Thread: Women in High End Audio

A couple of interesting posts of late:

(A Man's Perspective)
How Not to Get Women Interested in Audio | Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile

(A Woman's Perspective)
No Girls Allowed: Why I Hate ?Wife Acceptance Factor? | Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile

My wife read both and her take is:

A. Yes, the audio industry is NOT very welcoming of women.
B. The Photography industry has worked wonders over the past 10 years or so to be more inclusive of women and no longer suffer these stereotypical challenges.
C. Women, generally, tend to be more interested in the "visual" than the "audible".

Originally Posted by Mike

A couple of interesting posts of late:

(A Man's Perspective)
How Not to Get Women Interested in Audio | Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile

(A Woman's Perspective)
No Girls Allowed: Why I Hate ?Wife Acceptance Factor? | Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile

My wife read both and her take is:

A. Yes, the audio industry is NOT very welcoming of women.
B. The Photography industry has worked wonders over the past 10 years or so to be more inclusive of women and no longer suffer these stereotypical challenges.
C. Women, generally, tend to be more interested in the "visual" than the "audible".

Well there's a big frickin' surprise.

Men have their hobbies, women have theirs.

And then they both have hobbies together. Next

Originally Posted by CPP

Men have their hobbies, women have theirs.

And then they both have hobbies together. Next

I read an obituary the other day and the only thing they had to say about the guy's hobbies was that he liked to walk his dogs and spank his monkey.

Originally Posted by Mike

A couple of interesting posts of late:

(A Man's Perspective)
How Not to Get Women Interested in Audio | Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile

(A Woman's Perspective)
No Girls Allowed: Why I Hate ?Wife Acceptance Factor? | Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile

My wife read both and her take is:

A. Yes, the audio industry is NOT very welcoming of women.
B. The Photography industry has worked wonders over the past 10 years or so to be more inclusive of women and no longer suffer these stereotypical challenges.
C. Women, generally, tend to be more interested in the "visual" than the "audible".

I get my wife involved by playing Blue Ray concert videos of her favorite artists. She lasts about 20 minutes during two channel only listening. Then out comes the iPhone and she starts texting and becomes disengaged.

The only way I could get my wife into my listening room is if I left a trail of diamonds leading into my room. Once she had collected all of the diamonds, she would head back out.

Originally Posted by mep

The only way I could get my wife into my listening room is if I left a trail of diamonds leading into my room. Once she had collected all of the diamonds, she would head back out.

So true, mine is the same way. She always had this saying " what's wrong with the other speakers or that amppy thing don't they still work. I always come back with, well how many freaking pair of shoes do you really need, don't the old ones you only wore once still work.



oh PS: we all know how the outcome of that went.

Originally Posted by mep

The only way I could get my wife into my listening room is if I left a trail of diamonds leading into my room. Once she had collected all of the diamonds, she would head back out.

If SF changed the name from "Liliums" to Lithium, you might stand a better chance.

If you get them a Gucci handbag, they would just want to leave and show it off to their friends. With Lithium, it might calm them down long enough to listen to a little music.

That said, audio is male jewelry.

Originally Posted by Myles B. Astor

That said, audio is male jewelry.

I think B&O came as close to anybody to creating female audio jewelry. You at least had to be a metrosexual to enjoy it.

My girlfriend loves listening to music with me. I cook a nice meal, pair a bottle of wine and have some great music playing during dinner. Then, once the meal is done, we take our remaining wine and sit down to listen to music. When we first started dating, she was so spoiled with my system that she needed to have something different at her place. So, she now has a nice little system from me. Definitely not near the level of my system at all, but very enjoyable. She recognizes the differences easily between our two systems or if a change is made in my system. She isn't an audiophile at all, but certainly wouldn't be the type to discourage someone from spending/upgrading as she has incredible appreciation of how the better gear makes a difference.

