Yo dude! Now I am also totally psyched for your International Economics final. You better kick ass.

Do my answers count here? I'll give it a shot, anyhow:

I had no audiophile friends before I got into Stereophile. I don't think I even knew the word "audiophile."

Sometimes, when I talk to girls about audio-related stuff [I know: Why would I be talking to girls about audio-related stuff?], they give me a funny look. But none of my brohams think I'm crazy. They usually think they can't afford audiophile gear, but I don't have too much trouble changing their minds about that.

At times, I do wonder if my enthusiasm can be mistaken for religious creepiness, so I try not to push it too hard. I like to just sit back and watch as my friends listen. The responses are usually good. I think a couple of my close friends have shown true interest and appreciation for the sound quality and beautiful music, while others are just mildly impressed by the gear.

I've been lucky to make some good friends through my work here at Stereophile. I've always loved getting to know peoples' passions, and I've found that people who hold a love of music and sound are, in general, wonderfully passionate and happy to share. So, it's cool.

About the "religious conversion" thing, though: With anything that sparks deep passion, we're going to approach some sort of religious zeal when trying to communicate it, I think. I get the same way when talking about baseball or women or pizza. Heh heh.

Anyway, I think we helped get you involved, Ariel, and I'm happy about that.

None of my close friends are audiophiles; however, over the past 40-years several have made speaker and equipment purchases after hearing my system. I've got two friends still using DCM Time Windows from the 1970s, based on hearing mine. Today, a couple of people are considering Vienna Acoustics after seeing and hearing mine.

These non-audiophile friends hear the good sound and want most of it for themselves, but they're not willing or interested in getting all the way into it as a hobby. They're attracted to my equipment because of the combination of sound and the fact that mine tends to fit into the decor without calling undo attention to itself. (Most have been married 30+ years. Hence, the importance and understanding of the WAF).

I've also got audiophile friends, but they were that way before I met them and I probably met them because of either their audiopilia or because they're either a guitarist or trumpeter (my other main hobbies).

Dave

Traingular Arbitrage?

My wife is pretty liberal, but she won't go for that.

On, and the friends as audiophiles question...

Some are, some aren't.

My best audio buddy (NFS Audio on the boards) was an audiphile before we met.

Most of my other "audio friends" were into audio before we met, with audio being a component of how we met.

Of my non-audiophile friends, about three fourths have asked me to assist with "buying a stereo" at one point or another. It seems the average person I know can "get it" when it comes to finding gear that "sounds good," it's just that they don't want to make an avocation of it.

So, I've had the pleasure of vicariously buying quite a few systems. The most typical budget has remained rather invariant over the decades...two grand.

I've had one "successful conversion" of a friend who reached 'baptism' level in audio, but then he got married and had kids...which, for some reason, seemed to put the kybosh on his hobby. His last system consisted of a Mesa Baron, Rega (was it the Planet back then) CD player, and some Joseph Audio speakers.

After he and his spouse bought a new house, he installed some mystery brand in-wall speakers to "better match the decor," decided they didn't sound so good, and lost his Hi Fi mojo.

So, mixed bag.

Pretty much only one of my friends is an audiophile, but almost all my close friends are really into music, my wife being in this category as well. So they all love hearing my high-end setup, but most don't have it as a priority. One friend loves music, but his house is small and he rather spend money on a ski lodge (which he did) than on equipment. Over the years I've also helped friends get, if not "audiophile" grade systems, much better systems for the money they are willing to spend.

In the end, I never push it either, and rarely give a "demo" when friends are over. The music is purely on as background enhancement. It's fun when I can really play somehting though- the other night we had friends over and I asked for a little indulgence to play somehting louder on my relatively new DIY ProAc Response 2.5s and a I think I made a few jaws drop.

I don't have any audiophile friends, mainly because it's somewhat of an expensive hobby for a college student.

I do, however, have friends who are interested. One of my buddies even seems to be proud; We'll be having drinks with a friend of his whom I'm just meeting, I might make some audio-related comment, and he says (in a way that makes it sound sexy) "Erik is an audiophile."

Most people can appreciate the sound quality, but tend to fall into these camps:

1. Can hear a difference, but deem unimportant
2. Can't afford it
3. THINK they can't afford it, actually can, but are not as crazy as I am (ie aren't willing to make it their top priority, give all disposable income to an audio dealer, etc.)

I would consider converting someone akin to a religious experience, yes. In fact, "audiophile" is listed as my religion on Facebook. Most people put it in "interests", but I'm hardcore like that.

