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Time was, the better and more desirable the aspiring high-end system was it truly was “bigger is better”. The top of the line was the proverbial white elephant in the room that bellowed with cavernous solemnity, even when off, “I'm here for the unrestrained obsession of one audiophile and I'm as large as I need to be”, and generally needing as much floor space as a parked car. Now, I will grant that turning over the only living room to such is seldom an option but what about all the basements, the attic spaces, the upper garage rooms, 2nd garages, spare bedrooms, dens... In times past, the so called man of the house always had either a workroom, or hobby room, or den, but always at least one room that was his. Just as the lady of the house had a dedicated room for her own interests, whatever she wished them to be.
I propose a new term HAF, husband approval factor, as in half of our space is mine half is yours, and we each need a dedicated space for ourselves to provide some measure of alone time. As a side note, before you say couples should always have shared time; I know of quite a few who when the husband retired, and was with the wife all the time, it caused more strife than they had ever had previously. Some alone time is like a pressure relief valve for both spouses. Remember, equal means fifty-fifty, share and share alike, and not some Orwellian “all are equal, but some are more equal than others” distorted rationalization. Is there no egalitarianism left in relationships? In truth, are you able to use your half of the home or not, is she?
Additionally, it seems as if all the writers of the print media must live in cramped NYC apartments with no more floor space than a Tokyo resident suffers under. Or, they are under the delusion that everyone in the world lives in a converted warehouse loft. I would remind the members of the media that more people live in the flyover states than reside in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. Furthermore, they actually live in houses, imagine that, with individual rooms, garages, yards and free spaces. I have seldom seen any property that could not be remodeled in some way; either a room converted to another use or a 2nd garage or shed built, a basement finished, an attic space with a dormer added on, or a room addition constructed. Something can generally be done to any property. You're a man, draw up some plans, get thee to the inspectors office, pocket that permit, haul yourself over to the lumber yard, and if you're in the flyovers then you surely have a Home Depot or something nearby, return and have at it. Costs, remember that over two thirds of the cost of a remodel job is paying for others labor, DIY and save. Time, how many hours are wasted on TV; just one hour a day over two or three years adds up. Ability, if Edward Leedskalnin at five foot and 100 pounds built all 1,100 tons of Coral Castle by himself and built it twice, then what excuse can anyone else have?
Follow Ups:
Bravo! HAF it is. How about Personal Acceptance Factor, (PAF), genderless, reaches across socio-economic strata, and identifies us as people who don't give a rat's ass about speakers and their size relative to anything except quality sound and optimal placement. I recently upgraded to Klipsch Fortes, which is a size increase, but the improvement I got from 6 1/2" and 8" speakers is phenomenal. Until I recently got new-to-me ADS L420's, I thought true bass from an 8" was impossible. If I ever need WAF (rare chance) I'll rely on my 420's to supply ample bass, until then (probably forever) my PAF is high with Klipsch Fortes, and any one of 6 speaker and stereo system combinations.
Freedom is the right to discipline yourself.
Here is a youtube video of the feminine ideal for society.
damn funny.
^_' or ô_o or \:[
That sounds familiar, but I don't think it's an option everyone has. We bought the lot next to us years ago - room for expansion.
So, we cleared out some space and poured some concrete.
Then, the fun began - building.
Before long, the cave was really taking shape.
In the end, we have a fairly large garage with a mancave (WAF does not apply) above it. Since it's connected to the house via a breezeway and very well insulated, I can crank whatever I like whenever I want and disturb nobody.
"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST." FZ
Very cool!
.
"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST." FZ
SAF, SWMBO is also sometimes in use.
A fellow retired employee thought of me when he got married... and the stereo in the basement had to go.. in favor of an all in one home theater in the living room. So for a hundred bucks (a token) I got (all 25 years old) big Polk speakers, a Audiere Forte amp, audiere preamp, Rega planar3 with Magneplanar Unitrac arm, with Dynavector Ruby23 cart still in very good condition, an Oracle carbon fiber brush, a Denon ultrasonic stylus cleaner (rare), a record cleaning machine, Stax headphones..
