“Civilian” reaction to your gear?

@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

@dtorc 

Exactly this!!  Only I need to enjoy my passion for music. Others don’t get it in most cases, nor do I really get their love for golf, cars, wine or whatever it might be🎵

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. 

On the exposure to hifi in popular culture today - I notice that many modern TV series display hifi gear - especially turntables and vintage receivers and amps - in the scenes filmed in characters homes and apartments.  The frequency this higher for programming produced in the UK or European countries than for those here in the U.S.  This is of course not the same as having access to brick and mortar hifi shops in your neighborhood or shopping mall, but it is a “thing” now.

I set up a modest 2.1 system in the conference room of my office and my 20 and 30 something staff are blown away.  Now they are asking me questions about it and asking me what to buy for their homes.

kn

Most walk on by.  Some ask if I’m a musician. Some express sympathy or admiration to my wife…