2. amps-preamps
  3. 191926-150037

Friends hi-fi system not very good, what do you do or say?

So you're going over to someones home and they give you a tour and they have a hi-fi system in a room. And while visiting of course they turn it on for you not knowing that you have a very nice system in your home and you notice immediately it's just not very good.  But then you're used to the very in you're listening experiences. So what do you do when they ask you what you think?

Do you say sounds really good?

Do you make suggestions?

Do you feel a desperate need to tell them about your system?

Personally, I try not to mention any details about my system. If I'm driving around in a Lamborghini I would prefer to be invisible so I don't get stared at when I get out of my car. If they had a really nice system with interesting components I would probably mention a few of the things I have and then we could bond with our common interests.   Ideally, it would be cool to be in the presence of someone who knew a lot more than I did and a real learning opportunity.

Audio systems tend to be private affairs I guess.  I don't necessarily want to hang out with someone and listen to tunes. Those wonderful College days where it made a lot of sense are long gone.

emergingsoul
immatthewj
2,208 posts
 

people love being told, by an expert, that they are doing it wrong.

gopher it

LOL!  I love that.

tubeguy76
158 posts
 

I may as what they like about it so they can share the reasons for their choices but unless they ask for advice, I'll just say it sounds pretty good.  It's a safe answer.  :D

jond's avatar
jond
5,883 posts
 

Always a polite and positive comment unless the friend specifically asks me to critique their system.

lordrootman's avatar
lordrootman
383 posts
 

What’s the purpose of the music?

we all have different meanings and taste 

 

Music is the ultimate drug. It can change your mood,mindset, feelings, personality or emotions in a moment. Our biorhythm get in tune with the beat, chords, vocals and the overall experience. Add in the lyrics and it grabs our soul. The music that lines up with our heart beat, breathing, blood flow, and life beats become or favorite songs.

pls don’t judge 👩‍⚖️👏👍🙏😂

dogearedaudio's avatar
dogearedaudio
159 posts
 

I would say, "That's a really interesting system.  Tell me about it!"  That steers the discussion to how he acquired the equipment, what he likes about it, etc.  People love to talk about their gear.  If he comes over to your house and *asks* to hear your system, let him hear it.  He might be just as "polite," or he might say, "Gee, I like this better," in which case he might ask you to help improve him own system.  

Try to admire what he's accomplished or purchased.  OTOH, if he starts saying "Come on over and we'll do some listening!" then at some point you're going to have to be honest and say that *your* system suits *your* ears better.

I had a dear friend who passed away a while ago.  He had a fabulous record collection, but I never thought his system was all that great.  But I enjoyed having beer/wine with him and talking about this and that, so I let the music spin, made positive comments about the record and the musicians, and left it at that.  OTOH, one of the best musical evenings I ever had was with a lovely gentleman who had a terrific 78 rpm jazz collection and an old KLH Model 12 system with speakers stuck here and there.  Didn't matter a bit, the music was fantastic.

More to discover