I still have the Stax, the Oracle csrbon brush, the record cleaning machine, the Ruby 23.
How these turned into a free Sp-15 is another story.
Suffice to say the Maneplanar arm alone went for $300....
And for my coworker? I would guess he is happy being wrapped around some babes finger. LOL (i heard they sold the house he owned his whole life, fronting on a beautiful park, to live in a condo...)
Then the other story, the living room as a woman's turf. Some just go too far...A friend rented a space in a recent divorcee's home. The living room was pure white. All soft easy to dirty stuff. Not a speck was allowed. My friend was supposed to have the run of the house. HAH. She could not enter the front door, because of the pure white carpet, she could not sit in the living room lest a tiny smug of even the faintest yellow or gray cast fell upon the pristine living room. Clearly no living was allowed in the 'living room' (Yet the owner managed to use it all the time, I guess the owner was CLEAN in ways no other human can manage) my friend and the owner soon had a parting of the ways over a hair left in the bathroom. "A" hair, not some hair...
LOL.
One of the criteria was to have a room for my equipment. Made me happy because I would have a space that I could do with as I please and my wife was happy because she could close the door....
I have posted this before, but above is a picture of the view from my listening chair, taken several years ago. Speakers are still the same, but the amp in current use is an Eico HF-86.
Best,
Ross
The WAF can be ignored when selecting equipment for that room.
a woman's area of pride, PERIOD. Women fantasize long before marriage about what it's going to be like. They spend months researching, pricing, and bargain-hunting for furnishings, planning where everything is going to go, what colors and textures match just right, etc. The nesting urge is all-powerful and this is the center of it. Among her peers, this is Ground-Zero, and not just for the comfort of entertaining: it is the one place to showcase her design knowledge, her good taste, her respect for family and values. To invade and violate this hallowed space with, let's face it, overwhelming pieces of less-than-aesthetically pleasing boxes--- or worse, sci-fi shaped objects--- is not only to broadcast to her friends that she is tasteless, but also to suggest she is a beaten-down, subservient, un-appreciated and less-than-loved lackey.
The place for an audio system is in a dedicated room, or another shared space, i.e. guest bedroom; den. If one's space is so modest as to have neither of these, then the conscientious husband will sacrifice his ultimate speakers for either wall-enclosures or corner-types.
We all know the expression, "man cave?"
Well, the living room is "woman cave."
It's hard to believe so many guys are married and can know so little about women. I guess this partially explains our high divorce rate and the low rates of intercourse among so many American males after the first couple years of marriage.
"I'm going to have my audio in the living room and the hell with you---- just be grateful I don't disappear to a bar, come home, and beat you!"
Wow, that's a path to marital bliss, isn't it?
...Your statement; a living room is a woman’s area of pride, PERIOD. is both arrogant, ignorant & typical of a male thinking he knows what is best for a woman.
Broad-brush arbitrary statements about the wants & needs of any group are arrogant beyond descript.
Your statement seems to be some sort of brain-washed fantasy ideal from the 50s.
The fundamentals of successful marriage/cohabitation are unique to each & every couple.
Attempting to label & pigeonhole women’s ideals in relation to audio equipment and living rooms is about as arrogant & dumb as it gets.
YMMV
Smile
Sox
only because our brains are made up differently. :P
My wife lets me put my stereo anywhere. She likes trance, house, and pop. When I played her tunes on my system (Fulton J speakers, AR SP8 and AR D70) at full volume, she DEMANDED that I put the system in the living room. You just to find the right woman, AND the right audio system!
I believe the point was, why deal with, and sacrifice your audio system, trying to deal with the WAF in the living room. Find another room in the house, or move to the basement, or build an addition.
nt.
