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Editor: On those quiet, solitary evenings alone, when all that can be seen and felt is the thermal air currents rising from the ARC VT-100 and the soft, seductive glow of the tubes' heaters and the faint green glow of the other ARC componets, it is heaven. All in all, it is relatively modest system; about 12K. Ah, but when friends come over to listen, I am in awe of how absolutely horrid it sounds. I cringe when my associates go on and on about how exquisite it sounds; to my ears, all I can visualize is monolithic quantities of fresh detritis. Then they leave and all is well once again. I retreat to the comfort of my seclusion, all alone with the glow of the tubes and the sweetness of the drop-dead gorgeous sound, top to bottom.

When I really want to show off my system when entertaining friends at my house, it never ceases to amaze me just how good I WANT my system to sound. Perhaps it's not prudent to flaunt one's goods.

i dont sit in the sweet spot but it sounds the same

I don't have friends over to listen to my system. It's a waste. They all own $150 CD players, with $300 AV receivers, matched with $250 sets of speakers. They feel that any sound above a car radio or boombox, is acceptable. So, it is a total waste of time trying to explain the benefits of pre-amps and amps, or the reason to spend more than $700 on a complete system.

Funny topic for a magazine like STEREOPHILE! Shouldn't it be in "Psychology" or something similar?

1) When a friend is on my listening-chair, I can't sit there of course, so it sounds better when I'm alone. 2) My friends are always talking, even when I listen to music, so it sounds better when I'm alone. Oy, I'm a lucky one: my audiophile wife is not frequently at home.

Most of my friends consist of people who have never heard esoteric audio equipment or people who have asked me to design an audio system for them.

Why should it?

They don not always have the same optinion as I have. I know my own system very well.

I do not enjoy listening to music in the company of others!!!!!

Actually, it only appears to sound worse.

Why will it sound any different? duh!

Well, not much worse - but - it does seem that I listen much more critically, instead of just enjoying the music.

All the things that give me enjoyment when listening to music alone seem lost on the people who listen to my system. Invariably they own mini- or old console-stereos and can't understand what all the fuss is about. I respond in kind when asked how I like their new patio furniture.

It's really funny when I have a friend say "You spent how much on an audio system?!?" when I realistically spent more on my speaker cable then they did on their whole stereo. When they finally listen to my system, they shut the hell up.

dont have any audiophile friends so my mortal buddies are no threat to my ears or my awesome 7B monoblocks!

I am sure it sounds the same, but I will never know because I always let my guest sit at the sweet spot.

I am hyper-critical when demoing my equipment as incrediblke as it is... It sounds worse when I am demoing for some reason...

Most of the time my pals could hear things at which I've not noticed or thought of.

between listening and searching out recordings and working to pay for the system there is no time left for anyone else.... or myself for that matter.....

if people claim otherwise than their anxiety levels are affecting their hearing!

My advice to all audio- philes: Only trust your own ears. You have to live with your system and nobody else. So, if it sounds good enough to you, don

Would the addition of an extra body in the room act as a sound assorber thus making the sound seem "better"? No, it basically sounds the same either way. (Although, if you pile cardboard boxes all over the place, that does seem to help!)

I am always trying to educate my friends to take the set up to highend.

99% of my friends are not audiophiles so I don't think they would notice if anything was not preforming well.

I am amazed at how few of my friends listen to or care about music. I think that this has changed alot in the last 20 years. This may explain why so many dealers are selling home theatre and very little 2 channel equipment.

Some of my friends may share, some of my musical tastes, but none of them care about the fidelity. I think most of them would be happy with a $15 clock radio.

When poeple listening with me though my system, sudenly, I only hear the default ? I guess it is question of auto suggestion.