“Civilian” reaction to your gear?

For the few that ever get to enter the house of stereo, they are usually very quiet trying to take it all in and leave in love with the sound. It's not for everybody though. My wife has been in it probably only a handful of times since it was built in 2019.

That's not a problem.

My gear is in my living room, and I sometimes leave it playing jazz while repair people are in and out.  I don't ask them to listen or make any comments.  Just leave it on while they move in and out. 

The usual comment is "wow, that sounds really good."  

“Is it as good as Bose?” I usually reply. Bose is the devil’s sound system.

It’s a varied mix with me. Some are impressed with the sound quality, others intrigued how those skinny decorative screens (Magnepan 3.7x) can make music. In general most folks don’t have critical listening skills and don’t know and or care about sound quality these days. They’re happy with their whole house system with ceiling speakers. I do get the occasional person with an "ear" that are totally knocked out, though.  It’s amazing the amount of care and money us audiophiles invest for stereo nirvana, only to have guests that are indifferent. Hmmmmm....maybe if I upgrade my cables they’ll hear a revelation. 

Out of the people in my circle of friends and family most have zero interest, they probably think I'm nuts

My son in law thinks my systems are really nice. Our love of music is the same except he is talented and can actually play and write music.   He will probably get my gear when I'm gone.  I think he is the only one that would appreciate it.