When showing your system to others, what do you do

Amen to that Viridian. How many more American Idol and like shows do we have to suffer with? Oh wait I forgot, its about the Benjamins. How could I have missed that!!!! yet again!!!

But I degress, the thread is about showing off one system to a neophyte??? In the final analysis, who really cares ?? No one but said owner of system asking for validation. The super rich need no such validation of which I have been constantly reminded of for more years than I can possibly remember.

Main thing enjoy what you have and the music one derives from it. If others happen to enjoy - fine - but keep in mind it is not validation. The validation is you and no one else. It all about the music and your perception of recorded music in what medium you choose to listen to.

Listed below are some of the creme d'la creme systems I have heard, over the past 48 years,

Michael Bishop, Telarc Records
Jack Renner, Telarc Records
Bob Woods,Telarc Records
CBS Listening Room, Century City,CA.
Telarc International Corp
Herb Alpert
Ricky Lee Jones
Arturo Sandoval

Of this bunch I remember the Telarc Labs system very well indeed. Oops forgot to menetion the ever changing system we had while I was with CBS NY in the 70s. Sometimes mind boggling and other times mind numbing, but always searching and pushing the envelope of what was possible. Nice when one has those kind of resources to use.

I must of not asked my question right to begin with. Plain and simple i wanted to know what fellow A'goners did when having newbies listen. People who could care less about audio until finally hearing somthing other than their wave radios or ipods. Not showing off, not bragging just the thrill of good music. hoping to open the door if you will for these unfortunate souls.

Jlind325is, as others have mentioned, I simply ask what kind of music a guest likes and then try to play something they enjoy and are familiar with. If they like what they're hearing, we keep exploring other music they like, if I have it. I've found that it's the music my guest is most familar with that will suck them into becoming aware that they're hearing something special when they're over here. If they don't recognize that the sound quality is better than they're used to hearing, I don't keep trying to open that door for them, we just enjoy some music together.
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This is the best answer I can give. After 8 years of owning a high end shop, I can only remember about one convert per year and that was long before MP3, I Pod and other portable mediums.

For the most part high end or quality systems just do not appeal to the masses. Today I feel it is much tougher to open the door to the uninformed. When I Pod and MP3 offers the total ease of music reproduction,albeit the sonics are just dreadful to say the least. High end audio for all its prowess in the last 30 years has yet to expand beyond its core group of customers and that base is shrinking each year as this group ages.

While music remains important in peoples lives, its the delivery of the music that has dramatically changed and continues to influence the newbies. They cannot justify the expenditure, time and effort audiophiles put into systems, when they have other delivery methods, that appeal to them at far lower costs.

The only convert I have had of late occured about 4 years ago while I was in the Denver,area. A gentleman and his grandson visited my home as he wanted to purchase some vintage gear that I had. At the time had four systems up and running. As we were discussing, the college student was listening to his MP3 player through headphones. As I was demonstrating the systems, his eye caught hold of a turntable, thats when he got involved. He had only heard about these and never heard one. So I showed him how to use the turntable and the system and pretty much left him to his own devices. The system was a Classe DR8 power amp.,Classe DR5 preamp, Denon 1560 CD Player,Denon DP61F turntable pushing some original Quad 57 speakers.Showed him where the CD Discs were and the LPs. Told him knock hinself out. High end yes, but a little long in the tooth. Continued showing the other systems to his Grandfather, who ended up buying a good deal of equipment.

At the end of the day found out that the Grandson was a music major at U of C. He thanked me for letting him use the Classe system and that the sound was all he could ask for. He really enjoyed being able to use a turntable and all. So with that they left. I had some cash and Grandad had some very nice gear. Grandad did not buy what his Grandson listening to. He bought an Acoustat system.

About two weeks later the Grandson shows up at the front door and says remember me? I got some money and want to buy a few things from you. And with that the music major was getting into high end audio. And over the course of the following year he got into it in a big way. But his friends never did.

I believe that everyone has to find their own way into high end audio and I further believe if I had tried to sell or demo something to him, it would have turned him off. But by letting him find his way on his own, he found the pleasures of owning a high resolution system.

Perhaps this is not the precise response to this thread, but is offered as my last experience with a young newbie.

Ferrari,

I expect studios have very different electronic gear needs from home audio playback systems but what about the speakers?

Can you describe any of the speakers that the creme d'la creme use in these awesome systems you have heard?

Listed below are some of the creme d'la creme systems I have heard, over the past 48 years,

Michael Bishop, Telarc Records
Jack Renner, Telarc Records
Bob Woods,Telarc Records
CBS Listening Room, Century City,CA.
Telarc International Corp
Herb Alpert
Ricky Lee Jones
Arturo Sandoval