...will read, or have anything to say here. AA is a Boy's Club, after all, eh? Is the appreciation of music--and well reproduced recorded music--just for men as well? No, but if one understands little about women, one might also assume such a thing. Assumptions abound.
Where did you pull all of that out of?
nt
Indeed, pay attention! :)
No assumptions simply statistics, the overwhelming majority of high-end consumers are male; I doubt there is one woman customer in five hundred and I'm probably being generous at that. Therefore, few if any women would likely be reading or replying here, although any and all are welcome to do so. On another note, I'm fairly confident that your audio system is probably not in clear view in the living room, where it would likely be deemed to not fit in with the overall motif but more likely has found its place in a studio / music room? Furthermore, I'll bet that product aesthetics had a weighted consideration in their purchase? As opposed to their selection based solely on sound quality, without any regard to visual aspects of the equipment?
Next point; perhaps you are a sterling paradigm of justice and equality in which case I bow to your beneficence. But, the more likely scenario is that of an average human being which unfortunately does not generally behave in a very egalitarian manner. All too often those that express equality actually, if they are honest with themselves in the long dark night, desire an Orwellian version where “some are more equal than others”. My disgust was with reading yet one more kvetching audiophile bemoaning that his system did not pass WAF therefore he must seek something even more pathetic than before such that its presence may then be tolerated by his spouse. A precise choice of words there as equipment is never “approved of” only tolerated.
In times far past, during evening entertainment in upper society the gentlemen would retire to the drawing rooms for their cigars, cognac and occasionally billiards, while the ladies retired to their sitting rooms for coffee and discussion. So where is the modern world's equivalent of such, considering that the typical person does not have an English manor house close to hand? If the living room is to be the sole domain of the woman then it is neither equitable nor just that the wife can then also demand that no other room of the house, a shared property by the way, can be reserved for the husband's use. Are there no dens, no family rooms, no basements, no entertainment rooms that can be utilized for his audio hobby, if so then he should modify or build such. You seem to be advocating a position that not a single solitary room should be available for the man to use, that stance is indefensible. Especially if the woman is dictating every other aspect of the house and the man is only utilizing a single media room. Where pray tell is there any equality in that?
No worries. I don't have the time, or the inclination to address all the silly assumptions you've made here. You really went off the deep end.
Feeling better, though? ;)
If one doesn't wish to debate then why clash swords?
Where did I make the assumption that only men will read, and have anything to say here? Or that only men have an appreciation of music?
That's how I read it...
Poor irrational creature.
Judging from most of the rest of this thread, this place (AA) is still a hostile environment for women. Is it really any wonder there are so few of us participating? Frankly, I'm getting pretty tired of reading all the whining about women, which, as you point out, is really based on simply not understanding much of anything about us.
Any man who aspires to a meaningful relationship should strive to move beyond the attitudes of his high school/college days, and learn to forge true partnerships, while still being able to satisfy his personal needs and desires. It's really not that difficult; unless one is stuck in the "whining about WAF" mentality. Time to grow up.
I'm a woman, and I enjoy a good stereo system. I've learned a great deal here, for which I'm very grateful. At the same time, I fully understand why my fellow female "audiophiles" avoid posting much, if at all. Probably a few more lurking and learning than some of you might imagine, and what we're learning isn't just about audio equipment.
Did it ever strike you that some of men on this "asylum" are simply stating the case as they have known it? Not all women are as reasonable, sharing, and caring as you seem to be. There are many, many women out there who are selfish, childish, and domineering (unwilling to "forge true partnerships", as you might say). What makes you think we aren't speaking the truth, as we've experienced it? You seem to be making the assumption that the term "WAF" is just a joke with little or no bearing on reality as we've known it to be. Imagine a world where not all women are nurturing angels, and some of them really are like the ones that "tinear" has described! Wake up and smell the coffee, I say.
Well said! I have been married for 37 years and my wife NEVER gave me a hard time about audio. In the end I ended up with a dedicated room but we always worked out the enviroment before that.
