Your Speakers and Your Wife

[JoeESP9]

Got that right, reason I have a finished cellar, with full bath. I can lock myself away and not be bothered.

Yes. During both marriages I had a finished basement for my gear. However, early in my first marriage we lived in a one bedroom apartment with a pair of Magneplanars (MG-2) in the living room.

I agree with a lot of what you say. I don't like having extra pairs of speakers or extra gear laying around - it takes up valuable space that could be better used for other things, or it could be in the way of good sound quality. Perfect example is having multiple speakers in one set-up - after living with systems that only have one pair of speakers in them with very little in the way of the sound, I can't live with stuff being in the way or creating reflection points. The sound is so much better when there isn't a whole bunch of stuff around.

Linn who in many respects I consider to be part of the lunatic fringe started (IIRC) the trend of doing demos with only one pair of speakers in a room. Their insistence on this actually makes a great deal of sense. Unused speakers in a room will resonate in sympathy with the sound. For those who don't believe this, place a meter or better yet an O'Scope probe across the terminals of an unused speaker and watch the results while music is playing on other speakers.

In addition as you pointed out all those other speakers have a negative effect on imaging and most especially the soundstage.

If you insist on having multiple pairs of unused speakers in the room the least you should do is place shorting wires across the input terminals.

 

[SuperjazzyJa]

Your Speakers and Your Wife....

In keeping with the title of this thread, I thought it would be fun to add a picture. I don't know whose wife and speaker this is, but you get the point.

 

[wajobu]

In the house, my wife doesn't want to see the speakers or any other equipment and it rarely gets heard, but in my studio I can have anything I want within financial and space limitations, so I enjoy a small collection down here in the dungeon (AKA studio wajobu), including some venerable ADS L-910s that I waited over 30 years to get. The room is pretty well isolated from the rest of the house acoustically, so I can make a racket and not bother many...except when bass pedals shake the foundations).

Good deal, works for me.

 

[charlief64]

i have lots of speakers and no wife. this arrangement works very well for me...

+1 Has worked for me for 40 years. Can't even imagine asking "what do you think about these ?"
charlie

 

[SuperjazzyJa]

+1 Has worked for me for 40 years. Can't even imagine asking "what do you think about these ?"
charlie

I can imagine a wife asking, "What do you think of these?"..... Never mind!

 

[michaelhigh]

When it comes to approval of stereo components, I rely heavily on pros whose opinions and tastes in music somewhat/mostly mirror mine.

I would never coalesce to a notion that anyone less than a professional (regardless of sex or attraction, much less legally-binding relationships) could shape my music listening preferences, no matter how they manifest themselves.

Sterile in practice, yes, but never arbitrary. :yes:

 

[PapaBear]

I'm a lucky man. When I was married, I never asked for her opinion (and ignored her protestations) about anything electronic. My male partners have either shared my enthusiasm, or left me to my own devices. My current other half of 20 years doesn't have my sensitive/critical hearing, or the propeller headgear, but he appreciates good sound when he hears it. He's really liking the SX-737 over the Technics, and was really digging the BA A40s + Polk sub on it. :yes:

 

[Mr.White]

My wife's philosophy is simple;

1] he doesn't hang out in bars
2] he's not a junkie
3] he doesn't chase women
4] he works

Thank God for his hobby!

 

[just dave]

It is never healthy to give the other partner(regardless of gender) a 'total-overrule' position on any subject within a relationship. I can understand why there might be 'no-compromise' type issues within a relationship because there are some things that we all will not do for anyone. The shared space that we live in should not be one of them. Allowing for an agreed level of cleanliness in these shared areas, the usage, contents and changes of the shared living areas should not be the overrule of one partner's and should always be respected by both partners as shared space.

All of the above is completely dependent upon a relationship of mutual respect. I believe than when one's partner is openly dismissive or sneering at the other's choices, then it has slid from a partnership based upon mutual respect towards a degree of attempted domination.

However, if someone chooses to be dominated; That's their choice.

Well said.It's gotta be a 50/50 partnership or someone's unhappiness will result.

 

[michaelhigh]

theophile - "However, if someone chooses to be dominated; That's their choice."

I used to have a lock on my recording studio door. Got me divorced.

It wasn't a "marriage" cave. Not by MY choice, either...

 

[theophile]

theophile - "However, if someone chooses to be dominated; That's their choice."

I used to have a lock on my recording studio door. Got me divorced.

It wasn't a "marriage" cave. Not by MY choice, either...

Could you expand on the circumstances Mike?

 

[iwilson]

My wife gives me cap about all the money o spent on my phones, cause I never use them!

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fleischer]

My wife hated music. Once, when I was away on a business trip, she thought she'd get some new plants. She put one on my Thorens turntable, cracking the plastic lid. The speakers were turned into plant stands - she overwatered the plants and soaked the speakers. I have another wife now.

 

[Art K.]

Well said.It's gotta be a 50/50 partnership or someone's unhappiness will result.

That's not necessarily so. Many successful marriages are built on understood inequities. Even supposed 50/50 marriages generally fluctuate over time as economic and emotional needs vary.

 

[SuperjazzyJa]

That's not necessarily so. Many successful marriages are built on understood inequities. Even supposed 50/50 marriages generally fluctuate over time as economic and emotional needs vary.

That's for sure. :yes:

 

[ths71]

My wife wonders why a big ugly black plastic flat screen TV is acceptable to a lot of women while a beautiful handmade pair of walnut veneered speakers is not.

 

[michaelhigh]

Could you expand on the circumstances Mike?

Making a solo album takes a lot of concentration, especially if there's other responsibilities competing for attention. I kept the bills paid, but I couldn't keep the home fires burning, as it were.

The life of a musician isn't always everything it's cracked up to be, especially in the "indie" world.

 

[theophile]

My wife wonders why a big ugly black plastic flat screen TV is acceptable to a lot of women while a beautiful handmade pair of walnut veneered speakers is not.

The answer to that is:

What is 'fashion' is that which is being boasted about to others by the many. "I have....". "I've got......". "We're getting.......". Both genders are influenced by it. We are herd creatures.

Aside from fashion, many of the flatscreens have a better picture than a CRT. The choice can be justified from a quality viewpoint divorced from the fashion aspect.

The reason why quality hi-fi has been falling behind is that it has been eclipsed in the eyes of the masses by mini systems. Somewhere along the line(around the early '80s) came the advent of the mini system. Couple this with the Bose cube and VIOLA we have a large violin. Sorry, we have a new consumer paradigm:

It's not good unless it is tiny(quite the reverse of a different preference).

That is why the overriding complaint against most quality hi-fi components remains: "It's too big!!". Couple this with the fact that the mini systems(and Bose cubes) were dirt cheap, and you have the other common complaint: "Why are you spending so much on your sound system? I can buy a (inset brand here) for $200". The i-pod/i-phone etc as music provider is the ultimate expression of that philosophy, and they sell in the billions of units.

Just because we generally follow the pack of course doesn't mean that we all think the same and act the same. The vast majority of folk however follow trends. Why? Well, it gives them something to brag about.

 

[just dave]

That's not necessarily so. Many successful marriages are built on understood inequities. Even supposed 50/50 marriages generally fluctuate over time as economic and emotional needs vary.

That maybe so.I'm just going by my experience with my marriage and other people that I know.My wife and I are very equal and some of are friends are not,you can tell the ones that are going south.

 

[matteos]

My wife hated music. Once, when I was away on a business trip, she thought she'd get some new plants. She put one on my Thorens turntable, cracking the plastic lid. The speakers were turned into plant stands - she overwatered the plants and soaked the speakers. I have another wife now.

Sensible decision.