Have you ever deceived your wife-audio purchase

Phd your absolutely right and we should probably be a little more careful about how things are worded. I am fortunate that my wife enjoys my hobby and is probably a bigger music fan than I. She's also more aware of things like "diminishing returns".
Looking back over this thread makes me realise there is a fine line between addictions and obsessing over ones hobby, and lets face it, it's no secret that most addictions can be hard on relationships.

Funny thread, caught my eye right off, with my recent history. I've been on a spending binge bringing my old Pro Logic mid-fi system into a high-end 21st century version, all spawned (as is often the case) by a complete refinish of the family room. Fortunately, she doesn't know the value of things, and knows from the past that my audio purchases, usually on the pre-owned market, can include some very low (relatively) prices compared to what other things have cost. Anyway, as it turns out, the US Postal Service only sells money orders capped at $1k. So when I recently bought a new Fathom F113 subwoofer for $2265, I stashed the two receipts for $1k each and cleverly left the one for $265 sitting on the dresser next to loose change and other odds and ends routinely found in my pockets. Told her I got a great deal on a used subwoofer. She never noticed (a near gaffe!) that the box was unopened with it's original JL Audio-stamped packing tape.

However, an earlier post about kids and an expensive turntable (similarly introduced into the household via subterfuge) conjures my worse fears, that someday something will happen that will smoke me out of the woodline. Now that I have a 60" plasma (she's on board with that one), I feel I have a giant neon billboard in my house that says, "ROB ME!!" I'd hate to have a conversation with the insurance company with her present. That's outside of hiding my proportionate anxiety with the kids and the gear...

I don't deceive my wife on my purchase, our agreement is that what ever I spend this year on gear, she gets a diamond on our ten year wedding anniversary equal to what I spent.

What is funny, I buy a JL F113, sell it for X, pick up 2 SVS PB13, she adds up the three subs and writes it down, but doesn't give me credit for what I sold the JL for.

I am also extremely sexy, but having been married for 21 years now, I am neither rich nor famous. I can live without fame, thank you, but the other thing sounds kind a nice.
We have one name, two checking accounts. Even so, Wife knows what high-end audio costs. I leave "Stereophile"s lying around the house - unlike *some* Daddy Mags, at least the kids won't become perverts from reading them. (I hope.) Also she has gone with me when I've shopped for upgrade components. Hey, it was her suggestion that we buy our first "real" speakers - Magnepans, back when we were only a few months married. What a keeper she was and is.

Woodworking, oy. I too took that up as a hobby (hey, I can build custom racks now, right?) but I fell into the woodworker's High End. Japanese handtools - the Audio Note of deceptively simple bits of steel and oakwood. Lookk at the Hida Tool website. They're in Berkeley.) I could use a set of new chisels, but I need a dCS Verdi also, and it costs less.
When a Purcell shows up at the doorstep in this obviously well-made flight case, there really isn't much point in my concealing what I spent on it. At least Nordost Valhalla doesn't look expensive. She had a cool expression on her face though when I told her it was "part of a CD player". "I thought we had a whole one.", quoth she.

"Look, sweetie! A new preamp!"
"That's okay, dear. The sleigh bed comes next week. Sign for it, willya?"
Yes, dear.
cheers aporigine

I've snuck gear into the house.

Once, my wife called me at work and asked "Why does the CD player look different?"

Most of the time though, the conversation goes like this:

Me: "Honey, I just ordered X."

Her: "How much is it?"

Me: "It's $XXX"

Her: "Oh. Okay."