Originally Posted by Everest Audio

My girlfriend loves listening to music with me. I cook a nice meal, pair a bottle of wine and have some great music playing during dinner. Then, once the meal is done, we take our remaining wine and sit down to listen to music. When we first started dating, she was so spoiled with my system that she needed to have something different at her place. So, she now has a nice little system from me. Definitely not near the level of my system at all, but very enjoyable. She recognizes the differences easily between our two systems or if a change is made in my system. She isn't an audiophile at all, but certainly wouldn't be the type to discourage someone from spending/upgrading as she has incredible appreciation of how the better gear makes a difference.

The key word here is "girlfriend." Women pretend to like all sorts of things you like when you are dating. The truth comes out after you say "I do." Ditto for men. Remember, people are always 1000 times nicer when they first start dating than they are in real life.

Women have a very different take on audio. They want to hear the music, not look at the gear and its switches and pretty lights. The biggest problem is on the front lines though. Finding a dealer that will actually talk to a woman on her terms and patiently answer her questions is tough. Just like buying a new car, dealers tend to talk to the men, and talk down to the women.
When we were first married (25 years ago) we needed a new system. We went to several dealers, and listened to a number of systems. The place that got my money, was a Linn dealer who talked to my wife, set up the gear she wanted to hear and took the time to explain everything to her in non-technical terms. She used that system more than I did, and even demanded upgrades eventually.
The main reason was that system allowed her to enjoy the music without fussing over it.

Originally Posted by blackdog

Women have a very different take on audio. They want to hear the music, not look at the gear and its switches and pretty lights. The biggest problem is on the front lines though. Finding a dealer that will actually talk to a woman on her terms and patiently answer her questions is tough. Just like buying a new car, dealers tend to talk to the men, and talk down to the women.
When we were first married (25 years ago) we needed a new system. We went to several dealers, and listened to a number of systems. The place that got my money, was a Linn dealer who talked to my wife, set up the gear she wanted to hear and took the time to explain everything to her in non-technical terms. She used that system more than I did, and even demanded upgrades eventually.
The main reason was that system allowed her to enjoy the music without fussing over it.

No smart salesperson does that at any successful dealership. You have to "sell" to the person who has the purchasing authority. In most marriages, it's the woman. It usually doesn't take long to figure out who the person is that's in charge of the money. They don't call them "purse strings" for nothing.

Originally Posted by mep

The key word here is "girlfriend." Women pretend to like all sorts of things you like when you are dating. The truth comes out after you say "I do." Ditto for men. Remember, people are always 1000 times nicer when they first start dating than they are in real life.

Okay, I can agree to some extent. However, my girlfriend and I have been together for nearly 4 years. And, listening at my place prompted her to want a nice system at her place as well. So, this is much more than pretending to like things I do when we are dating.

Originally Posted by Everest Audio

Okay, I can agree to some extent. However, my girlfriend and I have been together for nearly 4 years. And, listening at my place prompted her to want a nice system at her place as well. So, this is much more than pretending to like things I do when we are dating.

Let me know how it goes if you ever say "I do." Right now, you still own everything you have and you get to call the shots on how your house is decorated and what gear is going to reside in which room. After you say "I do," you will be gone for business sometime and while you are gone, she will hold a yard sale and blow all of your gear out the door for pennies on the dollar and she will take the proceeds and redecorate the house to remove all traces of manliness from it. Your geek audio buddies won't be allowed to come over anymore and you will be spending your free time sniffing candles with her at the local candle store.

I recently had a customer buy a new pair of speakers from me and his wife was a big part of the process. She was interested in both the looks and the sound. They both are equally happy with the choice. He even said that she told him to ask me what is the next most logical upgrade to the system. So, as much as he is the one dealing with me, she is very involved in the process behind the scenes as well, and not just from the perspective of how things look as they love listening to music together. This is very refreshing.

No smart salesperson does that at any successful dealership.

Agreed, but it happens more often than you think. Especially if the salesman is a gearhead.

