Usual first reaction is “a whole room for just stereo?”. Anyone who shows interest, walks away after an audition with varying degrees of appreciation but my 4 year old granddaughter loves it! A whole room for a “dance party” (several times a week). The Floor is Lava, The Wheels on The Bus and the Frozen theme never sounded better according to her! ( just have to keep her away from the exposed tubes and speaker drivers). (Oh… I forgot Baby Shark…)
“Civilian” reaction to your gear?
What kind of reaction do you see/get when non-gearheads see or hear your systems?
I have gotten the full spectrum- one person called my assembly of gear obnoxious (call me obnoxious, ok, but my gear? Fighting words!). Others have been politely (and sometimes dismissively) curious; I’ve been asked if it’s as good as Bose (I usually say “close”); and some thought this level of music reproduction at home was not possible. Many have asked what does each “box” do.
For the genuinely curious I tell them “sit hear” followed by “what would you like to hear”? I play their choice (thank you Qobuz) and invariably the expression on their is quite positive.
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@kerrybh +1
The lack of audio stores does limit the chances that younger listeners will ever come in contact with good sound. It’s a chicken and the egg concept. The stores disappear because there are no customers, but in our day the stores would create a demand from people that just were in them. There used to be a dealer located in a mall where my wife liked to shop, so I would hang out there to be out of her hair. I was already one of the converted but I witnessed several guys who wandered in for the same reason and who were just curious, and who left after making a purchase or at least seeming to up their interest level |
Believe it or not, most people don't particularly notice the "Tower of Sound" in the corner, or the substantial speakers flanking the fireplace. As they gaze around the living room, their eyes just seem to pass over it all. They may simply not know what it is. I did have a young guy doing some amazing carpentry and build-out work for me. He cared a lot about how things work and what they look like. His first reaction was to stare, and then to go over and closely inspect the system. I asked if he wanted to listen, to which he enthusiastically agreed. I put on a record and his face scrunched up. He said, "So it sounds like they are actually in the room." He was fully aware of and appreciated the mechanical genius of the equipment - but it was not an "emotional" experience for him.
People like what they like. And in 2026 not too many of them are interested in exquisitely reproduced music. |
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