She was happy that I wasn't going to bars etc. when I was youger which I really had nointerest anyway.
She also does help in evaluating equipment when I get the urge to play as I trust her hearing.
Best,
Bob
Hey tinear, I gotta tell ya that the only reason my living room became a listening room is because the wife didn't want the gear (and ME) downstairs all the time. A good compromise... Although while she didn't mind sound absorbers on the walls, I don't think she'll go for bass traps... yet!
"If the audio industry built gear that sounded as good as it did 50 years ago, there would NEVER be a need to re-issued anything!"
That was sort of my point in the first place. Why compromise the audio for an idiotic WAF compliant system just so it can then be “tolerated” in a living room environment. Either convert or build a dedicated sound / media room and use components that do not cater to WAF in the least. The problem comes about when the man does not have any control over even one single room in the house be it basement, attic, garage workroom, outbuilding, room addition, etc.
Please see above. Most likely to be paired with low power SET amp. Bass horn enclosure already built in. Room treatment recommendations for side and back wall reflections appreciated.
link
and women are more and more running the show. Which in a sense is fair enough. If you want her you have to give her X, Y, and Z and it's your own damn fault if you make the decision to give her X, Y, and Z. This is not true everywhere and in places like South Korea where they live in 700 square foot apartments the husband owns a set of Voice of the Theater loudspeakers which takes up half the living space.
The suggestion I would make to people is rather than "settle" on a spouse because you don't want to be lonely that you choose someone who has similar interests - like an interest in and a passion for MUSIC. I have met female audiophiles in my journey to shops. One girl was buying a Rotel amp and Rega turntable - maybe 24 years old rather pretty blond. She was saying something like the Rotel is nice and in a couple of years she will get the Naim gear.
They are out there. Far too many guys marry people that are not right for them (no wonder the divorce rate is above 60%. And of the remianing 40% who don't get divorced how many of them are actually happy? How many of that 40% stay married because of religious beliefs? How many stay married for their kids? How many men in that 40% are out with hookers or dominatrixes because they're wives don't do it for them? I am betting at BEST only half of the remaining 40% are actually happy. That basically means that of all marriages only 1/5 actually work as advertised.
Big is generally better in sound IMO and even my Audio Note speakers while standmounts they're Big standmounts and they go in corners which basically converts the wall as part of the loudspeaker cabinet. And I have yet to hear a smaller speaker sound anywhere even remotely as good.
The divorce rate may have come close to 50% for the post-war boomer generation. The change in mores in the 60s and 70s really took a toll on a lot of marriages that began in a different social environment. Today, for the sort of people who are AA members, the rate is something like 20%.
"Accoring to The Department of Justice, Child Support Initiative, Evaluation Report, August 1997, divorce rate in Canada is about 48%.../...
Some facts about the divorce rates in Canada
Almost 75% of Canadian divorces are being initiated by women.
One year after separation or divorce, 50% of children of divorced or separated families never see their fathers again.
First marriages have about a 50% chance of ending in divorce , that risk becomes greater with each successive marriage (about 72% for second, and about 85% for third marriages)."
In the U.S.
"The divorce rate in America for first marriage, vs second or third marriage
50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce, according to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri.
According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America:
The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%
According to discovery channel, couples with children have a slightly lower rate of divorce than childless couples.
Sociologists believe that childlessness is also a common cause of divorce. The absence of children leads to loneliness and weariness and even in the United States, at least 66 per cent of all divorced couples are childless."
A couple of interesting things of note.
"About 60 percent of all marriages that eventually end in divorce do so
within the first 10 years, researchers say. If that continues to hold true, the divorce rate for college graduates who married between 1990 and 1994 would end up at only about 25 percent, compared to well over 50 percent for those without a four-year college degree."
"43% of first marriages end within 15 years.
Red states have a divorce rate 27% higher than blue states."