Most of my friends think I'm crazy anyway, but having an obsession doesn't help.

Good luck on your exam! I took my Physical Chemistry final yesterday. (ugh) Hang in there.

I have one audiophile friend. He's the one who turned me on to the possibilities. The rest don't care enough to spend money on it. They all want a "good sounding" system, but when push comes to shove, they want a system that will fit the decor or the system that will have features, rather than sound quality.

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They all want a "good sounding" system, but when push comes to shove, they want a system that will fit the decor or the system that will have features, rather than sound quality.

Off-topic, but this raises the question: Why can't they have both?

My answer: They can! What a wonderful life, huh?

I agree. They can, but when push comes to shove, they flock to more familiar brands such as Sony and they get this very uncomfortable look on their face when exposed to brands they never heard of such as Energy, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, Rega, etc.

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My homework partner for Marketing Research actually owns an MMF 2.1 TT, but I dont know if she considers herself an audiophile. Either way, she became more attractive after she told me that.

What?! "Homework partner," eh? She sounds totally HOT to me.

Arrrrggghhhh

who would want audiophile friends?
You would never listen to a whole piece of music, argue incessantly about this or that gear and be shunned by good looking women :-)

Music lover friends, now that's another story.

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I'm going to have to disagree with you here. I consider me owning a set of GradoSR60s and an iPod being an audiophile. Yes I do own more than that, but even all of my equipment together is less than $500. I have more to buy, and want to buy more (but I can't, b/c I am as you said before a poor college student) but its not a hobby thats too expensive. When I got into audio this summer at Stereophile, I never really saw it as a "hobby." I just see it as there being no other option.

Regardless of the fact that you can get into audio relatively affordably, the absolute affordability is still a relative thing. Consider that $500 is roughly equivalent to books for a semester. Consider also that the $70 spent on Grados is food for a week (or more, depending on how frugal or thin a person we're talking about).

Like you said, if a person is like us and sees quality sound as a necessity, has some disposable capital, and chooses to spend on equipment, then it's affordable in the most literal sense of the word. I agree that "audiophile" sound is available to the masses, but food and fees trump gear if you're forced to choose.

As for me, I've run out of food, have $0.01 (not kidding) in my bank account, and about $200 down at my dealer in the form of a deposit. How messed up is that? Lots of people would love to get into this game, but very few are willing to go hungry.

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I took my Physical Chemistry final yesterday.

P-Chem!

Time to get your "Honk if you passed P chem" bumpber sticker.

I don't let pedophiles' near my kids and I don't let audiophiles' near my stereo!

RG

P.S.

It's awesome that I'm out of food because the kitchen is next to the living room, and I no longer have to run the (noisy) fridge.

Sweet!

I thought it was the other way around. I thought you didn't let audiophiles near your kids...

My friends are motorcyclists that spend all of their money on their bikes and are not audiophiles.
What I find strange though is that none of my coworkers are audiophiles either. All well educated and well paid electrical or software engineers. How many songs they can get on their MP3 is one of their discussions. Their video display is much more important than their sound. I have 7.1, you only have 6.1?
Kind of funny though to watch their responses, both facial and verbal when I mention that I just got a new component.
What kind of speakers did you get? Wilson Audio Watt Puppies. Oh
What kind of preamp did you buy? Coda Technologies. Oh
Then again I get the same responses when they ask what kind of dirt bike I have. KTM? Huh?
Your street bike is a what? Aprilia? Is that like a Harley?

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What?! "Homework partner," eh? She sounds totally HOT to me.

audiophile = hot? is there any way Stereophile can run some measurements on this?

Well, we could start with a simple photgraphic analysis and move forward from there.

I have never met a woman who is into Hi Fi that I did not like. (Not meaning to make a gender joke, it's just a fact.)

I've had times in my life that I've been so poor (likely from not placing importance on money) that I've practically slept on cement steps. Living on less than $300 a month.

At that exact time..I had a modified Belles 450, a kuzma Stogi arm on a modded Thorens TD125 Tt, about 1500LP's, a custom made LEDE room with less than 1% deviation from the golden ratio in it's dimensions, Tara Labs cables, modified Monitor Audio MD952 speakers, and an Audio research 110 power amp as a spare..and a PS audio 5.0 preamp I was considering modding out.

I guess you could call me an enthusiast. Or a fan of music, period.

