Aquapiranha's visit to New Skaro

[Barry]

......... However if I am truthful while I enjoy visiting and helping others I do find the visit of a fellow enthusiast to hear my own setup a slightly daunting thing. My system(as I suspect yours is also) is a very personnel expression of all that I/you have learned on the journey so far, and in away, it is as close to me and you baring our audio mojo as you can get. The sum of all I feel I have achieved is open to your scrutiny and potential critique. While secure in enjoying the type of reproduction offered by the components selected, to best serve the music I love...there is always an element of presenting your small child to the world....for the first time.
.........

Neil, I know exactly how you feel. Whilst at the end of the day one can always say: 'Sod it, I like it and that's all that matters', it's nice to know that you haven't gone wildely wrong and that other listeners like your system.

Many years ago I knew someone who built harpsichords as a hobby, knew a lot about classical music and was enthusiastic about using equipment noted for their 'musicality'. He didn't use Linn/Naim gear but had a Rega deck and, I think, Meridian electronics with large bookshelf speakers, whose name I forget but were of suitable provenance. All this gear adheared to the tenants of the Linn-Naim school and espoused a different philosophy to my Quad gear. Anyway, he and his wife came round for dinner and to hear my system, and like you, I was slightly apprehensive. Most of the time we just commented on the recordings but at one point he did, with a certain amount of enthusiasm, say : 'Well you are certainly not offending my ears'. This comment is sufficiently ambigious that you could say that he was damming my system with faint praise, but I took it as compliment.

Similarly, I often hear my friend's systems, with the danger that I might come back to my system and be dissapointed. In all cases however, I am reminded of the strengths of their system (usually much better and deeper bass), but also hear other aspects which are not quite to my tastes. Again, we do very little talking about the gear but just get on and enjoy the music. Upon returning to my system, I am reminded of its strengths and weakness, but there is rarely a feeling of dissatisfaction, and if there is it is short lived.

Barry