I agree, baylinor. A high percentage of people will never appreciate a fine system or some of the other fine things in life. And will never be convinced. So we are by ourselves sometimes.
A first
I have a newer system that I assembled earlier this year. It includes the Luxman D-10X CD/SACD player, a Constellation Audio Integrated, Perlisten S7t speakers, and an older Music Hall MMF-7.1 tt with a Grade Sonata.
I had two friends over Saturday, and they love music but could not care less about sound. They often hook up their phone to my system and play MP3 files. Truly horrible sound, but they never cared.
I asked them to sit on the sofa and I played music, some they knew, some they did not.
The woman said it seemed like they were at a live concert. The man said (and he is very cynical about nearly everything) that he never cared about "this audiophile thing", but he has never heard anything this great.
I doubt they will ever change what they listen on at their home, but I was so pleased that they were open enough to drop the cynicism and listen.
By the way, this system is in a big room, and it sounds spectacular.
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Virtue is pretty much its own reward. You'd think the average visitor might find something remarkable in a whole wall of racked metal boxes with lights and switches, flanked by head-high loudspeakers and assorted subwoofers. But the only appreciative visitor in ten years has been my cousin from San Antonio whose husband plays in a blues rock band. She pulled a chair against the wall between the towers, closed her eyes, entered a state of bliss, and vanished from all social activity for two hours. This seems about as much sharing as an audiophile can reasonably hope for. |
@rpeluso, let me guess! The two friends who came over and love listening to music through their phones & MP3 files are young folk, no? I had a very similar experience with my grandnephew who listens to everything through his phone & ear buds. He was aware his uncle was/is a music lover and had one of those old folks' stereo systems. Occasionally, he'd try to impress me with his latest music discovery that he thought I'd also enjoy. More often than not, his new discovery was a band from the 60s or early 70s (e.g. Led Zeppelin; The Byrds; etc.). His parents did the same when they were his age. I always loved the expression on their faces when I'd say something like: "Yeah! I really like those guys! I have a few of their albums in my collection." The first reaction was always disbelief, quickly followed by astonishment, after a bit of a learning lesson about the "new" band. One day, this grandnephew purchased some new headphones for his phone and told me I just had to listen to them. Of course, they were the latest thing on the market, the absolute best and very expensive (i.e. 80 bucks). I have to say, they actually were pretty impressive. However, he wanted to know how they compared to my home sound system. When I said the new earphones were very impressive but still couldn't hold a candle to his old uncle's stereo system, again, that look of disbelief. The next time he came to visit, I asked if he'd like to have a listen to his old uncle's stereo system. You know ... that contraption that old folks listen to music on. I made a point of having him sit in the sweet spot, apologized for not having any Rap, and put on some Acoustic Alchemy for him to sample. This time, a look of sheer amazement! His jaw dropped to his chest and, quite uncharacteristically, he was absolutely silent & motionless for about 5 minutes or so, until he uttered "Oh wow!" and then remained silent & motionless for the rest of the album. We had things to do & places to go. So, there wasn't enough time to listen to some of those "new" bands, like Led Zeppelin, The Byrds, etc. Next time he visits, I'll have him look through the collection and pick out something that interests him. |
Yeah, I'm also a lonely audiophile banished to the basement. That's OK. I have it set up in the right place. People come over and are in shock. I didn't know there was so many sounds in the music. My son wants to hear it loud. Imagine an XA25 getting pushed to the limit with Crites Cornscalas!! Once in awhile somebody understands. Usually me solo, wife rarely.
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