As for friends. Three of my business partners are music fanatics who happen to have been -or are- in the audio business at one time or another in their lives. This is, for the most part, how I met them. I have only made one 'audio conversion' in my life, that of a close friend. He is Scottish. He likes it when I give him hand-me-down prototype gear. He certainly wouldn't pay for it!

In France reading is a must, and books lining up your walls up to the ceiling suggest that you are an intellectual, which is more important than being the President of France. Watching movies is the next best thing one can do in France -you are almost but not quite an intellectual. Listening to music is not recommanded. No one talks about it. They hide their equipment. You are considered an original, which is not good in France (but good in Great Britain). One better be a conformist in France. Look, French pop music in general is very bad and it reflects on you badly if you listen to music, even if you listen only to Debussy and Ravel.

That's an interesting cultural phenomenon that I wasn't aware of.

Personally, I see a very large amount of books on display as rather pretentious. Honestly, who has read all the books in their libraries (if they are quite large)? And, among those who have, who actually intends to read all of them again? I enjoy reading books, but I don't keep more than a bookcase's worth out on shelves. Even then, it's for my personal enjoyment, not the desire to project a certain image.

A record, on the other hand, will probably be played many times in its life, assuming it is a good one. I keep my music and my equipment on display because I use it everyday.

That really is astonishing that the enjoyment of music could play second fiddle (pardon the pun) to cinema intellectually. Of course, music seems to be a secondary consideration here in the States also, judging by the popularity of home theater versus music equipment, but I don't believe the music lover is held in any lower regard (although is perhaps seen as a little anachronistic; "What? Your stereo only has two channels?")

The other side of the coin, of course, is the audiophile who buys gear simply because he can afford it and he wants people to know how much money he can spend. (I'm not directing this at anyone around here who has expensive stuff, but rather the folks who don't appreciate the equipment fully and are mainly making a lifestyle statement or buying status symbols).

I say do what you enjoy and be open about it. France must have enough intellectuals by now.

Cheers,

I've never physically met ANYONE who is an audiophile. I've bought eqpt from audiophile stores so I interacted with those weirdos if that counts...but other than them, I have never knowingly met anyone who thinks there are any speakers better than Bose.
A corollary to that - aside from brief demo's of equipment a few times in stores, I have never heard a high-end system (other than my own but it is "entry-level")
But I do have friends who are baffled that I can sit and listen to music without doing something else at the same time.

Since when do audiophile have friends?
There's only one sweet spot and it's not to share .
We never have enough time to listen to our music. So we have no time to lose making friends

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My friends are motorcyclists that spend all of their money on their bikes and are not audiophiles.....

Then again I get the same responses when they ask what kind of dirt bike I have. KTM? Huh?
Your street bike is a what? Aprilia? Is that like a Harley?

cyclebrain,

Being an avid cyclist myself I read the makes of your bikes and also went "Huh?"

Then I did a quick internet search on KTM and Aprillia only to find that they are MOTORCYCLES!!!! And here I was thinking that you were a cyclist, as in bicycle not motorcycle.

However, whatever type of cyclist you are, you may have other friends into the cycling hobby and at least these follow cyclist should be able to understand when someone is into a hobby slightly off the mainstream.

Many of my fellow cyclists, while not audiophiles themselves, at least understand my passion for audio gear and good sound. After all these are people who willingly spend well over $500 for a bicycle, $500 being the maximum amount one can spend on a bicycle without being considered a "nut". So yeah, they can understand how not owning Bose speakers can still mean one's stereo sounds good.

As for my handful of audiophile friends, fellow audiophiles can be a mixed blessing. While we never openly argue with one another, we do have our differences when it comes to the makeup and setup of our respective audio systems. One friend has these massive Dunlevy speakers that sound wonderful but he has his sweet spot much too close to the speakers for my taste. Plus he has cables and wires that he swears by which cost more than some pieces of my equipment. To each his own.

Then there's another audiophile friend who went and sold all his vinyl. What can I say, the guy likes digital.

As far as converting people into audiophiles, I don't usually go there but I do at least try to get people to understand that one doesn't have to own, or even like, Sony and Bose to have a good sounding stereo.

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Since when do audiophile have friends?

...Or chicks

I have a family member who has a house full of "QUAD"

/Ergonaut vomits

Did you guys know that there are hobbyists dedicated to collecting flashlights? I don't mean just collecting, but debating technologies, arguing the merits of led vs halogen bulbs, etc. They spend upwards of $1,000 pr flashlight.

