I got home from work today and my wife said "do we have new speakers or something?" "What do you mean?", I say. "Well, the stereo has been on all day and you don't usually leave it on, unless there's a reason." "No we don't have new speakers! Do they look new? I just forgot to turn it off before I left for work". However, I said nothing about the pre-amp I just bought or the cables that I was burning in. ; )
so you should have just agreed with her & added that these speakers didn't cost you anything more than the 'others' did; gives her the satisfaction of being aware & costs you natta
I guess I am lucky that my wife accepts my hobby, and trusts that I will not put us in any financial harm acquiring gear. I always speak with her prior to making a purchase and usually am trading off new gear with some items I have sold so the financial impact is not great, if any at all. I recenty sold some items and picked up a Cary SLP-2002 pre, and last evening she said "Ok, I have to admit that the stereo sounds better with that new thing you bought". I would much rather it this way than worrying if she will notice that something has changed, and worse having to lie about it.
if you were serious, I'd check with Dr Phil...Me? If I tried that with my wife, I'd have just halved the joy from the get-go..can't relate to your experience and I hope I never do...."she's getting smart?" Not really. When she dumps you: that'll be smart...
well at least she said "do we..."This indicates a willingness to be a part of your hobby. I used to upgrade with the same brand so it looked the same. You realize of course you will get caught. Women are just more observant than us. In the future you just have to budget to give her an equal amount of money for her hobby.
My wife knows about everything I buy, I think it is only fair as I don't want her buying Blahniks or whatever the hell those outrageously priced shoes are behind my back and not telling me...food for thought there...besides, usually you can make her happy too if she has any interest at all in music. I went the Squeezebox route and set them up around the house on our wireless network, loaded her music on the server, and programmed a harmony universal remote to control all the gear around the house, she is quite excited as she can have her music in any room and doesn't have to go through the ritual of turning everything on.
It might appear humorous for now, but eventually if your wife loses trust in you, she'll start losing respect. Once the respect goes, the love will soon follow. Be careful. I know from experience.
Arni- I bought some Nuforce amps, which I'm really happy with and it's easier if I leave them on all the time, for a couple of reasons. I didn't like leaving the TAD-150 on all of the time so I bought a SS pre that I can also leave on.
You guys took my post WAY to seriously. While my wife did ask if we had new speakers, I was joking about hiding my purchases from her. She does know we got a new pre-amp, she's not blind.
For the record, she got better grades than I did in college and makes more money than I do. She is definitely the smarter half.
Props to the spouse for noticing the sound had changed/improved? I to get much delight in switching things about from time to time as well, just to get the same reaction...My last adventure was introducing some Stealth "Indras" into the mix. A obvious improvement in sound that stood out like a sore thumb! when asked what had changed? I simply stated "wires" with a wicked grin, her comment was good choice.
No harm. It's hard to convey exactly what I'm thinking and what my emotions are thru a computer screen. I understand it can it can be interpreted many different ways.
Methinks it wasn't the new gear you were trying to 'hide' from your better half, but the fact that you were sereptitiously burning-in cables and an amp. Assuming your non-audiophile wife is as intelligent as you imply (after all, she apparently recognizes the reality of breaking-in speakers), this was probably the way to go. However, don't think for a second that she didn't really know your explanation was BS and is just being kind ;^)
I too have to sneak around my wife to bring new things in. It's not that I'm trying to lie as much as I am trying avoide the endless hours of explanation and trying to justify to a non-music lover why I need those $1000 interconnects. The original post strikes a chord with me and I find it amusing!!
The flip side of the coin is, I'll NEVER understand why my wife spends more than $12 for a hair cut or needs more than two pair of shoes.
Don't ask don't tell. And BECAUSE of that policy, we have a good marriage. Not despite it as earlier posters suggest might be the case.
Question...Does anyone think the "sneek" purchases and post-purchase discoveries by wives has anything to do with why there are far more men in the hobby than women?
Don't forget now! You'll get tired of sleeping on the sofa really quick. :)
My partners hobby costs' more than mine. Her Saddle alone was more than my entire system! if we then add the cost of the blessed thing, a 'Swedish Warmblood' whatever that means?, other than a serious outlay, (parent was a reserve for the American Dressage Team, apparently), then the Swedish side of the family, a family tree dating back to 1300's. Then there is the monthly boarding, vet bills, farrier bills, and now he has his own dentist! whatever next! A personal groomer? yeah he's got one of them also ME!!! No wonder my system is suffering!! lol.
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