Why do people think I'm nuts involving audio?


Let me start by saying that I don't drink, drug or smoke and that my only vice is audio. I've been a Mac junkie since '80 and to date, I own a Mac system that I've put $40,000 into. To me, it sounds WONDERFUL! I'm very much into music, as opposed to philes that appear to be more into "sound" than music, at least this is what I'm gathering from the stuff I read.My problem is that NOT ONE person I know has a system that's more than maybe $1500, and mostly everyone I know thinks that I'm mentally "defective", although they all love the way my system sounds! They just think that I'm NUTS! I have money, so I'm not being irresponsible to anything, I just LOVE audio. Two weeks ago, I took a 4 day trip to the McIntosh Labs in Bingimton, about 170 miles from my home. A guy from Audio Classics in that area set up a tour of Mac for me and I just loved it, BUT, took major heat from my friends about taking an "audio" vacation. SO, is there anyone out there with similar experiences with friends who can advise me on how to respond to them? Thanks, A SANE AUDIOPHILE!
sal

Showing 2 responses by sc53

One of my friends, who also works w/me, thinks I am absolutely insane for spending the time and money I do on audio gear and recordings. I have hundreds and hundreds of CDs and LPs and he thinks I am NUTS. Yet he loves my system and always wants to come over and listen and borrow all the new music I've gotten etc. He and his wife dine out in expensive gourmet restaurants every single weekend; that is their only hobby and they do it w/a vengeance. I have dined w/them once or twice, for a birthday or something special, and was appalled at how much they spend on food and wine! Easily they spend $200-300 every weekend on restaurants. And sometimes they go out both Friday and Saturday nights! When I pointed out to him how insane he was, on his own passions, he didn't seem to see the analogy. Other friends ask me "how much did this cost?" and I've learned to just say, Oh, I got a good deal, or I traded for it, or whatever. I would never dream of asking them, How much did that suit cost? or those shoes, your hundredth pair? or that vacation trip to Italy? or the remodeling of your house? Sometimes I find it annoying, but mostly I feel fine because I love what I hear in my home listening to music, and I spend hours engaged in it, reading, doing chores, or just really listening. It's funny how audio is seen as an extravagance, whereas SUVs, restaurant meals, and expensive clothes are not. But I've always marched to the beat of a different drummer--and probably heard those drumbeats w/more detail and resolution and deep bass than the normal people who criticize our hobby.
I love the last response, about trying to explain that that box is a phono stage, and that other one is the power supply, for a turntable with a moving coil cartridge--when the inquirer has never even seen a turntable before!! And refers to the major part of it as a "needle," anyway. My friend just refers to each of my audio "boxes" on various racks and spikes as "receivers," except for the two boxes that she readily recognizes, the "speakers." She has also learned that all the strings she calls "wires" and "plugs" are actually "cables." It's really hilarious, when you think of how much I've spent, and all the time I've spent researching and auditioning and trying and experimenting with all this different gear over all these years, to hear someone refer to it all as "receivers" and some "wires." I actually get a kick out of this!
Sarah