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Did you guys know that there are hobbyists dedicated to collecting flashlights? I don't mean just collecting, but debating technologies, arguing the merits of led vs halogen bulbs, etc. They spend upwards of $1,000 pr flashlight.

Alex,

Thank you for shedding some light onto this often misunderstood hobby. Personally I prefer candles.

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That's an interesting cultural phenomenon that I wasn't aware of.

Personally, I see a very large amount of books on display as rather pretentious. Honestly, who has read all the books in their libraries (if they are quite large)? And, among those who have, who actually intends to read all of them again? I enjoy reading books, but I don't keep more than a bookcase's worth out on shelves. Even then, it's for my personal enjoyment, not the desire to project a certain image....

Their books is not for showing off. They do read their books. Except for engraved by artists hard cover editions which never leave the shelfs, of course, like my grand father priceless original first print edition of the work of Balzac with hand writted notes of Balzac in the book; in this case one would read Balzac in a regular edition. They have a culture of books. Their old leather bond books and paper cover books look better than those big and cheap hard cover books you usually have in America (they are made for people who don't read; I always wait for a softcover edition). Those you can throw away after reading but it make sense to keep the kind of books the French have. They are valuable and we do read them.

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That's an interesting cultural phenomenon that I wasn't aware of.

Personally, I see a very large amount of books on display as rather pretentious. Honestly, who has read all the books in their libraries (if they are quite large)? And, among those who have, who actually intends to read all of them again? I enjoy reading books, but I don't keep more than a bookcase's worth out on shelves. Even then, it's for my personal enjoyment, not the desire to project a certain image....

Their books is not for showing off. They do read their books. Except for engraved by artists hard cover editions which never leave the shelfs, of course, like my grand father priceless original first print edition of the work of Balzac with hand writted notes of Balzac in the book; in this case one would read Balzac in a regular edition. They have a culture of books. Their old leather bond books and paper cover books look better than those big and cheap hard cover books you usually have in America (they are made for people who don't read; I always wait for a softcover edition). Those you can throw away after reading but it make sense to keep the kind of books the French have. They are valuable and we do read them.

Ah, now I more fully understand the enjoyment you receive from looking at your turntable.

Dave

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<However, whatever type of cyclist you are, you may have other friends into the cycling hobby and at least these follow cyclist should be able to understand when someone is into a hobby slightly off the mainstream.>

My son is an avid bicyclist who lives in Las Vegas. When his road bike was totaled by a clueless driver (traffic is CRAZY in Vegas) her insurance company had to cough up $3800- for the bike, not including medical. He builds custom one speed track, road and mountain bikes. The "purist" element in his bike taste reminds me of vinyl and tube audiophiles. He also has a turntable set-up I bought for his wedding present. His wife doesn't like it.

I have one "audiophile" friend who, like myself, has assembled a "compromise" system that we pass off as home theater to get past the WAF. Another friend I consider an audiophile has hopeless equipment, but probably the best classic rock, roots rock, folk, bluegrass and killbilly vinyl collection in the far northwest corner of California. He's a musician (banjo/guitar/violin) with his own bluegrass/ roots band.

We are the only three people we know who still sit down and listen to an album all the way through without talking or doing something else. Our wives think we're nuts.

I am now driving a BMW E39 M5, which I am modding out. Painful fast. You can even pass transports utilizing short off ramps, if you are enough of a freak and crazy enough to attempt. With room to spare, I might add. A mindblowing car, which time has shown is still considered the 'finest example of CAR ever built'.

Point?

My business partner, is crazy too. He drives a 1991 Subaru Legacy Turbo, right now. Why? Well..he thought I was crazy for having about $27k a year tied up in a car.

I tell him that when my day is going bad..I just get into my car, pump the quarters into the slot in the dash and press "GO!" on my insane, pee yourself in fear -circus ride of a 200mph 4-door sedan that files completely under the police radar. No-body sees me, or recognizes me. I was never here, these aren't the droids you are looking for, go back to sleep. Move along. The car looks like almost nothing and no-one ever recognizes it for what it is, likely, overall, the fastest and most overall competent car in my town of 115k people.

People ask me, why that car? I say, "200mph...1G cornering...12 second 1/4 mile, 450hp, 450lbs of torque, bulletproof... 200mph braking..and to boot...three baby seats across the back!" (not like I have kids, but hey, it is a full size 4-door sedan). I take 30-35mph rated off ramps at 90-100+ mph, with 275/35/18" tires all around. Passengers scream like girls as they see the off ramp coming and I seem like I don't notice...brain dead..lah-de-dah....

