Your Speakers and Your Wife

[TrrR]

I just asked my wife if she thought I had enough speakers.

She said I don't need any more.

I suggested maybe I could have fewer speakers, just bigger.

That got a laugh. Not happenin'

 

[gongli]

It has never been speakers that have gotten me "The Look". But you should have seen the look on her face when I opened the garage door and it was full of 28,000 records. She just shook her head and went for a walk. She came back home.

Wait, she did shake her head when I brought home an EV Georgian. Those are pretty big, way bigger than my Altec 17's.

But in reality my wife (married 33 years) has been very supportive of my audio hobby, although I have put it to test a few times.

28,000 ! wow, I'd say you have all the music you need for several life times, and more (for heaven)...That's so impressive! How did you get that collection?:scratch2:

------------- * --------------

My wife is pretty cool about it, although she won't let me buy any more gears for a while...
When I told her I would sell my most expensive speakers, she told me to keep them, since it will help me musically and career wise - I am a classical musician ~ what a lady!
She might read my posts, so I have to tread carefully when mentioning her - hehe

 

[sc427]

I'm extremely lucky. My crazy, sexy, cool wife bought Infinity IRS Betas for the living room. Then she said that we needed something for the bedroom so I bought a pair of Speakerlab S50's. I already had a pair of 50's that she blasts in the workout room so as long as she wants to keep me around I'll be a happy, happy man....

 

[theophile]

I'm extremely lucky. My crazy, sexy, cool wife bought Infinity IRS Betas for the living room.

Does she have a sister?

 

[the_nines]

I bought my main speakers while she was away, so I wasn't sure what her reaction would be. But once she saw them she loved them. She considers them an important part of the furniture in our living room:

I would agree.

 

[the_nines]

hahahaha...I can so relate to this.

My wife and I were out exploring in Portland last Summer and she wanted to stop into a used record store. (What?!?!?! I said to myself...) So we did and she was looking for a particular record. Well surprise surprise she found it! I told her we didn't have a TT and she said that didn't matter, she just wanted the record.

Well, a while later we passed by an audio store that has been in business since 1947 or so and they are a dealer for a brand of speaker I was very interested in. I told her they could clean and play her record if she wanted and she liked the idea.

In we went and the sales rep said he sure could do that for us. He escorted us into the listening room (which just so happened to have the speakers on display I was really interested in ) and as he prepared to fire up the VPI cleaner, he said he'd play some other music for us while he cleaned the record. He kind of set the stage on what we'd hear and how clear it would be (Bryston BDA-1, Bryston amp, 24/192 FLAC file, Aerial Acoustic speakers) and then on came the music.

That was the first time ever I've seen her stop talking, close her eyes and just sit back, enjoying the music.

When he played some of the record, she did the same thing.

I'm thinking I'm golden at that moment because the speakers were on my list of "Nice To Have's" as I was bent on upgrading mine.

Then she saw the retail price card...she looked at me and said, "No!" Buzz Kill!!!

But she does enjoy music and I've since upgraded my speakers (and a bunch of other gear) so she will sit and listen. For the longest time, music was just a background thing for her...noise to accompany whatever else she was doing. Now, every once in a while she just stops what she's doing and sits quietly.

I think she is learning how to listen.

And I got the speakers I wanted...Aerial Acoustic 8's!!!

..

Nice story and nice looking speakers!

:thmbsp:

 

[Seppo]

I am one of those lucky guys...

I got back to this hobby a few months ago after a 15 year break, and on a quick succession got vintage Infinity RS-IIIa's from eBay (quick wife approval for a 700+ mile round trip to pick up the speakers was a good sign for positive WAF wibes), which are pretty big, and a new Onkyo A-9070 integrated (fantastic amp BTW) to drive them.

My wife was OK with having the speakers in the living room (see below, in the casual listening position) and really likes how her favorite music 'sounds better on that'. She often comes home saying she wants hear this or that song on 'that'. So recently we have gotten into buying each other CDs just to listen to our old and new favorites. I got her today Best of Alan Parsons Project, and she got me Bruce's latest, High Hopes.

Good times

 

[bhebbel]

The first soundbar was designed by a woman.

I remember when my ex wife found my speaker hoard. It had to be at least 10 pairs. I told her that she had 10 times more money tied up in her clothes closet and her jewelery cabinet and I paid for all of that too. She didn't see the similarity.

We were divorced in a year. I'm still paying for that one.

 

[nttrbl]

My wife tolerates my hobby, either with a dirty look or a hummmphh! lol She has complained about pretty much every speaker i brought in from Energy pro22, to my Ess amt10b etc, so when I brought home some "pregnant penguins"(b&w dm6, so ugly they are beautiful!) I though well this time I will probably push her over the edge, well guess what she loves them, even started calling them Her Speakers! Go figure! If we get divorced she said I could keep the kids but she is keeping the penguins and the Marantz! Well at least she is finally able to appreciate(a little) my obsession, I mean hobby.

