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WEL -- Wife Equivalent Language

All in the name of fun...

Let's agree, for sake of argument, that our hobby is 100% meritorious and therefore deserving of it's central role in our family spending patterns (both in terms of time and money)! Afterall, it's a gospel truth - we know it and can feel it deep in our hearts - hallelujha - that the world revolves around sound, and there is no sweeter sound than the one produced by our latest tweek.

Yet, try as we may to convince her, she just doesn't seem to get it. Communication is the key! Yes, it's the key to maintaining that healthy balance between our love for her and our love to hear (those sweet sounds that matter little to her ear). In this regard, I'd be interested in knowing what your favorite WEL buzz terms (and other WEL expressions) are when discussing all things audio with her. Here are some of my favorites:

Cables and interconnects - "wires and plugs"
Line conditioner (especially an expensive one) - "power box"
Electrostatic transducer - "sound radiator"

I'm still working on a WEL term that will explain the check I just wrote for my new DAC...
128x128wmcmanus
wmcmanus's avatar
wmcmanus OP
171 posts
 
Thanks for the warning, Tim. I'll encourage her to use our Creek OBH-11 SE / Sennheiser HD 600 headphone set-up when she's on the computer, and never through the computer's CD drive. This combo is quite nifty BTW, and she seems to enjoy it because of it's ease of use.

Thanks also to Bbtuna. I know what you're saying is serious and is definitely good advice... for sake of clarity, I really am quite supportive of her musical interests, and she often is of mine. I've gone through the same phases as you've described, from heavy rock to classic rock to a preference for blues/jazz (mostly), but with all sorts of other stuff mixed in here and there. On occasion, I go the headphone route myself when I know it's about to get on her nerves. She actually likes Hendrix, Marley, and Lennon (in small doses), and I'm getting her hooked on Sarah Vaughn (my favorite solo female vocalist) so it's not as bad as I've led you to believe.
david99's avatar
david99
1,467 posts
 
My ex-girlfriend once referred to my stereo as "the radio". At the time I didnt even have a tuner! Go figure!
sherod
1,690 posts
 
David, maybe that's why she's your ex... After I spent hundreds of dollars on an assortment of interconnects and power cords,my wife asked me recently if I was finished buying for a while( WEL= " Would you stop squandering our money?!) I proceeded to tell her that I was presently happy with the sound,that the investment in top-of-the-line cables was well worth it, and asked her to sit down and listen with me for a while. Ater a few cuts from a CD we both were familiar with, I turned the volume down, turned and asked her what she thought. Her comment was, " Well, it sounds good,much better than my boom-box I listen to in my exercise room, but it sounds the same as it did when we both listened together last time." ( WEL= I was right.You have been squandering our money and to think of how many nice outfits I could have bought at Dillard's!!)
treyhoss
287 posts
 
I used to explain my latest purchases to my wife and what the new equipment did better or different than before. I learned QUICKLY that if it took more than a brief sentence to explain a blank stare would come to her face. I think she started to form an axiom that the longer it took me to explain, the more expensive it was. I have found the best solution for this is to tell her everything I buy is "bigger, better, faster!" While not always accurate, it has worked well now for the last couple of years:-)!!!
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