Friends hi-fi system not very good, what do you do or say?


So you're going over to someones home and they give you a tour and they have a hi-fi system in a room. And while visiting of course they turn it on for you not knowing that you have a very nice system in your home and you notice immediately it's just not very good.  But then you're used to the very in you're listening experiences. So what do you do when they ask you what you think?

Do you say sounds really good?

Do you make suggestions?

Do you feel a desperate need to tell them about your system?

Personally, I try not to mention any details about my system. If I'm driving around in a Lamborghini I would prefer to be invisible so I don't get stared at when I get out of my car. If they had a really nice system with interesting components I would probably mention a few of the things I have and then we could bond with our common interests.   Ideally, it would be cool to be in the presence of someone who knew a lot more than I did and a real learning opportunity.

Audio systems tend to be private affairs I guess.  I don't necessarily want to hang out with someone and listen to tunes. Those wonderful College days where it made a lot of sense are long gone.

emergingsoul

Sounds good is what I'd say...   everyone perceives sound slightly differently.  Maybe they like it bright, dark, boomy... 

I have a friend who is a rock star, and he's got more vinyl albums than many record shops, but his sound system is about on par with a 1970's Radio Shack setup. I tell him he should bring some of his records over to my place some time so he can hear what they really sound like, but he hasn't taken me up on it yet... 

I just say.nice system..Most all gear looks great these days so it's not a lie & they might think it sounds great..As quickly as possible,I invite them to go listen to live music so the next time they sit down to listen to their "nice system"they might realize looking & sounding great are not the same...

If I'm listening to the worst system I ever heard, and I'm asked about it, I'll reply:

 

"I've never heard anything like it in my life"

 

Hoping they don't want more detail.