Is your audio/video system UNTOUCHABLE?

If there is more than one person in your household how many of them can/do fully operate the audio video components? Are some things off limits to anyone but yourself? I guess depending on the age/interest of the people in your household this could present a variety of problems.

 

My girlfriend won't touch my Rotel pre or my tubes. "Looks too sensitive. I don't wanna mess anything up!" I have a roomate for the summer who uses my upstairs chain with much respect. He has no use for vinyl, which is good, because I would kill him, and he has his own cds he likes.

He loves the electrostatics. "I can't believe how these sound". Actually, at this time, there's nothing upstairs that I woulnd't be able to fix electronically with the exception of the 27" Proscan (RCA) TV, so I'm fairly confident.

 

I have on a number of occassions given the love of my life instructions on how to play a DVD,CD or LP but she seems to steer away - the only warning I issued was "Don't stand on the b***dy cables". My listening room is a pet zone - otherwise things would get eaten.

All the best - Andrew

 

My system "looks" too complicated for people to be interested in figuring it out. My wife used to get stumped sometimes (I had to draw diagrams for some operations). Of course, for me it seems very simple in layout but I guess that's not true for others. I had a woman over at the apartment a few weeks ago who was interested in the glowing Mullard tubes on my Dynaco ST-70 (cage-off) and she started touching one to see how hot it was. I lepted out of my seat and told her to be careful (99.999% so she wouldn't have burned herself & .001% so she wouldn't break the tube). Friends just accept that I must know what I'm doing with this "strange" equipment because the music's always very listenable. I think my main pet-peave is when someone decides to use a speaker as something to lean an arm on when they're talking...

Todd

 

Hands Off

Dude: Nobody touches my stuff unless they work in a high end store or are members of this thread. Otherwise it's totally untouchable.

Cheers,
Norm
real name: Elliott Ness

 

My stuff is configured so complicated to use that no one wants to touch it!

 

My 16 year old daughter has written instructions that she follows if she wants to use my audio system. Sometimes she'll use the stereo but usually she'll just play her MP3's through the computer speakers (computer is in the same room). Nobody else in the household ever goes near the equipment.

 

My system is so convoluted, that even I need a cheat-sheet to use it sometimes! My wife won't even think about using it. She will request that I set her up with something from time-to-time... usually when I'm right in the middle of a big project!

 

I always thought that was the bodybuilder pumping iron smilie

With all that pumping iron you do your heart should be in great shape

All the best - Andrew

 

looks like a totally nasty M&M to me.

 

My significant other doesn't touch my stuff...I think it's a sign of respect for the awesome power that it can unleash against the uninformed.

 

My wife is very proficient at using our old system. But she doesn't like/want to clean the stylus in fear of breaking it. And she usually asks me to clean records for her.

Since we got the new system, she has been afraid to even get near the power amp because of the exposed tubes. It will take some time for her to get used to it.

I sometimes joke to my wife that she owns our home as well as everything in it and I'm just paying the rent to live here. So you get the idea. For everyone else there's a whole set of different rules.

 

My girlfriend has full access to the system in the livingroom, and she's also allowed to change the cd/sacd and use the volume control on my "reference" system, everything else is off limits.

I just moved to a new house, and I now have my own listening room, so this makes me very happy. To celebrate the new home I also bought myself a new pre- and poweramp.

 

My wife has complete access to the complete audio/video systems in our home because she totally understands procedures for dealing with it under any circumstances even lightning. This is of course only until the tubes make an appearance...

 

A couple of weeks ago when I was having the kitchen redone - the installation manager came into my room when I was listening - he chatted for a while then put a load of c*%p down on my speakers - I turned green and ripped my shirt - he thought I was going to hit him with my stick. Count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 - I calmly explained we DON'T PUT ANYTHING ON THE SPEAKERS Gee - even I'm not allowed to touch them and if I do I have to yell at myself

He got the point tranquility restored

All the best - Andrew

 

Heck Andrew, wouldn't your speakers look just great with a couple of Lava Lamps on 'em?

Oh well, just a thought.

 

Hmmm..... obviously a different definition of the word great than I was previously aware of

All the best - Andrew

 

I am sure the taste and style police will be around to make an arrest very shortlu

All the best - Andrew

 

Good one Andrew. On a serious note: We have just moved into a new place and I was actually thinking about getting a pair to put on my Khorns until I saw a news/consumer activist thing on TV just a couple of days ago. A guy had a Lava Lamp clone that actually exploded spewing hot wax all over. Fortunately no one was hurt but it did do a fair amount of physical damage. He was trying to claim from the company and store that it came from. I don't know if the original Lava Lamps are safer (Used to have 'em back in the 70's) but I am thinking twice about my plans to use them. IMHO it might be a good idea to keep them away from your sound stuff.

 

Agreed - they totally ruined the imaging and soundstage

All the best - Andrew

 

Andrew, Just curious, have you ever been over on this side of the pond?

 

Deep shame - afraid I haven't

I was pondering a trip to visit a friend in Boston later in the year though

All the best - Andrew

 

Let us know and maybe, if you can get up here, we can convene a special meeting of the Toronto Chapter of the SHF in your honour. (more about the TCSHF tomorrow)