Originally Posted by blackdog

Agreed, but it happens more often than you think. Especially if the salesman is a gearhead.

If you cop that attitude, you will be a broke salesperson because you won't be moving much inventory. Once the dealership figures out you are a hay burner, they will drop you faster than a used prophylactic.

Originally Posted by Everest Audio

I recently had a customer buy a new pair of speakers from me and his wife was a big part of the process. She was interested in both the looks and the sound. They both are equally happy with the choice. He even said that she told him to ask me what is the next most logical upgrade to the system. So, as much as he is the one dealing with me, she is very involved in the process behind the scenes as well, and not just from the perspective of how things look as they love listening to music together. This is very refreshing.

Glad to hear it. That's a refreshing story. I think most men are lucky if their spouse tolerates their audio hobby let alone participates in some way besides "You aren't putting that in my living room!"

Hi Tommy,

I am so sorry for your loss. She sounds like an awesome woman. They certainly don't come around too often and happy that at least you were able to have her in your life.

So sorry Tommy for your loss.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by hifitommy

my wife was the antithesis of one who demands WAF (invisible system). i moved my relatively massive stereo into her fairly small apartment. i cam home on saturday after working at the hospital and the TEAC open reel was running (fleetwood mac playing) which she had never been shown. the small Celestion County speakers i was trying out had been disconnected and the Infinity Monitors back on because she preferred their sound.

when we moved into a house, she prompted me to hook up the Dynaquad rear speakers because she missed the added realism they added.

after 12 nice years of marriage and two children, she succumbed to a long term illness. she has NOT been replaced.

Hi Tommy! Sorry, never knew about you losing your wife and companion of 12 years! Know it must have been tough but her memory lives on with you forever!

Originally Posted by mep

Glad to hear it. That's a refreshing story. I think most men are lucky if their spouse tolerates their audio hobby let alone participates in some way besides "You aren't putting that in my living room!"

It doesn't matter to me if women are in high end audio. I'm not here to pick up women. I have one who understands me. We have our hobbies and they have theirs.

My wives have all known that my hi fi system stays with me and gets planted in the house where I want it. This is one topic that is not open for discussion for more than fifteen seconds. If they have something important to say on the topic, they had better make the point FAST. They have been told they can decorate the house in any fashion they desire as long as I don't hate it, which I think gives them a lot of latitude. I get first dibs on any room for stereo equipment, then they can do just about anything else they want in it. I know it may sound boorish and crass, but that's how it is.

If I want something to make my listening better, I get it and they have no say in the matter. I never stopped them from buying shoes, and they won't stop me from buying what I like either.



Having said that, I have always enjoyed "The Audiophile's Wife" website and am sorry the writing has stopped.

http://www.theaudiophileswife.com

Gary, don't sugar coat it-just tell it like you see it. I guess "Happy wife Happy Life is not your favorite quote.
Happy new year.
Nick

Originally Posted by GaryProtein

It doesn't matter to me if women are in high end audio. I'm not here to pick up women. I have one who understands me. We have our hobbies and they have theirs.

My wives have all known that my hi fi system stays with me and gets planted in the house where I want it. This is one topic that is not open for discussion for more than fifteen seconds. If they have something important to say on the topic, they had better make the point FAST. They have been told they can decorate the house in any fashion they desire as long as I don't hate it, which I think gives them a lot of latitude. I get first dibs on any room for stereo equipment, then they can do just about anything else they want in it. I know it may sound boorish and crass, but that's how it is.

If I want something to make my listening better, I get it and they have no say in the matter. I never stopped them from buying shoes, and they won't stop me from buying what I like either.



Having said that, I have always enjoyed "The Audiophile's Wife" website and am sorry the writing has stopped.

The Audiophile's Wife

And I always thought it was a blatant rip off.

My SO of twelve years and I are perfectly happy with our arrangement. We stay together because we WANT to, not because we have to.

Originally Posted by bzr

Gary, your t/table sucks.

