Note to self - delete Hartman track from playlist before David comes over. |
Back in my single days I had a female with me while listening to Johnny Hartman.She said "wow,makes me want to have sex." |
|
. "You still listen to albums?" LOL!!! . |
"You still listen to albums?" |
My dad came to visit. I put on a CD with a well-centered stereo image and he thought the sound was comming from the vents on top of my amplifier! Talk about disappearing speakers. |
Sitting there, my uncle said "It's like I'm at the Club." |
When an audiophile friend came over to listen and I asked him a few days later how he liked my system. His reply :
"I was enjoying the music playback so much that I forgot to look out for the strengths and weaknesses"
Of course source was vinyl |
I'm not sure if this qualifies as a compliment but when I was muuuuch younger I created a monster system wrapping my maggie tympani's around my bed in the front and a pair of 1.4's in the back. Then I had people sit in the middle of the bed and put on Dark side of the moon or I Robot and you should have seen the looks on their faces when they emerged from behind the screens.......Either they met God or satan but one thing was certain it had a visceral effect!!! Funny Thing is I was using a yamaha cd player and a pioneer integrated amp!! Until I crispy crittered the amp months later! |
Thanks Phaelon........ something special indeed. |
Where are all the other speakers hidden |
Big Bose, big hose. Right? |
|
I work in an elementary school and one of the teachers is a singer in a rock group that performs on weekends. She knows I am into music in a big way and stopped by my house to give me a cd of the bands latest performance. She looked at my stereo and asked me how much money I had invested. When I told her I spent between 35-40 grand, she remarked that "I didn't know Bose made such expensive stuff"
I had her sit in my listening chair and put on the cd she brought over. Within minutes, she was crying and said she never realized how good her voice really sounded. |
few very nice compliments that really made me feel very proud.
One guy kept looking around the room and asked where all the speakers war. I told him that we were listening to the 2 Dali Helicons in front of us. He kept looking around and said it sounds like you have sound coming from speakers all over the place.
Another nice comment was made by a very nice couple who were members of of Chicago musical band.... If i remember correctly, it was either a jazz or blues band. They had come to buy a pair of B&W speakers from me. They loved listening to the B&W before paying and discussed their taste in music and so forth. Before they left, I asked if they wanted to listen to my main system so we went down to my audio room. I put on ITunes so they could choose what they wanted to hear. I think they listened for about an hour. They thanked and said they had never heard music as good as this and that is was a true experience for them both. I took that as a huge complement coming from professional musicians.. |
"can I hear just one more song ?"
Adam18, ThatÂ’s the greatest compliment, and the one I think most of us want to hear. You must have achieved something special. |
Many compliments on my system over the years, with a very common one being friends who want to "just listen for a few minutes," but wind up staying for hours and saying "can I hear just one more song ?" But probably the most meaningful compliment has always been from my Dad (who is now enjoying the world's greatest music from his own listening seat up in heaven) who would sit in front of my system and listen to the incredible live version of Brubeck's "Take Five" with his eyes closed, his toes tapping, and a big sloppy grin on his face. |
I hope your friend asked for some suggestions. Ouch! |
An anecdote:
My friend is a lifelong audiophile who has committed a great deal of time, effort and money (close to six figures) in building his system. IÂ’ve never met anyone more proud of an effort. And so it was that he was beyond thrilled when he called to tell me that a professional reviewer was to be his guest that evening. I called him at work the next day to ask how it went. He was absolutely crushed. Apparently, after only about 5 minutes of listening, and without comment, the reviewer asked, very matter of factly, if they could just watch TV. |
. "That sounds alright. Is it a Samsung?". I said "yes", and he seemed quite satisfied. On his way out he told me he still thinks that Sony sounds better. . Hilarious! . |
I had an audiophile friend give my rig a listen and he said, "I've never heard a rig sound so coherent." |
Fun thread!
My Prima Luna usually gets a lot of comments because of the way it looks and the Joseph Audio have been getting a lot of "wow, great sound coming from those bookshelf speakers!"
|
@Mike60
Absolutely real Life :-) |
great thread... for me, this is a 3 way tie.. even though I have never owned a truly elite system, there are still some great memories..
1) many years ago I was playing a classical piano recording using my B&W DM7's with some very nice cartridge and my friend Joe thought my brother was playing piano in the next room.
2) my 33 year old son now considers 70's vintage Genesis, Yes, ELP. etc.. his music.
