Jmcgrogan2 --
To answer your questions, my wife and I have been married for about five years. We don't, however, have any kids -- for various medical reasons, neither one of us can safely reproduce, and we don't have any particular desire to do so anyway. I realize that can make a difference in a relationship, and that IS something that I can't speak to. We do have a dog, however, who is more spoiled than most children . . . . ;-0)
Don't misunderstand me -- I'm perfectly well aware of what wives can do. I was married once before, and I experienced all of the "evils" you've all mentioned (except for kids -- didn't have any then, either). But that wasn't because my ex-wife was innately evil -- it was because I made a poor choice. My ex's priorities were clearly visible prior to the nuptials . . . I just chose to ignore them, and I paid for it.
What I find to be REALLY funny is that this discussion is occurring among audiophiles, who will diligently spend days comparing power cables to find the "perfect fit" for their systems . . . . if you were to try out a new CD player for your "almost finished" high end rig, and discovered that it sounded pretty good, but you had real concerns that it wouldn't sound good later on, after it was broken in, would you buy it?
Well, ok, maybe not the best example, seeing as how A-gon is filled with used gear . . . . ;-0)
But the analogy works in principle, so I'll keep going.
You wouldn't buy it -- you would keep looking and auditioning until you found a CDP that you felt would complement your system in the best way possible. Why? Because you know that every CDP is different, and that, somewhere out there, there is the best possible CDP to match your gear. Nothing's perfect, but you could certainly find one that would meet or exceed your most important criteria, and at least not suck on others.
That's why I'm so serious about this thread . . . . if everyone you talked to told you that ALL CD players sounded lousy after they were broken in, you wouldn't bother looking for a good one. You'd just buy whatever was most convenient and then bitch about the innate lousiness of CD players when it didn't sound good.
I'm trying to be the person who says "Wait, all CDPs DON'T sound the same. Look for one that has the qualities that will complement your system."
It's a question of priorities. What's most important to you? Since Charles started this thread, I'm assuming that his audiophilia is pretty close to the top of his list. If that's the case, then he'd better be pretty damned sure that whoever he marries is going to support that. If he suspects that the necessary support will NOT be forthcoming, and he marries the woman in question anyhow, then whatever happens down the road is nobody's fault but his.
Now, if I'm wrong, and audio gear is actually way down Charles' list, then fine -- it's certainly true that you can't have everything, and if there are lots of things that are more important to him than audio gear, then he may have to sacrifice that to get other things that he finds more important. Life is, after all, a series of compromises.
But if you assume from the very beginning that certain things are nonnegotiable, and that certain spousal traits are simply unavoidable, then you aren't truly making an informed choice.
I just want Charles, and anyone else reading this thread to know that there ARE women out there who will support you in whatever you believe is most important to you, whether that is audiophilia, a political career, or mud wrestling. But you have to decide for yourself what your priorities are, and then look for someone who complements them.
It's the match that's important -- I know lots of people who would HATE being married to my wife. She can't cook, doesn't clean, stabbed herself in the eye with a mascara brush the last time she tried to wear makeup, and can't have kids. To me, none of those things are nearly as important as the fact that she helps support my art collection, loves movies and having a great system to watch them on, backs me up on whatever I try to accomplish, makes me laugh, and brings a little more light into the lives of people who know her.
THOSE are the things that are important to me. If I had felt, prior to our wedding, that there was a serious potential for her to NOT really have those qualities, I wouldn't have married her. Period.
The bottom line, I guess, is this:
Only you know what you need to be happy, and it's your responsibility to make sure that you do everything possible to get it. If you give up, or settle for something that's not quite it, then the results are something that you'll have to live with, and there will be no one to blame but yourself.
To answer your questions, my wife and I have been married for about five years. We don't, however, have any kids -- for various medical reasons, neither one of us can safely reproduce, and we don't have any particular desire to do so anyway. I realize that can make a difference in a relationship, and that IS something that I can't speak to. We do have a dog, however, who is more spoiled than most children . . . . ;-0)
Don't misunderstand me -- I'm perfectly well aware of what wives can do. I was married once before, and I experienced all of the "evils" you've all mentioned (except for kids -- didn't have any then, either). But that wasn't because my ex-wife was innately evil -- it was because I made a poor choice. My ex's priorities were clearly visible prior to the nuptials . . . I just chose to ignore them, and I paid for it.
What I find to be REALLY funny is that this discussion is occurring among audiophiles, who will diligently spend days comparing power cables to find the "perfect fit" for their systems . . . . if you were to try out a new CD player for your "almost finished" high end rig, and discovered that it sounded pretty good, but you had real concerns that it wouldn't sound good later on, after it was broken in, would you buy it?
Well, ok, maybe not the best example, seeing as how A-gon is filled with used gear . . . . ;-0)
But the analogy works in principle, so I'll keep going.
You wouldn't buy it -- you would keep looking and auditioning until you found a CDP that you felt would complement your system in the best way possible. Why? Because you know that every CDP is different, and that, somewhere out there, there is the best possible CDP to match your gear. Nothing's perfect, but you could certainly find one that would meet or exceed your most important criteria, and at least not suck on others.
That's why I'm so serious about this thread . . . . if everyone you talked to told you that ALL CD players sounded lousy after they were broken in, you wouldn't bother looking for a good one. You'd just buy whatever was most convenient and then bitch about the innate lousiness of CD players when it didn't sound good.
I'm trying to be the person who says "Wait, all CDPs DON'T sound the same. Look for one that has the qualities that will complement your system."
It's a question of priorities. What's most important to you? Since Charles started this thread, I'm assuming that his audiophilia is pretty close to the top of his list. If that's the case, then he'd better be pretty damned sure that whoever he marries is going to support that. If he suspects that the necessary support will NOT be forthcoming, and he marries the woman in question anyhow, then whatever happens down the road is nobody's fault but his.
Now, if I'm wrong, and audio gear is actually way down Charles' list, then fine -- it's certainly true that you can't have everything, and if there are lots of things that are more important to him than audio gear, then he may have to sacrifice that to get other things that he finds more important. Life is, after all, a series of compromises.
But if you assume from the very beginning that certain things are nonnegotiable, and that certain spousal traits are simply unavoidable, then you aren't truly making an informed choice.
I just want Charles, and anyone else reading this thread to know that there ARE women out there who will support you in whatever you believe is most important to you, whether that is audiophilia, a political career, or mud wrestling. But you have to decide for yourself what your priorities are, and then look for someone who complements them.
It's the match that's important -- I know lots of people who would HATE being married to my wife. She can't cook, doesn't clean, stabbed herself in the eye with a mascara brush the last time she tried to wear makeup, and can't have kids. To me, none of those things are nearly as important as the fact that she helps support my art collection, loves movies and having a great system to watch them on, backs me up on whatever I try to accomplish, makes me laugh, and brings a little more light into the lives of people who know her.
THOSE are the things that are important to me. If I had felt, prior to our wedding, that there was a serious potential for her to NOT really have those qualities, I wouldn't have married her. Period.
The bottom line, I guess, is this:
Only you know what you need to be happy, and it's your responsibility to make sure that you do everything possible to get it. If you give up, or settle for something that's not quite it, then the results are something that you'll have to live with, and there will be no one to blame but yourself.