Anyway...you can see my unbridled enthusiasm. Point is, he shakes his head until he realizes..he spends more per year on his racing bicycle. The most dangerous sport in the world, BTW.

Despite the humour, this post hits a nerve.
It IS a solitary activity, and my audiophile club visits have been unusual. It seems very odd to sit quietly to listen to a piece of music.

Seems less natural than watching a movie with others, perhaps because the drawing power of the video easily sucks the group attention back to the movie, whereas most people are used to having music as background.

Also, music is so temporal-based that I miss a major appeal of a piece if even a small distraction takes me briefly out of the flow.

On the other hand, its very enjoyable to deal with musical ephemera here.

My answer: I have a few friends and family who are audiophiles and music-lovers, but we don't tend to listen to music together unless sharing a new piece of equipment, say.

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are your friends audiophiles? have you turned any of them into audiophiles?

I have several friends who are audiophiles. Two already were when I met them. One was a convert to the "faith". That one was into computers, but like classical music, among other styles. Once he heard my system, he started to ask questions and then went deep into the hobby.

Others have heard the system and remarked that "... that person's right there!", referring to a vocalist, or the sound is "very clear". But none have gone farther than liking the sound. Some are discouraged once they learned that it's not just the gear, but some tweaks I made, that presumably they are not willing, not able, or afraid to make.

I've always had friends that were into music, and some that cared about good sound. I remember being in high school or college and one of my friends telling me about this great new 6dB headroom feature NAD amps had. It wasn't until I drank the Kool-Aid and got into high-end audio that I met people that one would naturally call audiophiles. Now, I have friends that are definitely considered audiophiles, but, first and foremost they are music lovers who also happen to love and enjoy gear because it delivers the music better than your run of the mill stuff.

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Personally, I see a very large amount of books on display as rather pretentious. Honestly, who has read all the books in their libraries (if they are quite large)? And, among those who have, who actually intends to read all of them again? I enjoy reading books, but I don't keep more than a bookcase's worth out on shelves. Even then, it's for my personal enjoyment, not the desire to project a certain image.

A record, on the other hand, will probably be played many times in its life, assuming it is a good one. I keep my music and my equipment on display because I use it everyday.

I remember Wes telling me the proper response to the question, "Have you read all those?" is "Not yet". He also said, "Who wants a library of books you've already read?" I buy faster than I can read, also knowing from experience that I will always regret a missed opportunity. I'd rather have the book I'm interested in, sitting there waiting for me, rather than wishing I had gotten it. I have rooms filled with books. Many I've yet to read. Is it pretentious? I don't know and don't care. They're there for me to enjoy. I enjoy reading them, I enjoy looking at them, touching them, and feeling their heft in my hands. I have lots of records I've only listened to once, some I've not even gotten around to--yet. There are plenty of people that have records and don't listen to them. It's static art to some. It might be a big assumption that a record will see more use than a book. I appreciate books and records on many levels. Erik, I'm not sure if you ever saw the following thread (I think it was before you popped into the forums):

http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3839&an=0&page=5#Post3839

You might find it of interest.

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Since when do audiophile have friends?
There's only one sweet spot and it's not to share .
We never have enough time to listen to our music. So we have no time to lose making friends

Are my friends audiophiles? Depends, are you guys friends?

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Are my friends audiophiles? Depends, are you guys friends?

And are any of us audiophiles?

...
Ah, now I more fully understand the enjoyment you receive from looking at your turntable.
Dave

If I could I'd take that star I gave you back for your insolence Anyway how did you get three stars that fast? Something is fishy here..

No you don't understand. There are several ways to listen to music, some more practical than others. There is just one way to read a book, leather bond and engraved by Rodin or not. Give me a couple stars and everything is forgotten

Veering off topic a bit:

There IS more than one way to read a book.
http://www.amazon.com/Talk-About-Books-Havent-Read/dp/1596914696
A french literary prof is the author, its been translated into english. Despite the title, it discusses the spectrum of reading, from skimming to deep study. (I have not read it, but heard an interview with the author on CBC).

The tangential relevance to this thread is perhaps the different ways of listening. Audiophiles must be inclined toward the deep study end of the listening spectrum, as enabled by their quality equipment. Whereas the common background music is also considered "listening to music".

Serious listening is a solitary activity, it fully engages the listener, so not really something that seems natural to do with friends.

