Are we all destined to be "womenless" audiophiles?

I would guess women would not advertise their gender on this site mainly to avoid stupid comments from the men. There ios one system I know of posted by a woman, and there are comments about what does she look like, is she single, wow, a woman!, etc. I expect most women would find these comments a bit tedious. Also, gender should be irrelevant for the most part. While there are posts that deal with gender issues (such as this one), they are the exception.

Regarding trying to find an audiophile mate, I think this would be a bad idea. My mate should be interested in my interests, but should have other primary interests of her own, that I can participate in. For example, I would want her to be interested in my stereo, but not to the point that she wanted to call the shots. I want to make the final decisions. How many Audiogoners would you want to have to share and build a system with? You would be constantly fighting. Try finding someone who will bring something new to your life, maybe someone with a lot of friends. That way, you get a more interesting social life, she gets better music.

I'm very lucky to be with a girl who thinks tech is cool and that having a nice stereo is a marvelous indulgance.

A girl-friend who's been dating lately told me about a recent date. After things had gone well for a couple of dates she got back to one guy's place, they took of their shoes, and he plopped into a certain spot on the couch and flipped on his big-screen, surround-sound system. And she saw right away that he was in His Sweet Spot, that this was his thing -- sitting and watching and listening. Total turnoff for her. Within two minutes she was out of there and gone.

Get out and be with people. My audio rig sometimes makes beautiful sounds and nails me to the couch... until I realize what's going on and turn the thing off, call a friend, and we go hiking wiith our dogs or something. Audiophilia nervosa, a consuming quest to find the perfect audio rig and to try new things because the current stuff just isn't quite right, can be cured. Push through it until you get sick of it -- like eating too many peanut butter and jellly sandwiches and not wanting them anymore -- or just find other and better ways to spend your limited time. Audio is a patently passive hobby. Girls like guys who are enjoying life *actively*.

Sorry, this is the path you've chosen. Chin up!

Well I think you can still be an audiophile and enjoy other things in life. Most people have hobbies and indulge in them, so whats wrong with this hobby? I have even chilled out considerable myself on the quest for the perfect sound but this hobby will always be a part of me. Anyway only met one lady on Audiogon that actually purchased a piece of gear from me and she called me via the phone number posted in my ad. I have to admit she was very knowledgable. Maybe she was married to an audiophile, who knows.

I have found it a wise policy to consult my wife on major purchases. I find that she is quite accepting of equipment purchases if she understands what the context of the upgrade and also how it will look in the living room. I have gotten her involved in several trips to CES and together we have auditioned our Toshiba RPTV and our Maggie 3.6's. Also, I showed her a selection of turntables and she approved the Linn LP12 that I eventually acquired.