3) My current girlfriend, who is Chinese (I live in Dongguan..she calls the stereo room my "song room") said to me something to the effect "nie booyanda" (translates like "you are different") while she was watching me using nylon wire-ties to fix a panel of acoustic foam while mounting it to a frame from one of those temporary clothing closets/storage racks to use as a rear diffusion panel behind the speakers.. |
Many people make no comment which I interpret as them wondering how much money I wasted on this junk. One friend looked at the speakers and gasped and said "They are huge!". Then she proceeded to draw parallels with the connection between large cars and parts of the anatomy, and took great delight in estimating that I would probably rank last place in the city.
Usual comment I get is how "clear" it sounds, and questions about the location of the rear speakers.
The best comment came from a friend who brought his jazz CD over. We put it on and he went unusually quiet for a few minutes and then said "wow, this really brings the music to life". Another was hunting around for the right word to describe the sound and then said "magical".
By contrast, my father's elderly friend took a glance at my high end set up which includes mono blocks, pre-amp, exotic cables etc...and said: "That sounds alright. Is it a Samsung?". I said "yes", and he seemed quite satisfied. On his way out he told me he still thinks that Sony sounds better. |
My fiance & I attended a Keb'Mo' concert and she turned to me and said "wow he sounds as good as he does at home!" |
No compliments. I'm a solitary man... |
Best so far is... "Are those regular cd's or speacial order cd's"?
Second best... "Now I see why people spend crazy money on stereo equipment. I didn't know that there was a three dimensional soundstage to stereo". |
Atmasphere, I heard your amps in the Classic Audio Room at Capital Audifest and will now try to do you one better:
It was very lifelike and just about as good as it gets! |
Best complement I got was someone asking "Is that someone in the other room? You didn't tell us this would be a jam session!" |
Most of the comments on my system have come during dinner, when the music was playing in the background in the den just off the dining room. Usually it is someone asking what is the cd that was playing. When I tell them it is vinyl, they are always surprised. then they realize why I kept getting up every 20 minutes or so.
Other comments from the dinner table are "that sounds real" or "that sounds live" or "where is that music coming from" or "my cd doesnt sound like that".
I think the relaxation of the dinner table allows a new person to let the music into their subconscious differently than if you just plop them in front of the speakers and tell them to listen. In the latter case, they dont know what they are listening for, and it is an imposition. In the former, it sort of sneaks up on them, as they recognize the quality of what they are hearing. |
|
I played a live recording for the performer/musician (Vo Fletcher/Ric Sanders Group Live in Lincoln Cathedral) and he remarked that if he closed his eyes the sound took him back to the actual recording event. He said that he could feel the sense of space as projected through the image. |
I think the "golden age" of audio is now. |
The Golden Age of high-end is long gone. Back in the 70's, the few shops known for high-end gear were the local hang outs for the likes of us aspiring audiophiles to learn about and discover the latest new gear, listen to music and revel in the hobby. That's where it all happened then. Those were the good old days. |
I had several comment like some of the guys here.
Are you still playing records?
Oh you can be a DJ...really upsetting one.
Oh i have Bose, i said wow!!!!
Oh your system has 2 speakers mine has 6, i said nice...
Oh you must spend all your money on best buy....i almust faint!
It was a pair of AZ crescendos with ayon triton.
I agree is a lonely hobby but you learn how to live with that
rather than listening to neg, ignorant remarks or people wanting to talk while listening to your favor piece.
Note:
All is not negat here
i have three friends that turned into high end audio after listening my ring all end up buying set up when i had decided to upgrade.
Ages 73,67,65 they are happy and never look back to average gear again.
Funny my friend Dave just moved to Chalston from The jersey shores the only thing he carry on his A8 was the plinius 9100 and nola boxer with the cayin 17A cdp, i was really impressed when he called me.
Regards to you all. |
A priest from a local church stopped by one day and we were listening to music. I was playing one of David Manley's ViTaL CDs. The music was building and ended with a huge dynamic peak which made the priest yell Jesus! Then with a twinkle in his eye he asked if he could borrow the CD.
I especially like the comments from nonaudiophiles. They are always amazed by the sound. |
Try telling anyone not invested in this stuff how happy you are with your new power supply. The tube amp does elicit some surprise since you can see the tubes, and I just tell people, "don't be frightened". Unless you are hanging with another audiophile it's interesting how hard it is to listen to anything with another person...especially when "entertaining". I always have some background music on (instrumental jazz usually...my preferred background stuff), but you look like a jerk if you say..."hey...listen to how GREAT this new LP/CD/Streamed whatever sounds like" and then you MAYBE have 8 seconds before attention goes back to conversation...as it should actually. It is a solo hobby...a shame really...I remember an entire room of us listening to maybe a new Yes album or something through my fabulous KLH Model 20 (anybody have one of those? The non FM tuner one) in the 70s. I guess we didn't drink as much or something. |
Whenever someone comes over for a quick listen and then ends up staying for several hours...and the conversation is about the music, instead of the gear. It's also cool when I've gotten some of my best gear and my wife keeps asking, "Who's that?" or "Did you do something new? It really sounds great tonight." |
I have a friend who lives in Bali and visits Sydney every year.
