That was an awesome funny post.

For several years I have been taking heat for "monopolizing" the family room with audio (and video) equip't. Since I only get one room to energize, I have put together a multi-purpose 5.2 channel home theater with the emphasis on hi-rez, multi-channel music. There's also a vinyl section played through a Bellari tube pre and bi-amped front towers. It is fairly glorious, IMO. So while enduring much criticism and grief over the dominant audio architecture of the room, what do I hear when I come home for lunch several times a week? I hear Enya, Celtic Folk, Pop and Dance music playing so loud the walls shake. She likes it just fine, but resents my attachment, I think. Wimmen!

After the flood, we had a blank (though soggy) slate. I wanted to move things around in the living/listening room and the wife really hated the idea of a couch that was not against a wall. But I won her over!

For three months I said yes to everything she asked or suggested about the house. Everything. She noticed how agreeable I was being after about three days! When she asked why, I told her I was going to agree with every suggestion she had about the house so that I could get her cooperation in one thing: changing the layout of the living/listening room.

I maintained this stance for months. Tonight, I will go home to the couch in the middle of the room and the listening room the way it sounds best!

Worth every second of it.

Trey

Do what I did, marry another electrical engineer.

The only "factor" that creates is that your stereo tends to be taken over by the spouse and her CD's. :)

But the upside is that then I just built another one. :)

Now that is a factor I could live with!

You lucky dog!

Trey

Hate to tell you boys, but it's no different with same-sex couples. The husband threatened to murder me if I brought one more set of sticks into the living room. I have five echo busters and two Shakti Hallographs that I have to keep tucked away, then move into place every time I listen. The listening couch needs to be hauled 90 degrees each time. And on it goes. It's relationship stuff... the stuff that makes the world go round.

And I bet women audiophiles worry about HAF. We were being myopic in our kvetching!

Good on you for being so considerate and willing to do the work to keep him happy while keeping the tunes sounding right to you!

Trey

Here's a brief list of No-nos if you're worried about WAF.

1. Suspending all cabling from the ceiling.

2. Building some Enid Lumley speaker cable tunnels out of 2x4s and suspending the cables from thread inside the tunnels.

3. More than one Skyline diffuser on the walls.

4. More than three levels of vibration isolation under any one component.

5. More than 5 Shun Mook Mpingo discs in the room.

6. More than two Shakti Holographs.

7. More than two Room Lenses.

8. Homemade cement speaker stands.

9. More than three acoustic resonators.

10. More than 4 quartz dots on the walls.

11. Liberal use of crystal vases in room corners.

12. Spare electron tubes on display because they look cool.

13. Bookcase dislaying complete library of Absolute Sound and Audio.

14. Any kind of ceiling treatment.

15. Holes punched in carpet so tips of cones can go all the way down to the cement floor.

16. Use of damping pads under the legs of all couches, bookcases and tables in the room.

17. More than 4 chairs in the sweet spot.

Cheers,

G. Kait
M. Dynamica

buy her an mp3 player and fill it with her favorite music. She can use it wherever she wants. Pretty soon she's getting real used to listening to music. A lot. She likes it. Then, let her plug it into The System, and she'll be amazed at how much better it sounds. She'll love it. You're set. :)

What you did would work fine.

When she heard my system for the first time, long ago, she was impressed, but the experience ruined her so she can't listen to the car radio until enough time passes.

I upgraded my daughter's car system for her good grades. Now I want to drive it! It was just putting in an iPod receiver that would use the line outputs from the pod and changing out the speakers. Total outlaw was about $200 and 3 hours, but I am no threat to Bob Villa, so you could maybe do it faster.

I am looking forward to my next car because I am going to see what kind of sound I can get in it.

Trey

In electrical engineering, with highly reactive components, it's called a Power Factor. :)