Women and Home Theater: Audioholics 2008 State of The CE Union is For Everyone

[admin]

Typically, consumer electronics and home theater are perceived as a man’s domain, but with so much attention to aesthetics, ease of use and affordability in the industry, it's no surprise that now more than ever women are into it too. We're taking an interest in everything from the latest developments in surround sound technology to the footprint the high-tech speakers will leave in our living rooms.

Discuss "Women and Home Theater: Audioholics 2008 State of The CE Union is For Everyone" here. Read the article.

 

[cfrizz]

Terrific Article!

As a woman I have been into audio for most of my life. I got my first set up back in 1981 & have just grown since then.

I am a little different from most women in that I LIKE speakers that you can actually see. (No small little cubes hidden away for me!) This is NOT a one size fits all proposition!

But if you want to interest more women into the world of audio, you have to take a couple of other things into consideration not just the looks.

1. Stop being condescending towards us, some of us while not being able to discuss specs & other technical crap that we don't give a fig about, have done our research & pretty much have a good idea about what we want to achieve!

One stupid idiot at Tweeter lost a $2000.00 sale back in 1990 by laughing at me and said that I couldn't achieve what I wanted for that little bit of money. (He was wrong, & Spirit Sound got the the money & a life long customer that day!)

The other thing to think of is WEIGHT (not necessarily size for me).

I live alone & have no significant other to call upon, so I HAVE to be able to manage whatever gear I get. (Besides it's MY GEAR!)

So I have a weight limit of around 40lbs for whatever I get, be it amps or tower speakers.

Last week I attended PolkFest 2008 (held for P.A. forum members) that was held this year again at Polk Audio HQ in Baltimore, MD. I placed a bug in Matt Polk's ear by telling him that I would love a pair of LSI tower speakers, but at 65lbs each I can't physically manage them. Once he understood it was the weight & not the size, he IMMEDIATELY started thinking about it tossing out a couple of thoughts on the spot. It was a GREAT 2 DAYS THANKS POLK AUDIO!

So if you really want to start attracting more women to get into audio, you need to adjust how you think about talking to us & marketing to us.

Cathy

 

[Adam]

Excellent article! I admit that I like looking at the numbers and comparing specs, but in the end, I (and I'd bet most of us - men and women) am the same way - I just like to sit down and enjoy.

 

[Wayde Robson]

right on Adam

I think people get too caught up in specs anyway. There is something to be said for actually listening. Sadly you usually can't get a good idea of speaker's real sound quality in the store... so are you back to specs again?

sort of... I think you have to take your space into consideration first and then think about what speakers are going to fill it. then you have budget and ... this is a tricky one... the reputation of the manufacturer.

In the end men and women listen the same way. But I think men are tweakers where women want to get involved in the story right away.

 

[WINGNUT4772]

As a woman I have been into audio for most of my life. I got my first set up back in 1981 & have just grown since then.

I am a little different from most women in that I LIKE speakers that you can actually see. (No small little cubes hidden away for me!) This is NOT a one size fits all proposition!

But if you want to interest more women into the world of audio, you have to take a couple of other things into consideration not just the looks.

1. Stop being condescending towards us, some of us while not being able to discuss specs & other technical crap that we don't give a fig about, have done our research & pretty much have a good idea about what we want to achieve!

One stupid idiot at Tweeter lost a $2000.00 sale back in 1990 by laughing at me and said that I couldn't achieve what I wanted for that little bit of money. (He was wrong, & Spirit Sound got the the money & a life long customer that day!)

The other thing to think of is WEIGHT (not necessarily size for me).

I live alone & have no significant other to call upon, so I HAVE to be able to manage whatever gear I get. (Besides it's MY GEAR!)

So I have a weight limit of around 40lbs for whatever I get, be it amps or tower speakers.

Last week I attended PolkFest 2008 (held for P.A. forum members) that was held this year again at Polk Audio HQ in Baltimore, MD. I placed a bug in Matt Polk's ear by telling him that I would love a pair of LSI tower speakers, but at 65lbs each I can't physically manage them. Once he understood it was the weight & not the size, he IMMEDIATELY started thinking about it tossing out a couple of thoughts on the spot. It was a GREAT 2 DAYS THANKS POLK AUDIO!

So if you really want to start attracting more women to get into audio, you need to adjust how you think about talking to us & marketing to us.

Cathy

Amen! (Hi Cathy )
I have also been into audio in one form or another my entire life. I will say though that most women just are not. None of my friends are and they think I am nuts (they may be right).
I don't have the size limit restrictions. I'll move it all 'til my back goes out.