I know, but I haven't used it in almost 15 years!

I have no plans to go back to vinyl.

Originally Posted by Myles B. Astor

And I always thought it was a blatant rip off.

I guess I never saw from where it was ripped off.

For me, it was light hearted reading a few times a month.

Originally Posted by GaryProtein

I guess I never saw from where it was ripped off.

For me, it was light hearted reading a few times a month.

Lisa Astor. Stereophile. Not 1/1000th as good.

Originally Posted by hifitommy

my wife was the antithesis of one who demands WAF (invisible system). i moved my relatively massive stereo into her fairly small apartment. i cam home on saturday after working at the hospital and the TEAC open reel was running (fleetwood mac playing) which she had never been shown. the small Celestion County speakers i was trying out had been disconnected and the Infinity Monitors back on because she preferred their sound.

when we moved into a house, she prompted me to hook up the Dynaquad rear speakers because she missed the added realism they added.

after 12 nice years of marriage and two children, she succumbed to a long term illness. she has NOT been replaced.

So sorry to hear of your loss. It sounds like the two of you had something quite fantastic.

Originally Posted by hifitommy

thanks all you guys for your empathy. i feel VERY lucky to have gotten at least one good spouse. so many people never get that and for them, i am the one with empathy. i can't mope about the loss because i have all those years of good memories and two beautiful daughters from it.

another thing i feel extremely fortunate about is that our second daughter only went to 5 1/2 months gestation and weighed in at one pound and 6.5 ounces. that was in 1983 and she survived without major health issues. the hopital bill was $270k (1983 dollars) and i am not kidding. worth every penny. the insurance covered 100% because it was a complication of pregnancy.

i don't often mention this in public forums but i just wanted you guys to feel good about this overall.

thanks again.

...t

Sorry for your loss Tommy, I agree with you about finding a great woman. Mine is an absolute gem, I wish everyone could experience that kind of relationship.

Tommy - You have a wonderful philosophy about life. Congratulations on having had a terrific wife and partner as well as two wonderful daughters.

With respect to my wife, she is very supportive about this audio hobby of ours. She enjoys music as much as I do but will not sit in the sofa to listen for more than 30 minutes. She prefers that I play the music through the speakers we have set up through the entire house. Music is playing at home typically the entire weekend - unless we are in the Christmas holiday season in which the Hallmark channel seems to get a lot of her time.

In terms of system upgrades, she is very supportive. Actually, pushes me to get whatever I want. Her philosophy has been that we work too hard and that we need to share and enjoy what we have.

Originally Posted by hifitommy

my wife was the antithesis of one who demands WAF (invisible system). i moved my relatively massive stereo into her fairly small apartment. i cam home on saturday after working at the hospital and the TEAC open reel was running (fleetwood mac playing) which she had never been shown. the small Celestion County speakers i was trying out had been disconnected and the Infinity Monitors back on because she preferred their sound.

when we moved into a house, she prompted me to hook up the Dynaquad rear speakers because she missed the added realism they added.

after 12 nice years of marriage and two children, she succumbed to a long term illness. she has NOT been replaced.

So sorry you lost your soul mate. She seems to have been a real treat and I hope you are holding up well after such a huge loss. Blessings man.

There was a pre-Christmas thread on a Dutch forum last week with the question who would be able to make it through 2015 without investments in his audio gear or anything related like power, acoustics and so on.
I can tell you that my wife thinks I can. Even after I told her I was eyeballing an Amp with a big, old fashioned attenuator dial. She is always telling me that it is too difficult to turn the volume down when of instance the phone rings. And of course I did explain het how to easily do it with one of the iPads including her own iPAd and with the buttons on the preamp but she keeps telling me she wants an old fashion rotary knob.
So I thought this could enable my Octave HP 700 purchase but she said: "No, you don't need that. You are telling all the time that you are so happy with the sound". And of course she is right! But you know, we have this urge that we cannot control....