I'm frustrated with people who don't ...


Sorry for a long post...
Recently I was at a 3-day meeting out of town for work. For an evening activity we had a cook out at a colleague's house. While there, we gathered around his deck and a small fire in the back yard. I found myself in a group of 6 guys discussing hobbies. I mentioned my love for audio and began to describe my system and music library. Almost instantly, I was "pounced" for believing that any "hi end" component is worth the money compared to anything else one can buy from Best Buy. "Digital is digital" one guy stated, "an $89 player is as good as anything else out there". I attempted to defend my position but in no way was I able to convince anyone. I told them the next time they're in town, I'd have them over to my place and let them hear the difference, but I know most will not acknowledge the quality of sound. Footnote: I've known these guys for 3-5 years and they are professional level headed guys, I wasn't bragging, I made no grand statements that my system is better than anything else, I just talked about my interest and brought it up when they asked me. The icing on the cake was their disbelief that my system can only play one CD at a time... "you don't have a carousel on your CDP?" Man, I was frustrated.
mijknarf
All of my friends are pretty supportive of my hobby. They ask my advice on anything AV related, and i do what i can.

My buddy Ben is thinking of upgrading his speakers. He has an older "3 models down" from flagsmip model of yamaha reciever, a technics cd player, and some bose 201's. He makes quips sometimes about how his system sucks compared to mine.
All i do is ask, "well, do you smile when you put in yer favorite tunes and crank it up?
He says "yeah"
I tell him he really doesent need anything else then.
Which is true as far as im concerned.

Its alla bout what you enjoy, and if your "deam system" is a bose accoustimass, then go for it. Nothing wrong with that. Some of us just feel like it should be better.

Its just a hobby, nobody else has to understand, and if anyone gives me crap about how much i might spend on something, i use the boat retort.
In colorado, you have some lakes you can go boating in, but only about 4 months of the year. It is suprising how many people here have boats.
I say my system doesent even cost as much as a good boat, and i can use it every single day regardless of weather. :)
They usually "get it" then
Slappy, You`re wise beyond your years! I know a fellow with a $12-14,000 bass boat that he takes out seven or eight times a year, that he`s paying interest on, insurance, license, various maintenance costs, depreciation, but his boat will be outdated in four or five years! He can`t believe what I paid for my (somewhat meager) stereo system, which I listen to every day, and plan on listening to 25 years from now, when I retire! (Krell build quality!)
Newbee, I apologize, I get defensive when people crap on Canon for no intelligent reason. For the record, my grandmother is 97 and my dad is 76, so I'm not too worried about heart attacks. But thanks for your concern.
Lugnut, I always go with the underdog. Nikon did establish itself before Canon. I was a yearbook photographer in Junior High when I bought my first Nikon FTN. Remember that one? For me, the Canon is like a MAC computer (which I will only use). I find them more intuitive and user friendly. As far as optics is concerned, I dare a comparison of the two. The bodies always end up being personal choice for features. As far as your comment regarding back in the day, pro’s used Nikon, true. I think Canon hadn’t yet come out with the F1. Maybe I’m wrong. My first Canon was the A1. An electronic nightmare, but I stuck with Canon, and I never looked back. It was sort of a nose thumbing at Nikon for me.
Leica optics puts both Canon and Nikon or Pentax and especially Tamron to shame. I know because I've been using Leica since 2004.