"14% of white women who married in the 1940s eventually divorced. A single generation later, almost 50 percent of those that married in the late sixties and early seventies have already divorced. ... Between 1970 and 1992, the proportion of babies born outside of marriage leaped from 11% to 30%."
Amara Bachu, Fertility of American Women: June 1994 (Washington D.C.: Bureau of the Census, September 1995)
My estimate of 60% was a little too high but I still stand by my 1/5 actually work. Lots of people stick it out for kids, religion, financial needs, fear of being alone, psychology, etc.
compiled about divorce are key. See the link for some starting thoughts.
""Pollster Louis Harris has written, "The idea that half of American marriages are doomed is one of the most specious pieces of statistical nonsense ever perpetuated in modern times."
"It all began when the Census Bureau noted that during one year, there
were 2.4 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces. Someone did the
math without calculating the 54 million marriages already in existence,
and presto, a ridiculous but quotable statistic was born.
"Harris concludes, "Only one out of eight marriages will end in divorce.
In any single year, only about 2 percent of existing marriages will break up."
I am sorry but your link does not make sense. This is not hard. 10 marriages - ten years later 4 out of the ten marriages end in divorce. The statistics are not difficult.
The link you provided "invents" an argument.
"It all began when the Census Bureau noted that during one year, there
were 2.4 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces. Someone did the
math without calculating the 54 million marriages already in existence,
and presto, a ridiculous but quotable statistic was born."
NOWHERE did this occur. These studies and records go back a hundred years and it was not done during ONE year like the above quote claims. Whatever hack wrote this is trying to subvert the truth. Oh wait - it's a Christian publication - real bastions of science, reason, and math they are LOL
publication Time magazine: "Since the 1970s, when more women started going to college and delaying marriage, "marital stability appears to be improving each decade," she writes. For example, about 23% of college graduates who married in the '70s split within 10 years. For those who wed in the '90s, the rate dropped to 16%."
"Since the 1970s, when more women started going to college and delaying marriage, "marital stability appears to be improving each decade," she writes. For example, about 23% of college graduates who married in the '70s split within 10 years. For those who wed in the '90s, the rate dropped to 16%."
But: "Penn State sociologist Paul Amato, in a thorough new report on interpreting divorce data, writes that the half-of-all-marriages-end-badly figure still "appears to be reasonably accurate."
I am not sure you're disagreeing with what I posted. In my post I noted that divorce rates among educated people with a 4 year degree tend to have much lower divorce rates. OTOH people with 4 year degrees are in the minority of the total of those people getting married. The divorce rate is improving in this subset of people according to Time magazine and that makes sense to the extent that educated people probably are a little "smarter" on average than those who are not. That means they tend to make better choices and choose their partners a little more wisely and probably have something more to talk about than "honey get me another brew while I watch the football game."
Stats are always somewhat difficult because I don't see them as any sort of predictor. My parents were married 35 years and would still be if my dad hadn't smoked 2 packs a day the whole time.
I'm not really against marriage - if it works great but frankly I get tired of vanilla ice cream everyday and I don't think I could listen to just one artist my whole life. Of course not - I like to try lots of Baskin Robins flavors - I like many artists. And I LOVE women - lots of women - I hope to love as many of them as I can :-)
LMAO, great post!
Simple lesson here; do not behave as a doormat for any human on earth. Furthermore, I would say that applies equally to both genders.
Our local audio club had a demo yesterday of the Tannoy Westminster Royal SE. Each cabinet is 55" x 38.5" x 22" and weighs 304 pounds. Anyone who wants to buck the trend could check them out.
It's all solid state, except for the tubes.
Kathie allowed me to get my latest set of speakers, larger of course, because they really did make her butt look smaller. This is an angle I suggest you all try as one way or another you'll end up with the upgrade you seek. WAF be darned.
Working on a new bass horn it will be big enough for me to stand in I'm 6 2 230lbs. Large rocks small to me always sounds small.
