View Full Version : WAF WTF
I am constantly amazed when for example a fellow inmate finally hears, for example, his dream speaker. Perhaps it's something he has been searching for most of his audiophile life and upon proudly bringing it home is summarily dismissed. WTF man?
The number of times I have read on various forums how some poor hard working bread winner is told what he can and can not have.
When I had my little one-man audio outlet a friend/customer who had bought a Linn Sondek and a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck from me fell in love with some Maggies. These were the first product from Magnepan and there was nothing else like them at the time in SA. I played him a direct-to-disc copy of Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker's ... I got the music in me. I could see he was visibly shaken.
He asked if I could stay open a little later this coming Saturday for his wife to listen. I agreed. I usually raced a Sprog on Saturdays so I contacted my crewman and withdrew my entry. Saturday arrived. On the way to the shop I bought some pretty flowers and milk for tea or coffee expecting a lengthy session. Mid afternoon Tommy, trying hard to conceal his excitement, arrived with wife Karen .
"I am not having those things in my house" she said in a cold quiet voice. I tried to gently reason with her explaining that it really was Tommy's house, that he earned the lolly and that as a mother and housewife perhaps she could indulge his hobby.
Her face hardened and without comment turned and left, slamming the door on the way out. :mental: And that was that. Never saw either of them again. Very sad because I was also hoping to sell him the amp I used to demo the speakers, the outstanding Sumo The Nine. He had listened to a Threshold amp at another outlet and when I spoke to them they told me they had not seen Tommy again. Missed an important race too.
Err, what is surprising in this story? No judgement, just an observation.
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I had a friend's wife come home from work to find her husband and me building two large speaker cabs in the middle of her living room.
There was a fully-equipped carpentry workshop next to the house (he made custom French-reproduction furniture) but he'd decided it was too nippy in there so we'd do it in the house. I'd asked him if his wife would mind and he'd just said 'Nah.'
She went off like an H-bomb. I mean absolutely kaka-crazy.
They got divorced not long after, I don't think that was the only reason but it certainly didn't help.
I tried to gently reason with her explaining that it really was Tommy's house, that he earned the lolly and that as a mother and housewife perhaps she could indulge his hobby.
Her face hardened and without comment turned and left, slamming the door on the way out. :mental:
Still as long as she had his dinner on the table when he got home from work and ironed all his shirts to his specification where's the issue? :rolleyes:
Well, she was not even prepared to listen. Her husband's desire for the speakers was clear and obvious.
I see the same thing on this forum. Can't remember the details about who said what, it's not important, but we have all read something along the lines of: "I really liked speaker 'A' but the wife said they were too big so I had to settle for the smaller model" or " I eventually found the speakers I have been after for years on sale at a great price but the wife said no because the veneer didn't match" WTF.
Martin, building in the living room is pushing the boundaries a little too far :steam: You're lucky to get away with your life! I've done similar but gotten permission beforehand.
Fortunately my wife and I enjoy listening to music together and she encourages me in my quest. I have, hopefully, a new DAC on the way which I had been procrastinating over because of the money being spent on house repairs but she said "get it, you deserve it" :yay:
Martin, building in the living room is pushing the boundaries a little too far :steam: You're lucky to get away with your life! I've done similar but gotten permission beforehand.
:
I was that's true. There was sawdust on the carpet, glue on the carpet, solder on the carpet. Luckily it was shag pile so the glue and solder didn't show up too badly but his wife was not placated at all when that was pointed out to her.
They were not a good match as a couple anyway. She really needed a husband who she could hen-peck and he needed a wife who would let him do whatever he wanted without a murmur.
I don't really understand people who would let the wife dictate what equipment they could or couldn't have. I couldn't live like that. I wouldn't get involved with a woman who was so obsessive about what the house looked like that she'd be issuing ultimatums like 'Either the speakers go or I do.' I'd be saying 'Tara love.'
But as you say, from reading forums it does seem quite common.
southall-1998_mk2
08-02-2022, 17:52
One of the reasons why I'm glad to be single.
S.
Pigmy Pony
08-02-2022, 19:50
"I am not having those things in my house" she said in a cold quiet voice. I tried to gently reason with her explaining that it really was Tommy's house, that he earned the lolly and that as a mother and housewife perhaps she could indulge his hobby.
Not tough enough Charles.
