Audiophiles... Why Men? Any woman here?

To the men posting on this thread I will say that, as another man, I've found many of these comments offensive and not funny. This same behavior repeats itself everytime women's participation in this hobby is raised. Are we, as men, that threatened that we need to intimidate through sarcasm and stereotyping whenever this issue comes up?

For those who posted some thoughtful comments or took a dig at ourselves as men (which is how I heard you, Wc65mustang), thank you.

Just register me "digusted in Philly" tonight, folks. Sorry.
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OK, now that I've got that rant off my mind, I'll join Elizabeth in her observation that many women I know very much appreciate good music. And I'll add that many women I know both appreciate excellent sound quality and are very discerning of the sonics. And, just as with men, I've met a number of women who enjoy listening to different sound systems and experiencing the difference that can be achieved with different combinations of equipment. And, I've also met just as many or more men who don't care about the sound quality or the equipment.

In my conversations with women who are interested in the sonics, I hear them say pretty regularly "sure, I hear the difference and I appreciate the difference better sounding audio systems can make, but I just don't share your fixation with constantly obsessing about the equipment. I'm ultimately interested in the equipment only to the extent it serves the music; I'm not looking to just play with the gear for it's own sake like you might." To Elizabeth's very well-stated point: "The stuff is just all "toys" once you get past a few hundred dollars in electronics."
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