After lunch....we inevitably sit down to listen to vinyl, whereupon Pavarotti singing Nessum Dorma on Decca brings tears and uncontrollable sobbing from this wizened old hardnose.
But often a delivery man will look incredulously on his way out and remark....."Do you still play records?!" |
There was that one chick who said:
"Oh my, look at those giant speakers....I want you now!"
That was a pretty good one. |
About 20 years ago, my daughter then 13 years old, suddenly arrived at recognition walking by while I was tweaking my tone arm while listening. She stopped in her tracks and just gazed in astonishment. Before that she could never understand what it was that made me have to pay so much attention to my gear. She thought it was just a macho man thing. That's when I knew I "had it goin on, man" |
Years ago, using a far different system than I do now (a pair of old Quad ESLs, driven by ARC electronics and of course a vinyl source, cheating a little by using a small set of rear speakers on a delay line), my dear, late audio friend Chuck Lamonica commented: "You can kiss every note." |
Most people see the tubes and say, "cool, look at those relics!", as they lean over to touch them. Discouraged quickly by my growl and Sicilian "evil eye". Nearly all are uninterested in listening to my system. And the handful I can get to sit still for a few minutes can't seem to still their mouths long enough to hear to what they are listening. But a few extremely rare comments have been made.
Best compliment? It is a tie.
Upon first listen to my first ever highish end system, playing Pavarotti, my wife and I just stared at each other, dumbfounded, mouthing, "Oh My God!"
Friend/Coworker who sings, records, and conducts a large choir in the Atlanta area stopped by to give a listen. We played material he recorded and said (not exactly, but to my best recollection), "That's it! Exactly how it was recorded! I've never heard it played back on any system which did not compress the complex vocal passages, until now." |
A man of my own heart!
Best regards,
Peter |
A neighbor stopped by to borrow something. I'd been listening to Jeff Buckley's "Grace," and as I went off to get what she was looking for, she sat down in my listening chair. When I returned, she asked, "Where is the sound coming from?"
When I told her it was coming from the two speakers -- a pair of Celestion SL-600s -- she said that they didn't seem to be making any noise at all. Instead, everything seemed somehow to be coming from the wall behind the speakers.
This girl, a college kid at the time, actually got up and walked around a bit to check things out.
"Pretty cool," she announced after a moment. "And the music is really good, too." |
Almost no one really cares about listening to my system. A have a few audio buddies over from time to time, but besides that, it is pretty much a solitary pursuit. But that's OK.
However, just the other day I had a reviewer friend up from NYC come by to hear my new front end. He goes to 40-50 live shows a year and does a lot of listening. After about an hour of hearing my LPs he said something like, "All I want to do is listen to more music. I don't hear the system at all. It's very natural sounding and you know it as soon as you hear it." A man of few words, that's about all he said during the whole session.
An older woman heard me play "Silent Night" on the Proprius Cantata Domino LP and it immediately took her back to her childhood in East Germany. She sat there quietly weeping until the song was over. She was utterly transported. That was quite a moving and memorable experience.
Well, I'm going back to do some more listening by myself. |
I had a friend come and listen to my Horn system. It is an Oris 150 with Lowther PM4A with AER cones a KCS basshorn system and DIY subs down to 20 Hz. A couple of weekends after being at my home he attended the Capital Audio Fest in Rockville, Md. He sent me an email telling me he listened to every system at the CAF and he told me that none of the systems there sounded as good as my Oris horn combo. That really made my day. |
Best compliment was from my UPS delivery guy.
Once while waiting for me to sign for a box he saw my speakers, paused and then said,
"Wow, those speakers are huge, I'll bet they sound as good as Bose"
I didn't turn them on, wouldn't want a disappointed listener :-). |
Have had more people comment on the size of my cd collection which isn't really all that big. My system is very modest and sits in a spare bedroom so it doesn't see a lot of visitors.
One painful memory I recall is when my wife was showing a few of her friends around the house and she got to my "stereo room." They were actually giggling at the size of my speakers, a pair of Eminent Technology LFT-8As at the time. I felt like I was standing there naked. My wife remembers it differently. They were laughing at something entirely different and weren't even considering my speakers but I know the truth. |