...Owner-building can save money depending on the value of your own labour compared to that of the one you hire.
I have always thought WAF is a silly & divisive term but many seem happy to hang their hat on it.
Smile
Sox
except when I made certain "life transitions." However, I soon got back on track and the newest acquisitions are bigger than ever. ;-)
Having said that, I am willing to acknowledge that it is due to being "of a certain age" which associates size with performance and I have had more than a few conflicting experiences along the way. Still, the bigger speaker makes a visual statement to me and to others.
Wouldn't it be nice if we all were unbiased?
Kal
Hello All!I have to admit I'm always taken quite aback when men say stuff like this on an audio forum! This sounds more like something a boy would say who's living at the home of their girlfriend, than a man who's sharing a life and home with a loving woman he calls his their wife. IMHO any man ---{who isn't foolishly and recklessly spending joint finances that are already ear-marked for the mortgage or other such bills }--- but rather is only spending his discretionary income, and yet still has to worry about WAF when purchasing speakers or any other audio component is either a spineless geek or is married to a selfish woman who doesn't really love him!
Below is a picture of my dedicated audio room taken about 2 years ago. There's a lot more gear lying about now. Five and a half years ago when my wife and I purchased our home which has a master bedroom, 2 other bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and a family aka my dedicated audio room. I told her, I didn't ask her, that I wanted one room to be mine to setup my audio system and decorate as I see fit ---{ the only stipulation was it wouldn't be decorated hideously, such as painting the walls and ceilings all black }--- and in turn she would be free to do as she pleased with the rest of the house
I hate to say this to any man, but the reality is if you need to obtain "permission" from your wife or GF to purchase an audio component with your discretionary income. Then your wife or GF is acting like a very ungrateful, selfish woman. I couldn't imagine a loving woman or wife who would treat me like I'm living in her house ---{ as opposed to our house }--- and begrudges me setting up and enjoying one of my greatest loves in life, i.e., quality musical reproduction on an audio sytem of my choice. Any woman who would act in such a manner truly needs to learn to be a lot more generous of spirit and grateful for what God has blessed her with. Perhaps you men should remind your GF or wives she's married to a man/husband that's loves her very much and isn't out:
1)watching/playing sports with the guys.
2)drinking and/or doing drugs out in the bars with the guys.
3)riding/building motorcycles with the guys.
4)building/racing cars with the guys.
5)camping, hunting and/or fishing with the guys .
6)chasing other women with the guys.Ask her how she'd feel if the tables were turned and as of today you started demanding your input in how the appearance of all the rooms in the house should look! Then as you gently remind her that's not what you'd want anyway, tell her... You want her to be happy and enjoy her home, but doesn't she also want you to be happy and enjoy your home? All you're asking is to be able to incorporate the hobby you love so dearly into just ONE of the many rooms of your home! Explain to her how your hobby is one that allows you to stay home near her while you enjoy it. Plus on some nights it also allows you to share it with her when the work is all done and it's time for the two of you to relax together at night!
Now should you get your wife to start to understand that she really should be more grateful I have some suggestions to make the new transition go smoothly ---{ just one word of caution do NOT say or do this if you're not 100% completely sincere ----trust me she'll know }--- one Saturday or Sunday early in the day ---{ woman are subtle, so you'll need to be too }--- look at her and tell her you'd really like to show her how you can share the hobby you love, with the woman you love. Explain that it would mean a lot to you if she'd come sit with you tonight over some wine, cheese & crackers ---{ after the kids are down if you have any }---and listen to some nice relaxing music together. Tell her you'd really like to listen to some of the music she finds romantic, so would she bring a couple of her favorite romantic recordings for you two to listen to?.That simple statement has worked for me 99% of the time for me with virtually every woman I dated and it works just as well with my wife to this day!
