about my new acquisition (Martin Logan reQuests) and commented that my Dalhquist DQ10s were "ugly as sin".  I found that statement amusing coming from a guy that doesn't have a single matching piece of furniture in his house.  In fact, he doesn't even have a decorating THEME (you know, like... Early American, Contemporary, French Countryside...), all his stuff is 'hand-me-down'.  His whole house looks as though he just drove a truck to the nearest Salvation Army and picked up whatever they had just to fill his rooms.  And the kicker is that he has a Porsche in the garage and can afford to buy pretty much anything he wants.

So, I guess I'll just file this experience under: "different strokes..."

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