How To Field Questions About Your Audiophile Lifestyle...

It’s interesting reading that some people seem to experience negativity about this hobby from people they know.

That hasn’t been the case for me. Certainly lots of my friends and acquaintances are not audiophiles, but I can’t remember ever getting even a sideways look if the subject comes up, or when anyone visits and sees my system. They just see some nice looking speakers and sometimes comment on the nice looking speakers. And if someone is interested they listen and are usually blown way by the sound. They get it. Not that they’d buy such gear for themselves, but they aren’t left baffled as to why I get enjoyment out of it.

(But then again, I don’t have a system with all the nutty looking stuff like cables on risers, every bit of gear exposed, vibrating discs and bowls around the room etc...Lots of audiophiles it seems want to see every bit of technology they paid for placed prominently in the room, so it ends up looking more like an electronics lab vs a domestic environment).

I also deal with some reactions to my home theater set up, which is the same room as my two channel speakers/listening. I turned my living room, which is the most prominent room in the house, the first one you see when you walk in the door, into a home theater with a giant projection screen, surround sound etc. Complete re-build, with dropped felt-lined ceiling, automated 4 way masking, projector on rising lift, etc. It’s the kind of idea that would give many wives a heart attack (and almost did mine, I promised it would come out ok).

But I think because I was so concerned with good aesthetics myself, I worked super hard to make it a beautiful, integrated looking room vs a "man cave" moved to the main floor. Turned out great and even other guys wives express admiration.

So I think that, yes, when we start talking about what we paid for our gear it can start looking goofy to other people. But I don’t see why we have to do that. Then beyond that, it seems to me good aesthetics go quite a way to making our hobby look reasonable to non-audiophiles.

This passion we all share mixes science with art . What can be better than that . One of the finer things that enhance ones life

It's tough to get anybody into this stuff...I've advised people about systems because they trust me to do that and that's always worked out fine, but in the typical dinner party group with my rig playing unobtrusive background stuff (no vocals...a strict rule for background sound at parties), people don't notice. Or they notice that "it sounds great" which it sort of doesn't in that context as it's just there in the background. If a friend wants me to demo something for them on my rig you tend to instantly annoy other guests who are appropriately talking to each other...in spite of any of this I've adjusted over the years to the glossy eyed disinterest from by most people trying to pay attention to my description of a tube, and now I really don't try very hard to explain this hobby....I get it.

I've been the "go-to" guy among my friends and acquaintances for advice on TVs and home theater, as they all know I'm in to that (or was, a lot more in years past).   But I've given up because the same thing happens every time "What TV should I buy?"  I ask them carefully about their budget, where it will be placed, what they watch etc, and suggest - without geeking out - possibilities.   And inevitably they may as well not have talked to me because they just end up going to Best Buy and picking whatever seems like a good deal on sale.   

Many HT geeks have the same experience.  People just want convenience, don't want to think too hard about any peripheral concerns they don't care about.

I think people strictly in to high end audio experience less of these questions because far fewer people want to upgrade their stereo vs buying new TVs etc.

@mr_m , were you at least a GB Packer fan?  That should have helped.