How To Field Questions About Your Audiophile Lifestyle...


We Audiophiles often have a bit of "The Adams Family" about us to other people..especially to neighbors and those who come into contact with us often.Here are some of the most common questions that come up and some suggestions on how to field them.

Q."About that stereo of yours,; "what kind is it?"
 A. Looking at your watch, "It's a q
uarter to 5."

Q."How much did it cost?"
 A. "I'm not sure.I stole it."

 Q."How come my stereo doesn't' sound like that?"
 A."You need smarter friends with better advice." "I hear they really kick"is 5 words from hell, if you are really serious about your selections.

 Q."Why do you play "Aerosmith" and the "Butthole Surfers"then switch to that "Beethoven"
 crap?"
  A. "Beethoven was a musician too."He went deaf without any rock music at all.

  Q."Why is your furniture differently arranged than everybody else's, all diagonally?"
  A."It has to do with the lighting,"or "Thats the way the previous people living here liked it."

  Q."Why do you always walk backwards when there is a strong wind coming at you ?"
  A."I like to protect my nice face from aging" or "I forgot my ear muffs today."

  Q."Why do you play your CD player with the top off and why does the Xmas tree near it always have greenish blue lights."
  A.It has to do with the absorption of stray laser..Err it's too long a story."

  Q."Why do you have a Xmas tree still up by your CD player?"
  A."It's already September..Might as well just keep it up now."

I hope this helps.

supertweak
I'm of two minds about this.  

Our "lifestyle" ?   We aren't swingers and we should not be embarrassed about our hobby or associated toys.   I live in an area where people have toys, indulgences etc.  While some have raised eyebrows (mostly wives) about my hobby, most understand my interest, just as I understand their interest in cars that can't be driven properly on normal roads, or wearing a watch that costs as much as a 1 month vacation in a Tuscan Villa.  

I am also a vinyl first audiophile and up until about 5yrs ago I was treated like a Luddite because of my preference for vinyl.  Now I am the life of the party, and center of conversation when people find out.  And then I give them a tour of my room....    I have a dedicated listening room/office, containing a lot of equipment, and about 2k records....    Most are impressed, and some are surprised.  But all understand my passion.

We do not or should not have to apologize for our interest in high end audio.
Play them a solo piano or violin recording - they will either marvel at how realistic it is or ask how loud and how much bass the system has and you'll know whether to dump them immediately or spend more time on them.

I had one guy swearing that his speakers were the cat's ass and their only limitation was bottom end.  Had him bring them over and play them on my system and compare with my speakers - too about 2 minutes to convince him that bass wasn't the only thing lacking in his speakers.
All great ideas.....Most folks who wonder into my living room simply say something like "Is that a turntable? I used to have one of those...it was a Duel (Pioneer/Technics...etc) and then move on to the next subject....
True story. There was a time not too long ago when anyone coming into my place had to be blindfolded. There was simply too much heavily classified stuff all around especially but limited to the listening room that I couldn’t afford to make known. Loose lips sink ships. Does seem excessive? 
Ahh....not excessive, just specific to your level of security....was some of the gear electronics that were military/govt related?