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
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.
@ 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!

My youngest daughter is a dancer.  She is 28 now and has been dancing since four.  She is a professional principle dancer now with a dance company.  Ballet/Jazz/Modern, etc.  centered around Ballet.

Some of my most cherished and fondest memories are of her quietly coming into my listening room while I was listening to music and dancing.

Absolutely wonderful memories and experience.

Especially now when I travel to see her and her dance company perform and those memories come back.

Now she is into vinyl and comes often to take any albums that I have more than one of. 

enjoy 

@minorl -   That kind of memory is worth vastly more, than whatever it might have cost.