Do You Allow Anyone Else To Operate Your Rig?

Absolutely not, the small system perhaps but not the dedicated system. There is just to much money and effort put into it. The turntable would be the biggest concern since very few people even know what it is now days. No one has ever touched the controls on my system and never will.
Good thread.

Excluding turntable/cartridges, what's with all the comments about serious harm coming to your system from pushing the wrong button? I've seen quite a few systems in my time, but never one with a "danger Will Robinson" setting. Why would anyone design a system that would self-destruct with the push of a wrong button?

Just to make it clear -- I'm talking about turning knobs and pushing buttons, not pulling out cables or opening cases.

No one in my house knows how other than me!

Onhwy61,

Would you let someone borrow your Harley, or 'Vette that you weren't absolutely sure and totally convinced that they knew what they were doing in operating said vehicles? For many people they have a lot invested (and not just dollars and time) into their "audio rig", as it's says something about their "personal taste" and how they like to listen to their music. Indeed it's often a reflection on who they are, and how they see themselves.

Perhaps someone should turn lose their "peanut butter and jelly sandwish" eating 3 year old, and let them turn the knobs and push the buttons on your system, as I'm sure you would appreciate that. Just kidding. Truth be told, there are many adults who haven't progress much further than the 3 year old, in the regards to handling other people equipment. Myself, I would never touch anyone else's system without their expressed permission, as I would think it would be a extremely rude thing to do so. It's that "respect" thing.

Onhwy61....the systems were designed with instructions on how to handle them. Systems have no inherent design to self-destruct. In the wrong hands without proper training is where the problem lies. Things don't self-destruct....people destroy them. Gas stoves abound in this country....in the wrong hands, you can easily blow up your house if you don't know what you're doing. Automobiles are built safer than they've ever been...but people still run into trees and into each other....while sober. All of you have gotten into an unfamiliar car and couldn't find the switch for the lights, the emergency brake release, cruise control unless you took out the users manual to find out where stuff was. But, you got into the car witht the knowledge that you knew how to drive and found out that it was not exactly the same as your car and you had to familiarize yourself with the new doodads.

My system has nine monoblocs amps, a preamp, phono preamp, tuner, pre/pro, turntable, cd player, a servo control, 2 dvd players and six remotes. Some guy with a reciever at home walks up to my system and wants to be a smartass and thinks he knows what he's doing. I think not. No way he can know how to operate it any more than one of us knows what to do in an airiliner cockpit or with the equipment in a hospital room.....wer're out of our element in those situations and we keep our hands off.

Sorry, but I just don't let anyone touch my stuff. If an audiophile ever stops over, I'd be glad to hand over the reins.

Recently, I went over to a guys house that had a set of $40k speakers for sale at a big discount that I was considering purchasing. He had killer equipment all the way around. I knew better than to touch anything without his permission. Whe he handed me the remote for the preamp to turn up the volume on the system....I was very careful, almost reluctant. I just had a lot of respect for his equipment. I could see the time and money he'd spent assembling it and I didn't want to assume or presume anything. I know my way around an audio setup....but this was NOT MY SETUP and I was not about to go fiddling around.

Someone mentioned it's not rocket science...of course it's not. But it aint riding a tricyle either.

Don't touch my stuff.