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Kids during audition - aaaaagh!!

It used to bother me a lot when I would try to demo my system for someone and all they wanted to do was talk during the music. I get it - not everyone is an auditory person. But I still found it off putting and a bit depressing. Like if you took them for a ride on a windy mountain road in your Ferrari and all they noticed was the nice leather.

But FAR WORSE than that is when you're trying to demo your system for someone and they bring their kids. It happened to me last summer, and again tonight. In both cases it could not be helped but it totally destroys the listening experience to have a 6 year dancing around in front of the speakers while the 2 year old sings along with Rebecca Pidgeon.  The listener is denied the chance of the listening experience that we all know and love. I found it actually painful, emotionally. A lost opportunity for a new person to be swept away by the musical experience that comes from a high end system. I guess this time it's like they strapped their screaming kids into child car seats in the Ferrari and only let you drive in the small parking lot. Why bother? And no, I don't have a Ferrari. But yes, with no local audiophile friends to appreciate it, I do yearn to at least share the experience with someone who's never heard good sound.

One other note. Isn't it funny that non-audiophiles often assume that you're going to blast their head off by playing Metallica with the volume set to 11?
bob5560g
bsimpson
167 posts
 
I hope my kids would dance or listen or having fun around my stereo.  Safety is my own concern.  But if they knock something off or put a dent to something, it's all ok as long as nobody gets hurt.


rodman99999
6,030 posts
 
Circa 1977, my living room system had a semi-auto TT(turned on when the arm was lifted and placed over the vinyl), with a felt platter mat and which sat atop an old console TV/stereo. My daughter had repeatedly seen me start the music, from her nest in my left arm, from the time she first came home from the hospital. One day, when she was just beginning to stand, she pulled herself up, high enough on the cabinet’s front to reach the arm(she used to do chin-ups, on her high-chair’s tray, whenever she was hungry). When the stylus hit the felt mat, it pulled the cantilever right out of my Sonus Gold Blue. I was thrilled, that I had fathered such a motivated music enthusiast.
gawdbless's avatar
gawdbless
1,235 posts
 
If we are honest its only us older folk who are interested in Loudspeakers bigger than a cell phone. Virtually all my relatives and friends have no CD's and no system to play them on. Although my son in law was Impressed with ZZ Top-Le Grange when I really cranked  it on my stereo. Its all Spotify that my family/friends co-workers use when I ask them. Its brings a smile to my face when my god daughter (3 years old) dances around the room to music she is hearing.
erik_squires
15,830 posts
 
I think the disconnect is the social experience your friends want to have vs. what you want to have.


They want to spend time with you, and share the family time with you, which is paramount to them, and you want to have some one to listen to music with you and reflect the experience with you.


As some one with no local friends to visit, I'd call you blessed.
gawdbless's avatar
gawdbless
1,235 posts
 
@ erik_squires - I am blessed in so many ways, but my 'other' family are all 4300 miles away scattered around Europe. The biggest problem here is that everyone is so busy trying to make a crust, so family /friend gatherings are really confined to family events rather than pop round to so and so's house for a cup of tea etc.
My one Hi-Fi friend has a super 50k+ system, who is not Interesting in listening to my system. I think he hates Horns, lol......
If you are ever up in Denver, you are more than welcome to pop in for a cuppa tea!

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