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Do You Allow Anyone Else To Operate Your Rig?

No one touches my system...period.

At a dinner party about a year ago, I had a cd playing in the background. When the cd finished, I was busy in the kitchen and entertaining guests. After about 15 minutes of no music, a guest felt that he should start the music up again. I looked up and saw this guy pushing buttons and turning knobs trying to figure out how to get the system going. I must have given him a frosty stare that would have made Medusa proud. My 11 year-old son saw my expression and felt sorry for the guy and went over and told him, "sir, no one is allowed to touch my dad's stuff".

Do other family members play your rig? Do you allow guests to operate your system?

Sorry, but no one is allowed to touch my stuff and I don't apologize for it. I don't even allow anyone to dust it off. Once the housekeeper dusted off my turntable and bent the stylus, ruined it....$500 bucks gone just like that. I never said a word to her about it, I just told her not to ever dust of my equipment again.

In another incident someone tried to play an LP while I was not watching. He got the turntable going but couldn't figure out how to get sound from the system. When I went over to see what was going on, he had the volume turned all the way up to maximum but still had no sound...of course he had no idea what a phono preamp was and of course it was not turned on. Had he turned the source knob one turn to my tuner which was switched on, he probably would have done serious damage to my speakers and scared the heck out of all of my guests with a loud blast. I politely told him not to ever touch my stuff again.

I've never had a guest over that was an audiophile.
mitch4t
papajoe
43 posts
 
Mitch,

Your post raises a corrolary question. Would you ever touch another audiophile's system without first gaining permission to do so? I know I would not. The risks are too great. The person who did so at your party was rude and deserves a polite but stern reminder that his monkeying with your system could have caused it to self destruct potentially leading you into financial ruin, deep depression, etc.

I would allow other people to use my system after I have instructed them how to use it and they have demonstrated the ability to do so.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
in the nearly 30 years i've been married, my wife and my daughter have been subjected to music and movies, which they both love. they also have no clue why i covet equipment. they would both rather have a bose tabletop than anything they've ever seen or heard go through my 'cave'. ironically, they both understand completely my desire to collect music. as far as having a party and using a high end rig to fuel the music...i don't think so. education is important, but a party is not the place to show friends how we treat our stereo like its an alter. pack it away, and enjoy the party with a boombox ipod,or whatever.
mlawitm's avatar
mlawitm
67 posts
 
I am in the process of teaching my girlfriend only because she shows a real interest in stereo. And she knows how costly everything is and fully respects it.
kurt_tank
1,188 posts
 
I prefer to not have anyone touch my gear, especially anyone who does not have a stereo system themselves.

That being said, I do have a couple of friends whom I have turned into budding audiophiles, who have their own systems now. They have operated my system occasionally, usually with my permission, while I am out of the room, cooking, mixing drinks, etc. (Although the last time one of them did, he almost damaged my cartridge. As he was returning the arm to the rest, he pushed slightly down on the arm, and the stylus was dragged across the record. Needless to say, he got evil eye for that one, and he no longer is so quick to touch my system!)

My wife used to use the CD player on occasion, but as my system got more complex (i.e. monoblock amps, remote controls, etc.), she seems to have lost her desire to use it.

If I train someone to use the system, I am okay with them operating it, as long as they understand my policy is "You break it, you bought it!"
mechans
2,999 posts
 
I always invite inept adults or very young children to experiment with my systems.- Right! Only my wife who understands the system using an integrated and my audiophool friends play with my gear. I don't have to prohibit the naive, they are naturally bewildered by my systems, they fear audio gear.
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