High end Audio for ladies? Check this out

I think this is a good idea and certainly worth pursuing as a business opportunity. There are other businesses, such as fitness clubs, that cater only to women for gender based reasons. It is unquestionable that women have different views and approaches to things than men. It doesn't mean always mean that they are not interested in similar things, but their approach may differ. My wife is certainly very discerning when it comes to quality and appreciates the audio and video system that I put together. What she doesn't appreciate is the way that I do it, i.e. the research, the high-end audio stores, fussing over moving speakers an inch one way or the other, the ugliness of some of the equipment. Most of all, she doesn't appreciate the cost. From looking at Stereolady's website, it would seem to me that the target market is the very well heeled, professional since the majority of systems are very expensive. If I am wrong in this, I can only say that it is the image she is projecting. If I were starting such a business, I would very closely investigate the lower end of the high-end market, i.e. the women who wants quality but think that more than a few thousand is neither realistic nor justified given other household expenses. Or perhaps she has done this market research and decided that the more affluent person is her target. If so, then fair enough.

And since Stereolady is monitoring this thread to see what all of us chauvinists have to say, I would recommend that she look at the following thread from a couple of weeks ago.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1222388824

The person who started this thread appears to be exactly the type of person you might be looking for as a client.

Hey Ait- That's the view of a Dali Megaline from the front. Notice the ribbon array at the right of it's cabinet? The one on the right is a partial profile. The owner appears to be exercising a practice known as, "toe-in" in his placement. Here's a front view of a pair of Megalines to(hopefully) end the confusion: (http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1221106713.jpg)

Nothing like a battle of the sexes to polarize a group of people. So now are we going to see a website by women for women to show how to make the family car more easily blend with the garage decor? Oh waite, I know, how to accessorize your lawn mower so it looks cute while cutting the grass. Let the men have what few toys we still possess. PALEEZ!

The post from Mich4T is interesting if not too flattering for us males. Notice his link and relationship between the notion of ''very manly man'' and ''Big Krell monoblocs and Wilson Grand Slamms''. In one sentence, he cracked open the marketing code of these two companies (especially Wilson) who are trying to fool everyone that Dave Wilson's ear (and his will to reproduce - from memory no less (!)- the sounds of the world's great concert halls. What a joke! Yeah, sure. There are some of beleive this or else hi wouldn't spend all that money telling us with his hi-fi mags ads.

This points in the direction of the real core of this audio hobby for many (men) audiophiles. It's all about the gear, while music is just a front for respectability purposes. Of course the two are not mutually exclusive, once in a blue moon. Nothing wrong with being in it just for the gear, like some folks buy works of Art. I like 1" thick faceplates as much as the next guy. Fine by me. But let's call a cat a cat ok ?

And Ibog1: ''how to accessorize your lawn mower so it looks cute while cutting the grass.''

Come on guys, let's get smart here and not start a battle of wits unarmed. For once, we have a lady that is opening up to our crazy (and expensive) hobby with good intentions here - Isn't this great news? Why the defensive comments?

Stereolady: Yes over the years I have attended many shows, CES, CEDIA, HES, the Stereophile show when it was in NYC. I got treated with respect was when I attended as a Wall St Analyst covering the sector. When I attended on my own I got the "where's your husband?"

Soniqmike: people should take a page out of the Aquos/Sharp playbook. They targeted the function/design towards women because they knew recognized that women shop differently and were the primary decision-makers in large ticket purchasing.

General question: if someone is going listen to music while they do other things, then why do they need/want high end audio system. Recent studies have shown that it is not possible for the human brain to fully concentrate on multiple items but it switches constantly. Therefore, an iPod and a decent ss integrated and a pair of monitors should be enough. Perhaps this is why most women don't get the investment of cash and real estate to something that generates background music. In this case, B+O and Bose already have th