Perhaps you needed to be a bit more blunt with your "gentle reasoning". By pointing out that she wears the apron and Tommy wears the trousers, and she should suck it up :) after all he works all hours just to put a roof over her ungrateful head... Oh wait, you pretty much did :D
Still, it's a testament to your abilities as a salesman that she only slammed the door instead of kicking a hole in the Maggies ;)
Just to put a bit of hitherto absent chauvinism to this thread I will say that generally the female half places more importance on the way the "nest" looks, and unless wifie shares her hubby's enthusiasm for things audio, or there exists a separate listening room (man cave), equipment that shouts "look at me!" will always be a sticking point. You're a lucky man Charles, for the most part Mrs. P merely tolerates my hobby. Though to give her some credit, she's very careful when hoovering round my speakers :)
Right, chauvinist button "off" I'll now make her a nice cup of tea.
I brought a 4ft tall subwoofer home without notice, a DIY partially finished job, ugly as sin, no driver or plate amp and bare MDF.
All I got was a "that will keep you busy for a while".
Not tough enough Charles.
Perhaps you needed to be a bit more blunt with your "gentle reasoning". By pointing out that she wears the apron and Tommy wears the trousers, and she should suck it up :) after all he works all hours just to put a roof over her ungrateful head... Oh wait, you pretty much did :D
Still, it's a testament to your abilities as a salesman that she only slammed the door instead of kicking a hole in the Maggies ;)
Just to put a bit of hitherto absent chauvinism to this thread I will say that generally the female half places more importance on the way the "nest" looks, and unless wifie shares her hubby's enthusiasm for things audio, or there exists a separate listening room (man cave), equipment that shouts "look at me!" will always be a sticking point. You're a lucky man Charles, for the most part Mrs. P merely tolerates my hobby. Though to give her some credit, she's very careful when hoovering round my speakers :)
Right, chauvinist button "off" I'll now make her a nice cup of tea.
Couldn't have put it better :rofl:
@ Pigmy Steve, nice post.
@Australian Steve, way to go mate!
Martin, here's one that didn't start World War III
https://i.imgur.com/DH09NTj.jpg
Pigmy Pony
08-02-2022, 22:35
@ Pigmy Steve, nice post.
@Australian Steve, way to go mate!
Martin, here's one that didn't start World War III
https://i.imgur.com/DH09NTj.jpg
Getting the hoover out is a nice touch, shows you care :)
using a floor you can just wipe clean, that's cheating.
Pigmy Pony
10-02-2022, 06:59
using a floor you can just wipe clean, that's cheating.
Well spotted. I'm beginning to suspect he got the wife to do the job for him.
Shhh, don't tell :eyebrows:
Patrick Dixon
10-02-2022, 14:20
Not tough enough Charles.
Perhaps you needed to be a bit more blunt with your "gentle reasoning". By pointing out that she wears the apron and Tommy wears the trousers, and she should suck it up :) after all he works all hours just to put a roof over her ungrateful head... Oh wait, you pretty much did :D
Still, it's a testament to your abilities as a salesman that she only slammed the door instead of kicking a hole in the Maggies ;)
Yeah maybe you should have said something like 'Well you're here now and you might as well have a listen and a coffee - no need to take them home'. Probably wouldn't have made the sale, but at least you'd still be in the game.
Good suggestion. I may or may not have still had him as a potential customer but doubt it. He probably just abandoned audio altogether as a serious hobby, the poor chap, remained with the gear he had and upgraded his caravan.
Are there no female HiFi addicts here that can tell the tale from the other viewpoint? ie He wouldn't let me bring the Superduperwoofers in to his immaculate lounge.
Are there no female HiFi addicts here that can tell the tale from the other viewpoint? ie He wouldn't let me bring the Superduperwoofers in to his immaculate lounge.
We have at least one female Member here who posts sporadically, but not for a while now.
(Maybe 'Pigmy Pony' can persuade her to respond? ;))
Pigmy Pony
10-02-2022, 22:32
We have at least one female Member here who posts sporadically, but not for a while now.
(Maybe 'Pigmy Pony' can persuade her to respond? ;))
Ninanina... whatever she wants to bring into the house is fine with me :) Could never say no to Bev. Also, unlike the lady mentioned in the original post, she would be absolutely fine with big panel speakers.
Ninanina... whatever she wants to bring into the house is fine with me :) Could never say no to Bev. Also, unlike the lady mentioned in the original post, she would be absolutely fine with big panel speakers.
Yes, Bev uses Magnaplanar .7 speakers:
http://www.magnepan.com/www/images/speakers/alum07.jpg
Patrick Dixon
11-02-2022, 10:10
I can give you my 'other' viewpoint.
'No, that horse is not coming in the house!'
But Patrick this is a subjective forum.
Could just be a big dog.
Covenant
12-02-2022, 11:57
I have a 7.1 AV system and a hi-fi with two speakers in the living room without any complaints. I just made sure they were light coloured wood like the rest of the furniture. I think she likes polishing the Quad speakers.
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