Girlfriends and wifes, how do YOU cope?


I would be very interested in finding out how one manages to justify (or sneak in the home) expensive audio equipment without having to sell your soul to the Devil? It's quite a challenge for many of us I think. I heard of someone buying a Bel Canto DAC and telling his girlfriend that " Oh it's just a $ 100.00 power conditionner", or whatever. Seem like we need to get creative here if we can pursue this crazy hobby much longer! Regards All...
ampman66
Hmmmm, I have not been here for a while..

TWL:the first reply never made it....
So I will type a second one.

I hear you about the checkbook etc.....
But if I had to go deaf in order to keep my wife......I would! I would smash it all, burn my two copies of Amused To Death, my Krall, the Stones, Floyd, Sting.....ALL of it...and give it all up for her. I would listen to 128 MP3's with what little hearing I had left, if any!
For that matter, I would do the same for my second best friend, Gumby, my sheltie! (thats where my name comes from on here by the way.)
Tunes are cool. My system is WAY cool. But I have not been able to cuddle up to my pre-amp like I do my wife.
The last time I tried making love to a line conditioner, I was in the hospital for a week! D/A converters dont hug you during your sons school play.
Cartridges wont go fetch a ball in the yard and listen to your every command. In fact, turntables tend not to be loyal at all. Even thought they can be a part of relaxation, they tend not to come over to you and give you a lick on the side of your face when you are stressed out. Speakers dont follow you to the houseboat for the weekend either.
I hope you are able to find what you are missing someday!

If you found the right one, there would be no question in your mind either.
Count your blessings people. I now have an "ex-wife" who gets the "Maybe, I should take him back to court" look in her eyes whenever she notices something new when dropping off the kids. On a positive note, I do get to buy the toys now (new job) that I couldn't afford then.
First: Honestly assess the situation: If the fact that your amp puts out 1200 watts per at 8 ohms doesn't draw even the slightest hint of interest from you significant other, drop that line of conversational openers like a hot potato. You'll only dig a deeper hole with each new technical pronouncement, and may eventually cause her eyes to keep rolling around her head without ceasing - Kind of like the black hole vortex intro to Twilight Zone. Don't laugh - I've seen it and it's not a pretty sight. In fact, you can probably draw on previous experiences with your car to determine if she will buy this one.

Second: If you can get away with this one, go for it. "Honey, you don't really want to know." If she says - "Oh yes I do", go to option 3 - post haste.

Third: Get her involved in the decorating side of the hobby. I have a friend whose wife dismissed the whole HT concept as a colossal waste of money, until she learned of the decorating possibilities. Now she's bugging my buddy to get more, bigger, faster, louder, brighter.... so she can make the HT of her dreams! Be careful, this may unleash a genie you can't put back in the bottle.

Fourth: And this is no bull. Set the system up so she can push one or two buttons and have the thing running. It's how I justified the Crestron. Honey' I've made it easy -see?

But as others have widely shared... if you can make this a family passion and not just yours....you'll have a lot more success for all the right reasons.
Hey, anybody know that Albert Collins song, "Master Charge?" It's on "Ice Pickin'" Okay? Nuff said. Buy the Jota!