2. amps-preamps
  3. 1093393251

No Audiophiles in Hollywood

A thought just came to me that a lot of movies show us the lives of fictional people doing the everyday things that real people do. However, we never see anyone sitting down and listening to a high end system.

The only thing that I can remember is when the billionaire played by Robert Redford put on an LP on what appeared to be a high end turntable in the movie "Indecent Proposal".

I have never seen exposed tubes on-screen, or an amp of any type for that matter. Big speakers, fuggedaboudit...it seems hifi does not fit the decor scheme of movie sets, or more realistically, audiophiles are rarer on earth than Klingons and Romulans and hollywood does not know of their existence.

It would seem that some of the well heeled actors, directors and producers would own a killer 2 channel system and periodically include one in a scene when the character has discretionary income.

We've all seen scenes with the wife complaining about the husband always watching sports, but never complaining about him pampering his hi-fi rig.

We've all seen characters with automobiles and other toys that we've envied, but never a stereo system to make you salivate.

Anyone ever see a hi-fi system onscreen worth mentioning?

Just a thought.
128x128mitch4t
vicdamone
850 posts
 
Floor standing speakers and McIntosh make their way into quite a few films and shows. Now doesn't someone involved with a production get to keep that stuff that was supplied by the manufacture?

Speaking of uncovered tube, the financial commercials featuring Jimmy Fallon and the little girl in the high chair has had open tube amp and various other electronics on a shelf in the background.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
The new CBS series "Elementary" has a nice rig for Sherlock Holmes. I know he plays vinyl and even 78s, but the more visible parts are an array of McIntosh tube electronics and a pair of Energy CF70 floorstanders without the grills. The Energy speakers go for about $1100/pair, so they're not really commensurate with the electronics, but in reality Energy provides great bang for the buck, and the all-aluminum drivers with their phase plugs look pretty dramatic.

In the Jason Statham movie, the Mechanic, he had a prominent audio system with pretty cool-looking floorstanding speakers. I couldn't ID them offhand but I'm sure some people here could.

There must be a pair of them in some props warehouse, or perhaps they belong to a supplier who loans them out, but I see a pair of top line Meridian Digital Active floorstanders from a few years ago--the modular ones with mini-monitors sitting on top of the multi-woofer modules. They're silver in color and have a very cool curved lines. I've seen these so many times in TV shows and some movies; I can't think of which ones in particular used them.
jfeldt
16 posts
 
In the 30 Rock TV show, The Tracy Jordan Character has in his dressing room what appear to me to be Revel Salon speakers that are very prominent in many shots throughout many years of the series. I think there have been shots of the electronics as well, perhaps Classe?
asindc
32 posts
 
In the movie "The Rock," Nicholas Cage's character receives an LP in the mail at his office. His colleagues mock him for buying an LP in the age of digital (movie was released in 1996). He says in response, "I buy these because they sound better!" Made me wonder if Cage himself is an audiophile.
audiozen
831 posts
 
Don Draper in the show "MADMEN", which takes place in 1968, uses large Advent speakers in his condo living room.
More to discover