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Audiophile 'Attitude'

Okay, we love our hobby: we love the music, the equipment, the esoterica, and the deranged quest for perfection the likes of which would make even the greats of classical composition shake their heads. But you've got to admit that there exists a certain 'attitude' among some of our group that can be..... difficult. Often this is sexist, arrogant, elitist, impatience, and so on. I think this would be a fertile ground for interesting stories, some humorous and some just jaw dropping. Would anyone like to share? Remember, there are many stories about those other folks outside the hobby who don't get our brilliance and force us to painfully tolerate their ignorance, I'm talking 'bout the other side: WHEN
AUDIOPHILES GO BAD!

I will gladly start: when my wife and I decided to sell our entire Vandersteen home theater (this is different tale of audiophile arrogance, btw) we started looking for a new brand and a new sound to replace my
formerly beloved Vandys. My first 'target' was Martin Logan. It just so happened that there was a ML dealership less than a mile from where I lived at the time in Champaign, IL. Wonderful I thought! So my wife and I toddled over there.

Now it should be noted that my wife has become quite an audiophile herself. She wasn't this way when we met, but she has become fairly well educated in matters of audiophillia, she has an excellent ear, and she is a brilliant woman (she is a vice president for Bank of America after all). So we choose much of our equipment together.

So we go into this ML dealership with about four CDs In hand to get a brief audition and ask to hear some MLs. Instead of going straightaway to letting us listen the salesman decides he needs to try and 'sell' us on the MLs, the very speakers we'd come to hear in the first damn place! So after tolerating his drivel for a few minutes my wife's asks a question. Instead of answering her, he answers me.... then he turns to my wife and, while pointing to that screen with holes that MLs have on so many of their speakers, he says, "now this isn't here so you can hang clothes to dry."

It honestly took me a second to realize what he had just said and I think my wife wafinally looted. After a couples seconds I said, "well, I guess we won't want these speakers then." And we walked out. We also scratched Martin Logan off of our list. No one treats my wife that way.

Okay, your turn....
aewhistory

Showing 1 response by milpai

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milpai
2,314 posts
 
I have had the exact opposite at The Analog Room in SF Bayarea and Xtend Technologies in Cleveland.
Brian at The Analog room not only entertained my request to hear the Avalons, despite knowing my speaker budget was upto $2K, but also suggested "how to audition". He suggested that I listen to the Sonus Faber Stradivari speaker to make sure how my music should actually sound, then go down to the $2K range speakers and compare them to see, which speaker in this range "best approaches" the sound that I heard from the $$$$$ Stradivari. This made sense to me and I ended up with the Quads.
Clint in Xtend Technologies was very accommodating when I wanted to purchase a power amp. He showed me the different systems that were setup and allowed me to get my (then) existing amp with my choice of power cable. He then left me alone (for an extended period) with a system I chose so that I was comfortable doing the comparison. I wanted to hear a Marantz SA11-S2 that I told him, I would not buy, but just wanted to listen to. He demoed it to me in his reference room, with some $20K Ushers and Parasound JC-1 monos.
Of course, this alone made a pleasurable experience of buying from brick-and-mortar shop. I hope I have not jinxed myself for the next audio purchase.
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