I would turn it around on them- ask them right back and say well what do you think? They’ll most likely say yes. Then ask is that the sound your going for? ….the conversation will ensue naturally….
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.
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Someone said, "Honesty is the best policy. There’s a lot less competition." I’ve found that apropos, in most situtations. Educating others, regarding good sound and how to listen and adjust for accurate/articulate reproduction, kept me in busy and prosperous in the sound industry, for decades. (appreciated by most) But then: if someone’s happy with what their system’s sound and/or listening preferences; who am I to tell them they’re wrong? (always been my perspective) Happy listening! |
@immatthewj wrote:
It appears so. Oh, well - if nothing else we're free to take from the OP as we see fit, and hopefully someone else can make use of the replies. |
@thecarpathian wrote:
Hypotheticals are OK. If the subject matter is deemed of relevance in broader terms, it doesn’t really matter to me that there’s no specific recipient or case. As I wrote above, some people are still likely to make use of such a correspondence. |
I never offer an opinion unless asked. If asked, and I find whatever it is that they are asking about to be wanting, I start a conversation by asking them about how they went about their choices and decision making. That leads into “what about this, why didn’t you do that”, etc. Leading them through their own thought process opens up their curiosity into considering alternative paths, and sidesteps judgement. |
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