Pet audiophile peeves - name yours


1. Power supplies that are not the same size or finish as the preamp. Who decided this was a good idea?

2. Ridiculous and obvious snake oil salesman
kublakhan
1) "I'm rating it an 8 but it's closer to a 9"
2) "Minty"
3) "Great product. Heartbroken to have to give this up. Worked great in my system" etc. in conjunction with "Low hours, lightly used" etc.
4) People who get snarky over a typo. We're not writing a thesis, just making a quick post in a forum.
Those pretentious, self-annointed legends-in-their-own-minds who claim their ears are better than those of the rest of us. Therefore, they are in a better position to judge sonic attributes and their judgements should not be questioned.

BTW, I enjoy Bill Feil's comments and calling out of those who think they are wise. No matter what you do there is always some detractor. Keep it up, Bill.
People who complain about free speech, oh yeah......... and Bruce Springsteen.
This is both good reading and good venting ;)

I second the vote for ads that state something like "if you are reading this then you already know how great this is. Nothing else needs to be said."

I love reading those and then seeing that the ad has been running for 3+ weeks with no sale. Good times...
1. Sellers who post "obo" then get upset because you offer $3000 for the posted $3200.
When I see "obo" this indicates that they are willing to consider less (or more) than the stated price- yezz, noo???

2. Members who post their political opinions when someone is merely pointing out a conceert they enjoyed, or music they like, or even a message in a song.
For instance- the great talented American- Bruce Springsteen!!! Or the great John Lennon.
Go someplace else on the web to vent politics. This site is about music, sound, stereo, and sometimes we might even become friends.
Greedy dealers.
Wise guys.
My system is the best..........but looking for advice.
Two guys with tree opinions.
Guy that can't let go.
My friend's uncle got it - it sounds great.
What do you think about my system ? Well... I don't. Wait...now do ?!#. You make me!!! Who the @#$%&* are You again and where did You get my $%%&**&% email.
I just got this brand new $5,000 sp-cables they are the best I ever own. I am sure they are - congratulations.
Guys with " Magic Genie " and his truck full of equipment.
But then again, who is perfect?
1. Ads featuring borrowed/stolen photos. There's one running now that I was interested in until I noticed the pics looked familiar. Makes you wonder.
2. Items priced outrageously high, especially when an identical piece is listed for 25% less.
3. Used items rated 10 or even 9.
4. Won't go into the "gears" type but there are plenty of them.
Post removed 
Anything 'waste of time' thread not related to hi-fi on here on Audiogon, and there have been plenty.Too name a few,
What watch do you wear? (who cares?)
'What car do you drive'?(again, who cares?)
'Best single malt scotch'? (ditto above)
'Best bike to ride before a good session' (oo-er missus)
'Your three top comedians', (what ever next, your three favorite presidents??)................
The best one Is 'what music do you sing whilst taking a dump'?( just kidding with that one).
This Is a site for hi-fi chat for goodness sake.

This Is NOT a personal dig at the authors of the said threads but Is my opinion only (as I am still sweating from a bike ride, just looked at my watch and I am late, must check to see if the car Is locked, no comedy on the box tonight, except for Mr Dubya, gosh I think I need a drink). I maybe In a class of one.
"Gears" instead of "Gear"
"Equipments" instead of "equipment"
Non-audio related:
"Carmel" instead of "Caramel"
Kid's and adult's that speak as though every word has a question mark...IRRATING!
People that use the word "To" before "Not" or the phrase "Do you not hear me?"
Ebonics(I'm black so it's okay for me to say that...I think).
Fatparrot, so because the new price is higher the seller wants wants to mark his up accordingly?
Like I said, laziness aside, many times the seller is hiding something when he won't list the new price. I've seen shady deals like this before like asking more than the NEW price for the unit when he bought it.
Not printing the price because it would call attention to what the seller is up to.
1) People who don't buy my used gear for more than the asking price.

2) People who play Nora Jones, Patricia Barber, and other pap at RMAF. SOme of the worst music I have ever heard was at shows like this...

3) People who don't think I'm as smart as I think I am...

O

o

.
No response at all for e-mails sent about an item for sale. Whether it's an offer or a question, a simple reply of "sorry, item is sold" would suffice. Is that so terribly difficult? I respond to all requests and expect the same.
1 - Emails that ask anything that could have been answered by even a cursory reading my ad. Not to mention the ubiquitous “it is still available?” email.