PS - I do consider myself an audiophile, and I pin the label on myself mainly to express that I do actually spend time listening seriously. Kind of like self-identifying as a geek.

The only other confirmed "audiophile" I know personally is the local hi-fi dealer, from whom I bought most of my gear (modest-but-decent stuff like Parasound, Adcom, and Rotel). He it was who convinced me that yes, I COULD build my own speakers and achieve significantly better sound at any given price point. He steered me toward the essential reading in the field, helped with the more arcane technical questions that arose concerning box and crossover design, and recommended/sold me the drivers for my first project. He also taught me how to critically LISTEN to my designs, to hear phase anomalies and such, and correct for them in the crossover. For reference, he has let me listen to the best high-end systems he had in stock. It was nearly 20 years ago that he got me started, and since then I have built a couple dozen pair of speakers, trying out different design concepts with each project, and have kept on studying acoustics and electronics. Non-audiophile friends and acquaintances who hear my system always remark how clear and natural it sounds, compared to the mass-market stuff they're used to, and those who have bought my speakers have been VERY pleased with the sound they get at home from them. Needless to say, when they ask for amp or CD player recommendations, I send them to Jim, who focuses on carrying high-value brands that offer superior sonics at reasonable prices (and btw, services everything he sells, should problems arise).

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I am now driving a BMW E39 M5, which I am modding out. Painful fast. You can even pass transports utilizing short off ramps, if you are enough of a freak and crazy enough to attempt. With room to spare, I might add. A mindblowing car, which time has shown is still considered the 'finest example of CAR ever built'.

Point?

My business partner, is crazy too. He drives a 1991 Subaru Legacy Turbo, right now. Why? Well..he thought I was crazy for having about $27k a year tied up in a car.

I tell him that when my day is going bad..I just get into my car, pump the quarters into the slot in the dash and press "GO!" on my insane, pee yourself in fear -circus ride of a 200mph 4-door sedan that files completely under the police radar. No-body sees me, or recognizes me. I was never here, these aren't the droids you are looking for, go back to sleep. Move along. The car looks like almost nothing and no-one ever recognizes it for what it is, likely, overall, the fastest and most overall competent car in my town of 115k people.

People ask me, why that car? I say, "200mph...1G cornering...12 second 1/4 mile, 450hp, 450lbs of torque, bulletproof... 200mph braking..and to boot...three baby seats across the back!" (not like I have kids, but hey, it is a full size 4-door sedan). I take 30-35mph rated off ramps at 90-100+ mph, with 275/35/18" tires all around. Passengers scream like girls as they see the off ramp coming and I seem like I don't notice...brain dead..lah-de-dah....

Anyway...you can see my unbridled enthusiasm. Point is, he shakes his head until he realizes..he spends more per year on his racing bicycle. The most dangerous sport in the world, BTW.

Yeah, I drive like that too. Except considerably faster, and my passengers squeal like girls because they ARE girls. Supermodels, too, yeah.
Seriously, though, people can recognize cars at a glance, and an M5 is at least as distinctive as any other car. Thinking that it is "stealth" and invisible to police and other mere humans is a fantasy. A nice one, but fantasy regardless.

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Serious listening is a solitary activity, it fully engages the listener, so not really something that seems natural to do with friends.

But there's another kind of listening you can do with friends -- not-so-serious listening, I suppose. When I get together with John DeVore and Michael Lavorgna, or with the guys from my old band, for instance, we have a grand ol' time. We're not all hush-hush and squeezed into the sweet spot. We bust out the fancy beer. We share the awesome, new albums we've recently found. We dig deep into our libraries and dust off those rare treasures that we haven't listened to in awhile, each with its own story. We talk, laugh, listen, get drunk and forget. It's good times with good friends.

Hear hear!

That's real listening as well in my book

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Thinking that it is "stealth" and invisible to police and other mere humans is a fantasy. A nice one, but fantasy regardless.

This is merely the beginning of the fantasy displayed in the post you cite.

Ha!

That sounds like fun. Good argument to lighten up and enjoy the bounty. Right now, I make a new years resolution to have an audio party.

PS -- My DeVore Nines are just about broken in, so that can be an excuse. Cool that you hang out with the builder.

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My DeVore Nines are just about broken in, so that can be an excuse.

Ah. Well, I understand perfectly now. Congratulations!

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Right now, I make a new years resolution to have an audio party.

An excellent resolution! I'm sure it'll be a blast. In fact, I think I'll make the same resolution.