The Mechanics of WAF

It's called willful ignorance, it's part of the gambler side of being an audiophile. Despite what you know in your heart, you think if you just get those speakers in the house a miraculous transformation will overcome your spouse. She'll suddenly be seduced by the 2" deeper soudstage and the 5% increase in transparency that the two refrigerator sized boxes produce when placed well away from the back and side walls. Of course, 9 out of 10 times she'll throw a fit and the man will cave in for the sake of domestic tranquility. But there's always that lucky 10th guy!

You gave a perfectly absurd example. Trust me WAF is more complicated than that. My W is a musician and won't let me change the LR system even though we got better speakers for my system in the basement. She herself thinks they are better but the cherry cheeks don't match the maple LR furniture! plenty of room and I'll even keep the grill covers on!

Take a listen to Joe Jackson "Is you is or is you aint my baby" Lots of answers there.

I recently successfully established with my wife that my audio room is a separate "republic" from the household, like one of those Eastern European Reublics of Gilead or one of those independent states that keep up cropping up in Africa. As such, I am this room's "dictator," and, as its sole leader, I have a full right to recruit a new minister into my regime (buy a new tube amp) or sentence one of my political opponents to the Gulag (sell something on audiogon). The rest of the household is ruled by parliamentary democracy, with my wife as President, and me as Vice President. As President of the "mainland apartment", she regularly provides asylum for Italian dissidents (B&B and Casina furniture, ArteLuce lighting). I would suggest precisely this political division of power from male audiophiles suffering from WAF woes, as well as (this is absolutely essential) having separate credit cards with separate credit card bills at the end of the month. That way the wife never sees how much your republic spends on "internal affairs."

I agree with Onhwy61. A lot of audiophiles I know don't even consult their spouses, and this often results in marital discord--both for aesthetic concerns and the money spent. But the guys I know are generally buying these monster speakers that totally dominate the living area, not subtle bookshelf units or small, good-looking floorstanders that blend easily into the decor. Another problem is that many audiophiles don't have a dedicated room, so their toys must share a space that many women want clean and presentable. Me, I'm pretty lucky. I have a basement that I insisted be turned into a listening/viewing area. My wife, knowing that I spent most of my money on the house downpayment, willingly consented. She's made some mildly disparaging comments since--usually about the clutter--but overall she's been extremely tolerant and understanding.