[Oddball]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman I must sound like a teenaged girl

That's harsh, dude, really harsh.

We certainly don't blame you for being slightly protective of your cans though.

 

[D-EJ915]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari the apathy towards family members in some American families is apalling

I let my sister and other people borrow my things, but in general...Americans are: Lazy and Careless Klutzes that will break your stuff, especially if they're under 13.

 

[pne]

well, did you pay for the cans or did your mother? If they're your cans then she has no right to talk to you that way. Does she understand that they're audiophile grade and cost quite a bit? Maybe she thought they were any ol headphones and reacted the way she did. I've lent out too much of my stuff to other people to see it being used in a totally inappropriate way. My friend borrowed an adjustable wrench from me, and I was speechless when I saw him using it as a hammer to bend a piece of metal!

anyways, explain to your mother if you already haven't exactly what the akg's are, and what you use them for. Explain to your brother to be careful with them and if he breaks it he pays for it. So many people don't understand the equipment we treasure, they don't think they need to take care of it and wouldn't expect it to be expensive. I almost had a heart attack when I played some vinyl for my friends, left the room to grab some snacks, and came back to see them "scratching" and "dj'ing" my turntable.

 

[Twigs]

My mom is very understanding about me lending my bro headphones because she knows that they are the only things i actually treat with care, but i also know that losing the friendship of your brother can be very costly especially because you are family. Thats y i lend any pair of heaphones he wants to use unless of course I am already useing them. I think you should lend him ur headphones, like what Wali said u can replace headphones but not ur brother.

 

[Onix]

I don't have any brothers, but I gladly let my kid use my headphones from time to time, at low volumes, or course. He asks me something along the lines of "dad, put music in my ears" (he's 3 y.o.) and I do as he asks. Of course, I stay around so he won't damage the headphones or turns the volume up. So far, he knows that if you hear a screeching guitar, then it's probably rock, if a lady sings really high, is opera, and if the beat is pretty cool and he's falling sleep, the it's probably jazz. The point I am trying to make, is: Share your headphones with your family members, just be around so they don't break them.

And by the way, I also think it's a great idea to give your brother his own set of cans.

 

[bg4533]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oski Fortunately I have IEMs, nobody wants to put them in their ears.

My father was not happy when I would not let my brother or him use my Etymotic ER6s. When I said it was mainly due to sanitary issues and clogged filters he seemed a bit insulted.

Other than that I don't really care. Things can be replaced.

 

[Jahn]

"sorry dad, your liquified earwax will clog my earphone filters."

now why would he be offended at that?

but seriously, i have to plead with my family members to try my cans, they just don't "get" it and do a bit of this when i tell them to listen to a particularly cool track -

 

[Feanor]

I sometimes have a problem with my brother using my hd-600, when his hair is gel'd up. Otherwise, np. Other family members are welcomed to try.

 

[EyeAmEye]

My younger brother is 24, and the "breaker of all-things". If he asks to borrow anything, he gets one of two responses: "keep it", or "get a job and buy one yourself, filthy bum". It all depends upon the value I place on the item itself. He has broken every piece of electronic equipment I've ever given him, so I no longer readily hand over anything for him to "sample". My older brother is exactly the opposite, and since we were small, I've always trusted him with anything. It all depends on the situation. Don't listen to the "he's your brother" arguments, some people have to learn that they can't have everything they want, this is life, not Burger King

Oh, and while buying him a pair of cans is a nice gesture, it can turn sometimes turn sour. Some accept the gift for it is, and are truly thankful for your generosity and love, others adopt the attitude of being owed. Try for yourself and see...

 

[MetalManCPA]

Haha - I find this thread funny. Why?

Because I am the most over protective, don't touch my stuff kind of person. I have no reason why I am this way. And I know family should come first. Family does come first, unless it means them using my expensive stuff.

I guess I need therapy.

 

[plainsong]

It's tough for me to relate because I'm an only child and now in a marriage where the dog is our child. I'm always trying to my husband to use my headphones, only for him to say "they sound like headphones."

But if I had the funds, I'd want to give a sibling their own pair of decent cans. I'd explain to my mother why I hesitated, and I'd state my opinion that she was out of line, unless there's actually something else that's eating her.

And it sounds like whatever you say to your brother is between him and you. I'd think he knows that he breaks them at his peril.

 

[Stephonovich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pne I almost had a heart attack when I played some vinyl for my friends, left the room to grab some snacks, and came back to see them "scratching" and "dj'ing" my turntable.

Sorry... but I'm laughing hysterically over this. Mainly because I can see my friends doing the exact same thing.

My brother uses my HD 280s all the time for gaming. I don't let him use them for drumming, because, as others have mentioned, it's extremely physical. Besides, he has some Sony CD-180s (which were mine at one point, and I donated to him and my dad for drumming) to use. They seal fairly well, sound terrible, but they're fine for what they do.

Really, my siblings and parents are pretty good with electronic equipment. Only problem I ever had was when my mom accidentally wiped my PDA by hitting the hard reset switch. She thought it was the power button.

 

[cellophane]

I insisted my sister try my Shure e3's when I had them, so she could see how well they isolated. But she still loved her old $10 Panasonic buds so much, so I got her some mx500's (I had to "burn them in" and try them; they do sound nice!

)
Since I had owned a Nitrus and sold my old Rio flash player to her, I got her a Rio Cali for her b-day. I thought the super-intuitive navigation system was a good start, but now a Carbon may be in her future as it's now only $150 and she is catching up to me with her music collection. I do like getting her stuff since she lets me open the package

- indeed the best part about any product!

Now I have a Micro, but she'll let me use her stuff anytime. I used to be paranoid about my things, until I dropped her CD player onto a sidewalk

.

 

[MartinJ]

Luckily for me no one really likes the ATH 900 in my family so I often lend them my PX200 or the Sony MDR-G94NC, gave my sys a new iPod 20 GB and so far she has not filled it up yet.

 

[Jasper994]

This one really depends upon the family in question. I have three half-sisters and a half-brother (same mother different father) and I would let them use my gear only if I'm there to oversee them using it. I would not let them use my gear if I'm not available to oversee them, this includes when my step-father is around or my mother for that matter. The issue is that my step-father has zero respect for other people's property. For example, he'll borrow things without asking and never bother to return them. While things are in his possession he has a tendancy to treat them poorly and while he will generally not damage the item himself, he will allow his children to do whatever they want and things often become damaged.

In other families where respect for the property of others is expected and enforced, there really shouldn't be too much of an issue. Keep in mind, however, even in those families, people usually have things that they hold very dear. It is generally accepted in these cases that while you don't mind them using other things of yours, those particular things are off limits. Your mother might have fine china that she doesn't allow you to use. She may have jewelry that her daughters are unable to get into. Your father may have a special set of golf clubs or a favorite knick knack that is off limits to everyone else. People are very protective of their passions and there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes your access to these things will change as you grow older and they assess that you are responsible enough to use them without damaging them and other times those things remain theirs and theirs alone. What I'm trying to get at is that it is good to share. Sharing is a very important part of what makes a family work. Sharing in the labor and toils and sharing in the wealth reaped because of those toils teaches teamwork and responsibility as well as unity. There is, however, nothing wrong with having a few things that are yours and yours alone. In fact, I think it is important that people have a few of those things.