Polite Rules for discussing Audio related things

I find that in a lot of high tech, high dollar hobbies like this the gear becomes the main attraction whether it be cars, cameras, guns, you name it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with that but it does seem to generate heated discussions. People self-identify with their gear. Telling someone you don't like their gear is like insulting them.

People seem to get less offended by taste in music. I couldn't care less if someone doesn't like the music I like.

And if it is all about the sound, really and truly about the sound then "I like the way my system sounds" or "switching to ceramic speaker spikes makes a world of difference to me" should end every argument.....even if the system is a Bose Wave radio or the ceramic speaker spikes are on Realistic speakers from a Radio Shack close-out.

@whart I guess to me gear is the means to listening to music and disagreements or differences of opinion are fine but actually becoming upset? Life is way too short for that! And that goes for music debates as well everyone is entitled to their opinions and debates should be all in good fun.

Be nice or be quiet!

@jond- I don’t disagree. I just find that gear talk is different than music and takes us down a different road. Sometimes, not always, the upset is due in part to the difficulties in communication. People talk past each other, they don’t read every line (and I’m as guilty of that sometimes as anybody). Trying to describe a sensory experience in words isn’t easy to begin with-- and then there’s the disconnect between the technology and the sonics-- lot’s of room for argument there and when it is disconnected entirely from music-pure engineering or technology discussions, it isn’t about the music even though that’s the end objective of all this stuff.
I think as long as it is intelligent, reasoned discourse, it’s fine. I know it’s hard to be ’wrong’-- I suffer from that to a degree, but I think as I’ve aged, I’m less concerned about appearing stupid--I know I am!. :)

Would be great if each responder to the post had only 1 (one) response to the post except for the OP!