2 - People who think that just because I placed an ad on A'gon they should be treated as they were in a hi-end salon. I am not in the biz; I am just a guy selling some stuff I don't want anymore over the internet. I am not a "marketer", I am not a "salesman", if you want my stuff then buy it, if you don't want my stuff please don't send me annoying emails. Most importantly, if you want "service with a smile" go to a brick and mortar. Your money is just as green as the next guyÂ’s, I have never placed an ad that did not eventually sell...my life will not be any better if I trade your $$$ for my stuff over anyone elseÂ’s $$ for my stuff.

3 - People who hijack threads with personal attacks, especially when those attacks are over grammar or spellingÂ…(I do not always have time to proof)

JezzÂ….as I read this, I really sound grumpyÂ…I am notÂ….really, I am not.
This strikes a nerve.Dictating how I will conduct my self when trying to purchase an item from them .
Do not tell me how to conduct myself when I am trying to spend my HARD EARNED CASH.
I will ask questions in anyway I see fit or my business isn't coming your way.

There was a earlier discussion about if certain questions are not asked ,prior to buying, then don't come back @ the seller if something was not included..don't assume anything...ask questions...

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE AD BEFORE PURCHASING!!!
If an accessory is not listed then the item DOES NOT come with it. Manuals may not be factory. They are whatever came with the unit when we recieved it. Power chords are not factory power chords. They come out of our stock. We are not responsible for your incorrect expectations if you do not read the entire ad.

Serious inquiries only, please! One-liner emails like "Is this still available?", "What is your rock bottom price?" or "will you take $xxx?" etc. will not get an answer. We prefer emails in a format similar to this: "I have a few questions about item abc. If you answer these questions to my satisfaction, I am ready to purchase item abc, and I would like to pay with (see payment methods below) and my shipping address and telephone number are as follow:". If this policy offends anyone, please understand that we have the best pre-owned highend inventory in the world, and as such we are the top choice for thousands of shoppers internationally, thus the need to filter out the tire-kickers. If you're a serious buyer and we somehow ignored your email, don't sweat it just pick up the phone and call!

If I am vaguely interested then DON'T EVEN EMAIL only if I am a serious buyer ..what ever the heck that means.
Maybe just hold my wallet open take what you want and then show me the door like attitude..
Cdc there are some good reasons not to list the original price. If the item was bought several years ago, then the original price may be artificially low [inflation]. Or if an EU product was bought even 2-3 years ago in the US, than the list price is too low, as the US dollar has fallen into the crapper of late!
1) People who post double posts. Like the one here.

Haha, just kidding.

2) Ads that don't list the original price or list a false high price.
10-07-07: Entrope
Use of the word base for bass

Me, too Entropy. Two others:

Use of the word "then" for "than", "to" for "too"

Lack of tone controls on preamps. Don't volume, balance and source-selector controls introduce noise? Shall we get rid of them, too?

Steve O.
Uneven carpet thickness when I am trying to level my speakers.

Finding good speaker designs is unnecessarily challenging, I think. Not many electrostatic options or viable horn options and very few dynamic speakers that are sealed or have active crossovers.

I am frustrated by Bose's marketing acting as a blanket of fog between non-audiophiles and hifi. And every time I have some audio conversation with a non-audiophile, Bose usually gets thrown in and I am compelled to tactfully express my dislike for the company and its products.

I really dislike audiophiles and dealers and audiophiles who dealers/manufacturers on the side, etc., etc. who have a sense of nobility as if audio takes a special aptitude or skill. The 'philes who think their character is above those who are not audiophiles are additionally comically baffling, and very common.

What I do like right now is discovering esoteric products from small companies and my new enterprise in to headphones.
Haha some very nice replies that already covered mine - go Newbie, Chadnliz, and Pawlowski6132!
Deadbeats who say they're going to buy something, then don't.

Or, in the case of one recent lowlife from A'Gon, say they'll sell something to you at an agreed-upon price, then renege and try to squeeze you for a higher price. (This particular jerk also happens to be a high-end cable manufacturer, go figure.)
bill would be insulted to be considered 'just a peeve'. audiofeil knows alot about popular music, and can separate the real from the unreal in this hobby. i always look forward to his thrashing someone, even if its me.
People that are so serious that it is hard to imagine how they even enjoy the audio hobby.....

Low Ballers will be politely ignored..as to being rudely ignored..??

Serious buyers only..if I am asking then start selling..!!

Poor pics that don't show the make never mind a small blemish..

Not being treated with the upmost respect as every human being deserves to be treated especially if your are the one holding the cash..!!

From Hifimaniac:
Rude, obnoxious dealers like Bill Feil! He should be banned from audiogon and from the business. Why would anyone ever deal with such a an ego!