Now when she comes to sit down let her sit in the sweet spot ---{ you might want to be real romantic and tell her anywhere she sits is the "sweet spot" }--- and explain what it is and why you want her to sit there. Then hold her hand and listen to the music together! Done correctly you may actually have a difficult time listening to music after awhile ---{ you actually pushed the romance button a lot earlier in the day with the eye contact and subtle touches }--- best part is next time she's hears your system playing she'll probably end up fondly reminiscing about that very special romantic evening you two had together. Who knows she might even decide to come sit with you again some night while you're listening music all alone and don't be too surprised is she's wearing her favorite lingerie and carrying a bottle of wine with some cheese & crackers. Heck "if" you play your cards correctly she might even come to believe your audio system is the best new aphrodisiac she's ever discovered..... and "if" she does, you make darn sure she believes she discovered it too!
Tom Scata (thetubeguy1954)
===============================================================
--- SETriodes Group --- Central Florida Audio Society --- Space
Coast Audio Society --- Fullrange Drivers --- Front & Back Loaded Horns
Edits: 04/10/11
One room! Bad compromise, I dictate everything in this place when it comes to style and taste.
At its height the high-end was all about the Quality of the audio reproduction, looks had nothing to do with it. The moment WAF enters the picture it's all about small, unobtrusive, décor friendly, ineffectual systems that have sacrificed performance for looks and diminutive size. Even the ability to appreciate quality is fading as the term is vanishing from the lexicon, the vile twins of quantity and convenience have defiled any attempts to cultivate an appreciation of the finer things. Moreover, it is happening across the board and not only to audio. A custom shirt maker, one of the last in NYC, was bemoaning the loss of interest in quality haberdashery. His list of clientele had shrunk each year and he was uncertain how long he could remain. An entire generation is shunning the tailored suit for jeans and jackets. Sulka is long gone and its loss marked the beginning of the decline. The desire for “quality” in all things is being lost, you see it in the population and in the contempt for refinement of any sort. The public is sold on consumable, disposable, brand labeled plastic swill and loves it, they don't even realize what they have lost. Instead of instilling any appreciation for things of quality, excellence and refinement, it's the crude and crass, shiny and shallow that rules the day. The world is the poorer for it.
I agree. It does seem most enjoy the bland and boring mass produced whatever. And its not just with audio or club is not allowing Anheuser bush products in or club frig. They sue microbrewery s out of business and is just crap beer so the ban. So many where saying I luv my bud its the best so we arranged a blind taste tests Bud Miller Coors. All the brand drinkers could not pick there brand out. We added a micro brew and used 4 they all picked the micro beer as best thinking it there brand. Since they know the name brands are mostly the same and poor tasting at that, they excepted the ban. We got this idea from a movie called beer wars.
Last July, I wanted a laptop with s-video out, to be able to hook some old TVs up to it. Naturally, it has HDMI out. But a laptop is only made large scale, now, so the options must be desired by some large swath of people, and so the s-video port is an example of something a million people would not use, and it raises the price five bucks and they would lose the competition. Actually, I've been on the other side of this equation with a computer company, talking about little things that "cost ten bucks - do we want that?" (And then maybe "no" is all we need)
I recently got into just such a situation. A friend's TV with an s-video input on it. I thought about the store, and checked their web site. Sure, radio shack has a converter for that. So I drove to there and to the best buy, and neither has one in retail stock - nobody uses those things. You have to order it online.
That's right. Nobody does use these things, or maybe 0.1% of people do. So I have to order one online. Anything made on a large scale is a box. Anything done individually is in human terms and expresses uniqueness and creativity - it has life in it for that.
As I see it, "zombieland" is the antithesis to boxes. Since all of the life was squoze out of them, the aspect of our lives in boxes loses its creativity, uniqueness and participation in design and manifestation. Walk like a zombie.
Of course, we are also supposed to have JIT to help with this, but it doesn't seem to be happening here.
