Why are there a disproportional number of male audiophiles? Not sure if this is a silly question, but speaking for myself, I have never met a female audiophile. I am sure they exist, but their scarcity begs the question as to why. Is it merely that men have more of the "mine is bigger than yours" mentality, do men love gadgets and tools or is it something more sinister?
@millercarbon You unfortunately missed the point of my use of the word "unfortunately". My comment was in response to Facten, who seemed intrigued by the possibility of "sinister" things going on. My use of the word "unfortunately" indicated that the reality of the situation was perhaps not as spicy as what he might have hoped for. I, in no way want to make us all the same. As they say, variety is the spice of life. Whether it is music, food, friends or audio equipment.
Unfortunately, I do not think there is actually anything nefarious going on. It might be as simple as women being emotion driven, when it comes to music, so the fact that it doesn’t "sound" perfect is irrelevant. They get what they need from the music itself.
Something very nefarious and sinister is indeed going on. Only just not the way you think. What you just said is, finally, very sensible. Most of it, anyway. Save for the one unfortunate word. Everyone knows men and women are very different creatures with very different interests, inclinations, and abilities. There’s a tremendous amount of overlap but the differences are at the extremes, something every single one of us used to know and take for granted - until the nefarious sinister stuff came along.
That it is indeed nefarious and sinister is revealed in your one word, "unfortunately". This one word gives away the game. What in the world is "unfortunate" about people not being all exactly the same?
Think about it. Because the next question is, Why would anyone want to make us all the same when we’re not?
You know what I am afraid of? That after all the discussion and arguing back and forth, that are we are going to come to one conclusion. That woman are just smarter than men.
Much the same as going to see a rock band like Rush in concert. Guys are there for the musicianship as much as the music. Come to think of it. I don't know many women that are into jazz either. Except my ex-wife. She loves jazz, always had performance cars and loved high quality sound.
Unfortunately, I do not think there is actually anything nefarious going on. It might be as simple as women being emotion driven, when it comes to music, so the fact that it doesn't "sound" perfect is irrelevant. They get what they need from the music itself.
@roberjerman - I don't think one example of nurture over nature is a sufficient sample to draw any conclusions. I was very young when I first heard my uncle's JBL Paragon/Mac setup and I was fascinated from the getgo. I think a similar thing has happened to many of us. Some kids are fascinated by motorcycles, some by firearms and some couldn't care less. Definitely appears like some inborn proclivities at work.
@chayro : this proves that it's nurture over nature! We would have more female enthusiasts if from young they had exposure to HiFi gear within their family circles!
The only woman audiophile I ever met was a sales rep for Polk! This was decades back in the late 70's at one of the Fall NY HiFi shows. We shared a bonding moment over a Linn Sondek TT!
I know one female audiophile, but you're right about the disparity in numbers. Maybe it has to do with what you were exposed to in your youth. My wife's father used to watch boxing with her when she was a little girl, and she grew up liking to watch boxing, which IMO, is not loved by females that much.
Well, if your age is reflective of the 1954 in your moniker I’m a couple of years older than you . Now, young man , what "sinister" things do you think are afoot?
yes, if you go a high end audio show, you will see... it is a whopping disparity - like 95/5...
...must be the gear, equipment, technicality - yes there is art and beauty as a successful end result in this pursuit, but the knowledge gathering, acquisition, set up etc etc of a high end rig is a very very left brain exercise...
Speculation: because guys are problem solvers, we like tools (gear) that helps to these problems. We also like building things - again tools needed. Guys like bigger, larger, stronger/power (1000HP street cars). You'd be hard pressed to typically find females interested in these areas.
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