Wmcmanus
President treasurer secretary and sole member of the Cayman Islands Head-Fi Club.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
- Posts
- 11,830
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- 27
When people ask me about the cost of my headphones, I usually start with a direct but silent ("I don't want to talk about it") type of stare into looking them right in their eyes. If that doesn't do the trick, then I just change the subject. Normally, I wander over to my CD collection and start tossing out names of bands or singers that I think they might like, essentially trying to get their mind on something else.
Then after they've tried out several headphones and begin to see what the hobby is all about, they usually try to ask the "cost" question for a different angle. Sometimes as they are taking a pair of headphones off of their head while I'm handing them another pair, they will say "Oops, I'd better be careful with these because I know they must be expensive" (or whatever).
At that point, I'll be forced to say something like, "You don't give up, do you?" Then if they still insist, it will be something like, "It doesn't matter but I just wondering in terms of a ballpark figure." Then I know for sure that they're being nosey (so they can tell everyone else), so I'll say, "To me, it's all about having fun, so I don't really worry about the cost. If I ever need the money, I can sell most of this stuff and not lose much. In fact, some of them are rare and out of production and have actually gone up in value!"
Then I shift their attention back to the headphones and ask them which ones they prefer and why, which then leads into discussions about what I like and dislike about each one of my toys and they really begin to see what a nut I am and why I love the hobby! I'll hit them with terms like soundstage, PRaT, and dynamic impact. Then I'll start talking about the leading edges and decay of notes and suddenly it will become clear that they really don't care about headphones but just wanted to know my business. I find this to be especially true with women.
At least that's the case with about 90% of the people who have wandered into my house (for whatever reason) and have suddenly found themselves being thrown into a headphone listening session. When I get the sense that people are just looking for something to talk about, I don't give them the satisfaction. If, instead, they start asking questions about what kind of headphones they can get for $300, then I'll gladly help them out and start asking them quesitons about what kinds of music they like, and explaining the importance of the source and amp, etc.
I realize that most people (for all sorts of good reasons) will never even come close to appreciating headphones as much as I do, so every time I encounter these types of questions, I hesitate before answering. It reminds me of the time when I was in high school and one of my freinds had an uncle who was into high end motorcycles. He had 3 or 4 of them plus a couple more that were being worked on in various states of repair. His entire garage was filled with all things motorcycle.
Within 5 minutes of walking into the place, I couldn't help myself, so I said something like, "My gosh, what does all of this cost!?!?" before I even realized that whatever the answer was, it wouldn't have really mattered to me anyway. The guy just looked up and smiled as he said, "Well, the first thing you're going to need to do is to get a job." So true. In other words, he worked for it, so he could spend his money any way he wanted to. Same with me and my headphones!
Then after they've tried out several headphones and begin to see what the hobby is all about, they usually try to ask the "cost" question for a different angle. Sometimes as they are taking a pair of headphones off of their head while I'm handing them another pair, they will say "Oops, I'd better be careful with these because I know they must be expensive" (or whatever).
At that point, I'll be forced to say something like, "You don't give up, do you?" Then if they still insist, it will be something like, "It doesn't matter but I just wondering in terms of a ballpark figure." Then I know for sure that they're being nosey (so they can tell everyone else), so I'll say, "To me, it's all about having fun, so I don't really worry about the cost. If I ever need the money, I can sell most of this stuff and not lose much. In fact, some of them are rare and out of production and have actually gone up in value!"
Then I shift their attention back to the headphones and ask them which ones they prefer and why, which then leads into discussions about what I like and dislike about each one of my toys and they really begin to see what a nut I am and why I love the hobby! I'll hit them with terms like soundstage, PRaT, and dynamic impact. Then I'll start talking about the leading edges and decay of notes and suddenly it will become clear that they really don't care about headphones but just wanted to know my business. I find this to be especially true with women.
At least that's the case with about 90% of the people who have wandered into my house (for whatever reason) and have suddenly found themselves being thrown into a headphone listening session. When I get the sense that people are just looking for something to talk about, I don't give them the satisfaction. If, instead, they start asking questions about what kind of headphones they can get for $300, then I'll gladly help them out and start asking them quesitons about what kinds of music they like, and explaining the importance of the source and amp, etc.
I realize that most people (for all sorts of good reasons) will never even come close to appreciating headphones as much as I do, so every time I encounter these types of questions, I hesitate before answering. It reminds me of the time when I was in high school and one of my freinds had an uncle who was into high end motorcycles. He had 3 or 4 of them plus a couple more that were being worked on in various states of repair. His entire garage was filled with all things motorcycle.
Within 5 minutes of walking into the place, I couldn't help myself, so I said something like, "My gosh, what does all of this cost!?!?" before I even realized that whatever the answer was, it wouldn't have really mattered to me anyway. The guy just looked up and smiled as he said, "Well, the first thing you're going to need to do is to get a job." So true. In other words, he worked for it, so he could spend his money any way he wanted to. Same with me and my headphones!