Cowards who hide behind the anonymity of the internet to take cheap shots at others.
the word base is used instead of the correct word "bass" so so Frustrating, or commonly mispronounced as "fustrating" often by the same people
Agree with Lokie 100% with 1-3. Also, Bill has always been very nice to me and has gone out of this way to answer questions sent off board. I think Bill just doesn't "suffer fools" all that well.
1) sellers who will not answer an inquiry with a precise, explicit response - especially when it has to do with item condition (eg Q: Can you describe the cosmetic condition, especially any blemishes? A: It's good.).

2) Poor packing - not wrapping an item in clean poly, using peanuts, mis-using bubble wrap . . .

3) agree with many above - remotes, stiff cords, if you're reading this . . .

4) personal attacks in forums. Especially those that incite a food fight taking the discussion off topic.
Clarence Center, New York is about 8 hours from NYC and a little town of 1700 people convering 2 square miles...Western New Yorker's are friendly and always like to answer audio questions.

My biggest peeve is when someone asks if they will "loose" anything if they buy this component vs. a other instead of saying "lose" and the delay between the submit button and when it actually appears on the site. This makes the threads strange sometimes when the linear stucture of post order is lost and makes me yearn for the days when this board was just as much a place to learn as it was a place to buy or sell.
Buyers who send email saying: "I want to buy this. Please send total including shipping." and are never heard from again.

Are these jerks "mental"? You know, do this for kicks?
The dork equivalent of knocking over my garbage cans at night?

Also can't handle the "gears" dudes.
"Which speaker cable would be best for my gears?"
1. nuff said
2. what is your lowest price
3. 10 ratings on used items

btw. I like Bill. I've bought from him and will buy from him again. He is refreshingly honest and calls out bs when he sees it. I also find him rude but he's from New York. It's like complaining of a croaking frog and most of the time people deserve his rhetoric.
Anyone who says "If you are looking at this ad then you already know"....know what?.....that your an Ahole?
Many...MANY Audiophiles, what a scary bunch we can be!, its like a nerd and a school bully morfed into one huge idiot.
Insane prices
Tweaks like pet rocks, phone calls, and clocks.
Taking time to ask or answer a serious post about something you need to learn or feel you have to offer others and it doesnt post, for no reason and no explanation.
1) Classifieds with the words "Audiophile", "Reference", etc. in the title.

2) Classifieds with no information about the product because, "...if you're reading this ad, than you alread know about/how great this product is."
close minded audiophiles who think they know something, when in fact thay have opinions not knowledge.
The use of the word 'minty'. These people should be banned from this site for life and be forced to eat a strict diet of Mentos
Granting audio rags and their reviews any status higher than "entertainment".

Any use of the word "mid-fi"
1.The obssesive preoccupation with looking for miniscule blemishes or other very small cosmetic issues which don't have any impact on the sound. I thought we cared about music and sound.
2.Why can't we just let it go, when our systems sound good to us,after trial error and refinement. The addiction to the hunt.
3.Stupidly high prices, a big second on that one.
4.Packing and shipping without the original boxes.
5.The lack of being able to list more than one item in a single ad.(With rare exceptions)
6. Why the rest of the population either can't hear well or simply doesn't understand that music must be played out loud in the first event. Then only listen through inferior in the ear devices, which actually destroy soundstage to a mono center head sound, to formats which have half the data the musicians intended it to have.
1.The obssesive preoccupation with looking for miniscule blemishes or other very small cosmetic issues which don't have any impact on the sound. I thought we cared about music and sound.
2.Why can't we just let it go, when your systems sound good to us. The addiction to the hunt.
3.Stupidly high prices asecond on that one.
4.Packing and shipping with the original boxes.
5.the lack of being able to list more than one item except rare exceptions in an ad.
6. Why the rest of the population doesn't hear well.
power cords that are so stiff, they barely bend enough to plug in! Is there really no better connector than a 15amp IEC??
Remote controls!

1) REALLY expensive CD players that come with a cheap plastic remote. Also, remotes should have buttons that are easy to find and use in the dark.

2) HDTV remotes that require a computer programmer to operate! Most people will never understand or use 75% of the available functions. I don't want to go through three menus to adjust the color.
1. Ugly equipment

2. Someone posts an average piece of equipment, say, a $900 solid state preamp, RAVING about it, (when you've owned one and know that's a gross overstatement)states the list price was $1,200 (when you bought yours you KNOW it retailed for $900) etc..etc..

3. 10 trillion choices for cables made by everyone and their brother for $1000 or more for 1m IC.

4. Tweeks that are advertised as "Huge improvements in this that and the other" and when you buy them and use them you hear absolutely nothing different.
Expensive Life-Style audio, poor performance and lots of cash for the marketer. We all know who they are.
Rude, obnoxious dealers like Bill Feil! He should be banned from audiogon and from the business. Why would anyone ever deal with such a an ego!