[Uncle Erik]

Couple of strategies:

1. Buy used or go DIY. With used, you can point out that you can get your money out whenever you want. Compare that to a $200 pair of jeans that becomes worth $25 as soon as you wear them. Or how a $30k car turns into a $20k car after a couple years. If you build your own, only other DIY'ers know how much you spent. For the rest, show them a $1.50 pack of resistors and tell them the value is in the time you spent building it. No need to show them $150 transformers!

2. The glorious Grado SR-60. I give them to friends and family. A few hits of the Grado crack and they understand. They might not get into the hobby, but will have an entirely different view of headphones. Though this can lead to "borrowed" gear!

 

[catscratch]

Ours is a niche hobby. Some people spend this much on wine. They're not drunkards, they just appretiate good wine. But, try to explain the rationale behind that to someone that doesn't have the same passion.

I generally find that whenever parents pressure you for these kinds of reasons, the actual reason behind it is not that they think you're weird for spending that much on headphones - but that they're concerned that you're spending outside of your financial limits. Even when you are living with parents and don't have expenses and actually can afford to buy very good gear, it makes more long-term sense to save up the money or put it into something that will further your career, improve your life, etc. Which headphones don't really do, no matter how much enjoyment you get out of them.

Still, I don't know your situation, and I won't presume to judge.

I've stopped trying to get others into the hobby. People don't care. For me it's an amazing electrostat, for others it's a headphone that makes music, and for some reason it's 1000 times more expensive than a pair of earbuds that do the same. It's the same with a lot of other things as well. For me, a 335 is one of the best handling 4-door sedans that you can get your hands on with an amazing engine. For others, it's a pretentious status symbol and a collossal waste of money.

People will always judge, and I don't really care.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif I walk around dressed up like Optimus Prime. No one ***** with me.

You are cleary THE MAN!

 

[Rednamalas1]

I use a force field when I listen to music. Also, anyone who comments on my cans gets to spend next few days in kirosia's basement.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Almost everyone who comes into my place tends to be rather shocked. They simply don't understand. The first question typically is, "Are you a musician?" or "Do you make music?" When I get those kinds of questions from young, single, attractive women, my response is, "Yes, and I'm also a magician! But I only make music in the bedroom. Want to see?"

No, seriously - most members of Head-Fi wouldn't understand, so why would I expect someone from off the street to understand?

What I tend to do is to say, "What do you want to hear? Go ahead, sit down..." and then get some music playing as quickly as possible, usually at a fairly high volume. That way, all of their unanswered questions about, "What did all of this cost?" quickly die out.

In between songs, people will say, "You're not going to tell me, are you?" to which I'll say, "You've got to hear this track!" I don't even tell them, "Nope!" It's much more effective to show enthusiasm for the music so that their focus will shift to that as well. Then they can enjoy it for what it is, and let me worry about the things that are none of their business. It even worked with my mom!

The most fun, however, is when you host a listening party! I've been doing this quite a bit of late and am thinking about setting up a regular session on Tuesday nights. When they walk in the door, I tell them, "Talk now, it will be your only chance for a while! Once the music starts, think of it like being at the symphony, even if it's Dire Straits."

 

[Rednamalas1]

well my friends don't understand why I have a vinyl rig now - they usually go "you're getting too old to be DJing, kris" and I let them have a listen and they keep quiet.

 

[kjpmkjp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^ LOL. More seriously, the problem is that "non-audiophiles" are right, for the most part. None of us really need an amp. We don't need n-hundred dollar headphones. Even the converts among us will admit, I think, that the JVC Marshmallows or the KSC75s or the HD201s are fine. So, I don't think trying to justify our expenditure is a wise course of action. Instead, and others have said this, point out that others' expenditure is equally unjustifiable. How much for that handbag? You can make a decent messenger bag for $5. How much for that meal at a posh restaurant? You can cook your own for $10. And some bags get used less than our headphones. And meals are a one-off deal. Eat and poop. So there.

Very, very well said.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif well my friends don't understand why I have a vinyl rig now - they usually go "you're getting too old to be DJing, kris" and I let them have a listen and they keep quiet.

You've got it right! Share the experience. Let them listen and watch the smiles on their faces as they emerge. "Listen and keep quiet" - that's the key!

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif You've got it right! Share the experience. Let them listen and watch the smiles on their faces as they emerge. "Listen and keep quiet" - that's the key!

absolutely

after experiencing vinyl - digital has turned into potential office rig (I mean, my amp and source isn't great for AD2000, but still)
After I save up a bit and grab O2 mk1 + 717 combo (planned december-ish), I may need to match my dynamic setup - say...balanced B22 and L3000/HD650/PS1/AD2K/RS1?

I seriously need to get more LPs though - I only have handful -> few pink floyds, most of zepplin,some of ELO, Genesis, beatles, Cream, The who, The doors are all I have. I'll try to complete my 70's collection of LPs first, then the 80s, so forth - to build my LP heaven. I only have 40 something vinyls at the moment. I hope that builds up very quick!

 

[dallan]

So many comments about your parents not getting it. My teenage kids don't get it, especially the older one who just says she doesn't really care how the music sounds. The younger kinda seems to get it, maybe.

The wife thinks it's ridiculous until I put on my speaker system when she is home. That's when those questions stop. She apparently doesn't like jam rock or classic rock. She likes that sleepy time yoga music, which sounds good through the system too, just not my first choice.

As far as my friends go what works is just start carrying on about it for a bit and they give in.

 

[freckling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif I walk around dressed up like Optimus Prime. No one ***** with me.

I prefer this solution.

 

[necropimp]

i deal with non-audiophiles by letting them have a listen...




...then apologizing to their wallet

 

[Spareribs]

When I let my non audiophile friends listen to amp with a set of good headphones, they are floored. They tell me " Whoa that sounds incredible brotha!"

 

[krmathis]

I don't see the need to explain.
Either live with the fact that I enjoy headphones, or move on...

 

[Zanth]

One of my best friends once told me (and I think in all sincerity) that I was perhaps sinning to a great extent when I bought the RS-1's for $600 CAD back in 2001. At the time the dollar was about .60 to the USD. I had owned the SR-60's for 4 years at that point and I really enjoyed listening to music. I had been married for just over a year and heading into law school. We lived in a tiny apartment and my wife's schedule, as a starting teacher was early rising early to bed. Mine was pretty much always up doing something. We both agreed on the price and found a used pair from a great Head-fier. I still have those headphones and use them every day at school for 4-6 hours/day 5 days a week if not more. To my friend, the idea (at least at that time) spending what was obviously to him an obscene amount of money on a headphone was nonsensical and contrary to our Catholic upbringing. I think his idea of spending has shifted as he's now into home theater stuff and is slowly building a decent rig. Still, if I were to show him the GS-1000's or the PS-1's, or any of my sources etc...he's faint.

Other folks I just don't tell, same as Wayne does. I offer them a listen, ask them what they would like to hear (and I've got a sample of just about everything) and away we go! What I find funny is that in a city with an amazing public transit system (though a bit pricey compared to most cities) why one would require two vehicles? Many of my friends now have two. They scream convenience of absolute necessity. Forgetting that a half-decade ago they were busing everywhere as students and doing just fine. Now they are employed, have a couple kids and feel that their time is precious it is worth it to them to drop $20k + on something that is meant to break down in under 10 years.

My rig? It should last me a life-time with only the tubes and cartridge needing replacements at higher frequency levels. Anything else should hold out for decades. Who's wasting money?