Cheers,
Mark
Like good sound, if you haven't heard it, you don't know what you are missing. This reminds me of a large, corporate supply-sided world, where we watch as demand for recording quality has all but disappeared, and how the recording companies respond to that - with a drop in quality for so many popular recordings today. No demand - no one pays for it. So many people are sold on mp3s, and the beancounters respond in kind.
So they (the people) would demand them if they knew about them.
And you have reminded me of etiquette, which has been in the public dialog over the past 15 years because young people seem to have lost that. Like it just fell off somewhere.
Maybe they would have manners if they knew about them.
...everyone has limits.
Neighbor Acceptance Factor.
" Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination." -Michael McClure
I would like to sit on the Bill Maher show and read that. He thinks in this age of women's lib that men aren't equaling it - that men are pussy whipped. He needs to hear this.It's 2011 and here come the men.
Cheers!
I actually not long ago got out of a relationship where the speakers were out in front and getting the square footage they needed, and we listened to music and movies and all of this together in our snuggles.
When we broke up, there was the period of getting the belongings. When I picked up the stereo, the speakers were WAFed. She had put them back on the unit (6' wide) with her TV in between. I wouldn't own a TV like that. It's a couple of feet deep and it goes in the middle. I would solve that sound problem with a flat screen. Anyhow, I didn't know - I never knew that she would have done something like that after the times we spent together. She cheated on my stereo!
p.s. I should add that while that sounds bad, I think that's only because we're talking about it. She also broke up with me.
- Mark
Edits: 04/09/11 04/09/11
;D
If that's your dedicated listening room, that chair is there as an acoustic treatment, right?
(Totally goofing off.)
Hello Eno!
I realized you were joking, but thought I'd show you the listening position you couldn't see that's directly across from the speakers. As you can now see, the chair you originally saw is part of a set I liked too much to throw away and actually works well as a quasi-acoustic treatment, right where it is!
Tom Scata (thetubeguy1954)
===============================================================
--- SETriodes Group --- Central Florida Audio Society --- Space
Coast Audio Society --- Fullrange Drivers --- Front & Back Loaded Horns
for sound... Did you ever look for a place to put drinks?
Why such large enclosures for a single miserable driver per cab?
It looks like drivers connected to an amp. Know what I mean? Fully active. Fresh.
I guess he shouldn't expect a Bryston/Infinity guy to get it.........
Oz
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
.....bet that sounds great.
Oz
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
Really?
Sorry no hi-end hi-fi stuff. Photo taken back awhile. Actually have more junk now. Imagine the "W" of the WAF...
8^)
> Time was, the better and more desirable the aspiring high-end system was it truly was “bigger is better”.>
Did you hear about the 2008 economic collapse?
For example, luxury yacht orders over 250' are at an all time high, with four times the number of orders from just a decade ago, according to The Global Order Book. Also, luxury cars sales are expected to post a new record in 2011 at 1.5 million units. It certainly seems that at least for yachts and luxury autos the motto this year is “more, More, MORE”.
Besides, those of us who own monolithic sized speakers, of which I see you do, should be careful of the bricks they choose to toss around, unless you have recently downsized your audio system, in which case you have my condolences.
...but that's only the top 3%.
Everybody else got poorer, mostly because of shrinking home equity.
I downsized in 2008.
My house, not my audio system.
Wow, that is a great measure of how well a country is doing!
income, and are more affluent now than they were a decade ago. Luxury goods that cater to that demographic are on the increase. Therefore, many are in fact upgrading homes, yachts, cars, art and wine collections, jewelry, accoutrements and one presumes electronics. Only illustrating that not all are downsizing or ever will be.
PS. If you were curious most of the yacht orders are to Italian shipwrights.
"Get out of my room because I'm bringing in my massive speakers and they are so big there's only room for me to listen," factor. ;)
The greatest impediment to advancing an audiophile system is the audiophile.
Miata Form Factor = "If it can't be carried in a Mazda Miata, you don't want it"
Retirement acceptance factor.
There's only so much room in that downsized patio home.
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