 

[Edriz]

My wife never says anything about any of my audio stuff, from the gear I have to how many records I have or where I have it set up. She never has. Most of my gear I had before I knew my wife and she used to help me carry, hook up and tear down when needed. Oh and we been married almost 29 years now. Whew!!

 

[mktrv6]

My wife has been wonderful and supportive of my music hobby for 39+ years. Yes, she is indeed patient. But, with that said, when I was diagnosed with a heavy medical issue the pressure was there to unload a lot of this stuff and downsize so she wouldn't have to clean up after me. I didn't like the idea at first, but as usual, she's right.

For me, it's not just the audio playback equipment, but the recording equipment and having musicians over for years and the rehearsals, etc..

Gone so far are the JBL 4311B's, (too bulky for her and she never listens to them on her own if I'm not here), one of the turntables, and one of the reel to reel's and some of my stage equipment. I've still got a small system set up in my living room, but my listening and playing is now mostly with headphones and moved into my den-studio.

I'm not complaining. It's all good. There are things in life more important than audio equipment. Just, not too many! Life is short. Have fun!!

Happy listening all!


Mark

 

[Kreshna]

Good thing I'm a bachelor, heh heh heh. :yes:

 

[gladiator335]

My wife is very supportive. Looks is important to her, but sound is even more so.
But to be freank she hadn't seen my latest speaker purchase....Have to brace myself!

 

[Kreshna]

My wife is very supportive. Looks is important to her, but sound is even more so.
But to be freank she hadn't seen my latest speaker purchase....Have to brace myself!

So, would you have to brace yourself when she start making her speaker purchase?

 

[gladiator335]

I wish!

 

[mech986]

The first soundbar was designed by a woman.

I remember when my ex wife found my speaker hoard. It had to be at least 10 pairs. I told her that she had 10 times more money tied up in her clothes closet and her jewelery cabinet and I paid for all of that too. She didn't see the similarity

We were divorced in a year. I'm still paying for that one.

Ouch!

My wife has been wonderful and supportive of my music hobby for 39+ years. Yes, she is indeed patient. But, with that said, when I was diagnosed with a heavy medical issue the pressure was there to unload a lot of this stuff and downsize so she wouldn't have to clean up after me. I didn't like the idea at first, but as usual, she's right.

For me, it's not just the audio playback equipment, but the recording equipment and having musicians over for years and the rehearsals, etc..

Gone so far are the JBL 4311B's, (too bulky for her and she never listens to them on her own if I'm not here), one of the turntables, and one of the reel to reel's and some of my stage equipment. I've still got a small system set up in my living room, but my listening and playing is now mostly with headphones and moved into my den-studio.

I'm not complaining. It's all good. There are things in life more important than audio equipment. Just, not too many! Life is short. Have fun!!

Happy listening all!


Mark

Mark, Welcome to AK! Hope you can overcome the medical issue and spend quality time with your wife. Good Luck!

 

[Djack51]

My wife only ever complains about the color of the speakers. We had a pair of B&W DM6 (pregnant kangooroos) in the living room and the black grilles were horrible to her. Many, many speakers have black grilles... I managed to introduce Quad electrostats with a bronze grille and the AR-11s were accepted only after I clad them with cloth similar to the older ARs (3a).

In general, black and silver are low-ranked. I suppose that's why she accepts those ugly brownish tube amps from 1958.

She also asks difficult questions in the style of "if those old speakers are as good as you always stated, why do you want to replace them now?"

She also admits now and then that a system she heard at a friend's house "didn't sound very good"

But, we're together for 34 years and have flattened out almost any other friction point...

 

[gongli]

My wife is somewhat supportive of my love for hifi, since I am a classical musician... She thinks it will help me become a better musician - bless her for being practical, and idealistic!

 

[tubeboob]

My wife has been pretty darn understanding, especially considering that we live in a studio apartment 95 percent of the time . . . I currently have 2 amplifiers, a turntable, CD player, preamp and pretty imposing tower speakers.

Occasionally, I switch things around from storage, and the temporary mess, if cleared up pretty quickly, creates no problem, as I too like my place, even if small, to look neat.

Spendor SP1s in the car . . . need to fix the binding posts . . . and . . .

Hmmmm, if I only had the space to tinker . . .

 

[Infinitoid]

It's been 11 years since my last speaker purchase. They were/are big. She came home and said, "Oh, I see you got new speakers. Are they better than the ones we had?" Gotta love her. Since then there have been upgrades in amplification and other hardware, but the big Infinities just hang around, eyesores that they are. With no complaints. And the speakers they replaced, more attractive by a country mile, now play stereo for her in the living room. Got a few amps lying around though. And she has complained about our house becoming some kind of stereo flea market. No place to hide this stuff so divestiture seems the prudent course.