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Any other lone audiophiles here?

By "Lone" I mean you have no other local audiophile buddies. That describes my experience. My wife and I usually listen together. I have no other friends to borrow equipment or to audition theirs. In spite of that I believe I've done a pretty good job of putting together a system which is very good. I've done it strictly by reading reviews, etc and lots of research. I see the situation as both an advantage and maybe a curse. The advantage is that Maybe I don't know what I'm missing. The curse is may be that I often wonder IF I need to upgrade? Or am m missing something.? Like right now. I just bought a CJ CT5 preamp which is silly good.So now I wonder about my amp? The CJ retails for 8x more than my silly little tube amp...a Bob Latino ST-70. Yet I believe that amp is fully pulling its weight while hooked to a preamp which is silly good. Surely, this amp can't be the be all end all. However It did replace an amp which retails for 4x its price. Who knows? maybe its the ST-70 which needed a better preamp to show off its stuff. Nonetheless, I enjoy the music  immensely. and all the advice I've gotten from people on the forums over the years. FWIW, I also play drums  and have played live. So I DO know what live music sounds like. So, maybe I'm not shooting totally in the dark.
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d2girls
1,029 posts
 
yes, absolutely. as a young working professional, and female, i have yet to meet a peer who is into hifi stereo as much as i am.
its a bet depressing because whenever i go to hifi shops to make a purchase i get treated like an amateur, and with 0 respect. excuse me for taking an interest in your hobby, you crusty old men.

its funny because by turning me away by acting like snobbish cocks, they're just losing out big time.. not now, but 15 years down the road when the market is drying up even more then it is now and a lot more stereo hifi shops begin to close up after being unable to adapt to the changing market.

bondmanp
1,792 posts
 
I used to be a lone audiophile, then I found my local audio club. Not only have I made a few dozen new audiophile friends, but I have heard all sorts of gear and speakers in their homes, audio stores and even at manufacturers’ facilities. And my musical horizons have been greatly expanded, too. All this for $60 a year dues. IMHO, it’s the best bargain in audio by a huge margin.
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4krowme
542 posts
 
And then, you get people who think they know what you are all about. Occasionally, they will come over and offer some free crap to you as if it is some kind of gift. Not to be ugly, but just last week a good friend of mine came over with a Sound Design receiver. Try to think one step below JC Penny audio gear and that will get you in the ballpark. Now, I know that he is into Harleys, so I just have to find the junkiest bike ever made and return the favor. 
technick
140 posts
 
My only audio buddy lives 2 hrs away, so we don’t get to hang out much. We were friends in high school, lost touch until a few yrs ago, but it would seem the audio bug bit us both around the same time. I’d already been collecting records since around 13 or so though, but didn’t know their awesome power until years later.
We have sent each things like cartridges to check out and records through the mail though. We also email each other at least once a week to talk about our audio endeavors.



tom8999
151 posts
 
I am lucky to have a very close friend who is an ‘audio nut’ just like me. And our wives get along! My most fun thing to do is let my other friends hear what my system is capable of to try and get them interested in home audio for themselves. Some are impressed, most are not. As Elizabeth says - the music is it’s own reward. Access to Dylan, Coltrane, Miles Davis, etc. is what makes this ‘hobby’ so rewarding!! Happy Listening!! 
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