Women think differently. As far as marketing..all my women friends think Bose is the Shiznit..so what does that tell you?

 

[jamie2112]

Very nice response Cathy. I agree 110% with you. I just like to listen rather than go over specs. I use my ears not a spec sheet. I love the fact that women are as into audio as men and should be treated as equals PERIOD.

 

[cfrizz]

Hi Darla!!!

ROTFLMAO! You know I was thinking about you & your full set of LSI speakers & SVS subs while I was typing that bit above!

You're a better/stronger woman than I am girl! Plus I don't like pain!

I think a lot of it has to do with conditioning & training. My father was a musician and introduced ALL of us to music at a very early age. I think that kind of influence went a long way in my involvement in this hobby. If he had excluded me, I would probably be one of those brainwashed dingbats thinking that Bose was the best.

Amen! (Hi Cathy )
I have also been into audio in one form or another my entire life. I will say though that most women just are not. None of my friends are and they think I am nuts (they may be right).
I don't have the size limit restrictions. I'll move it all 'til my back goes out.

Women think differently. As far as marketing..all my women friends think Bose is the Shiznit..so what does that tell you?

 

[engtaz]

Darla, missed you at SOTU.

engtaz

 

[WINGNUT4772]

Darla, missed you at SOTU.

engtaz

State of the Union?

 

[3db]

As a woman I have been into audio for most of my life. I got my first set up back in 1981 & have just grown since then.

I am a little different from most women in that I LIKE speakers that you can actually see. (No small little cubes hidden away for me!) This is NOT a one size fits all proposition!

But if you want to interest more women into the world of audio, you have to take a couple of other things into consideration not just the looks.

1. Stop being condescending towards us, some of us while not being able to discuss specs & other technical crap that we don't give a fig about, have done our research & pretty much have a good idea about what we want to achieve!

One stupid idiot at Tweeter lost a $2000.00 sale back in 1990 by laughing at me and said that I couldn't achieve what I wanted for that little bit of money. (He was wrong, & Spirit Sound got the the money & a life long customer that day!)

The other thing to think of is WEIGHT (not necessarily size for me).

I live alone & have no significant other to call upon, so I HAVE to be able to manage whatever gear I get. (Besides it's MY GEAR!)

So I have a weight limit of around 40lbs for whatever I get, be it amps or tower speakers.

Last week I attended PolkFest 2008 (held for P.A. forum members) that was held this year again at Polk Audio HQ in Baltimore, MD. I placed a bug in Matt Polk's ear by telling him that I would love a pair of LSI tower speakers, but at 65lbs each I can't physically manage them. Once he understood it was the weight & not the size, he IMMEDIATELY started thinking about it tossing out a couple of thoughts on the spot. It was a GREAT 2 DAYS THANKS POLK AUDIO!

So if you really want to start attracting more women to get into audio, you need to adjust how you think about talking to us & marketing to us.

Cathy

Dam, Where were you like 22 years ago? I wish my wife would enjoy my enthusiam but she very much hates my hobby.

As far as the weight thing goes ( and I'm sure you want your independence) just hire a gorilla to move your stuff around. Unfortunately, weight is very hard to shed in speakers without losing the inertness of the cabinet there in.
In amplfiers you can go the Class D route (so called digital amps) which will shed the weight of both power supplies and heat sinks.

 

[engtaz]

Yes SOTU. This past Thursday and Friday in Orlando / Walt Disney Resorts Swan & Dolphin Hotels. A/V Manufacturers and Classes galore.

engtaz

 

[FirstReflection]

cfrizz mentioned mental conditioning and I couldn't agree more. In my own experience - as a man who's into home theater, always had a home theater setup dominating my living room ever since I've lived on my own and thus, introduced the home theater "lifestyle" to any women in my life - the reactions of different women have mostly seemed to be a matter of pre-conceived ideas.

For example, one woman I knew hadn't even seen my place yet. I just told her that I had a 100" projection screen in my living room and her eyes went all wide and she said, "GAWD! That's gonna have to go if you ever expect me to come over to your place!"

Needless to say - we were not soulmates

But other women's reactions have ranged anywhere from blank stares to true enthusiasm, so it's by no means a "woman" thing - it's an individual thing.

Mostly though, I do think it comes back to conditioning. Most people, men or women, once we get an idea in our heads that we either like or dislike something, that general attitude sticks and it takes quite a lot to change it. If you have a terrible experience with a dog as a small child, you grow up not liking dogs - it's pretty much that simple.

So some women grew up with music and movies as a really pleasurable part of their lives. Other people had a negative experience where their dad brought home some huge *** speakers and their mom and dad had a fight over it - now that person instantly has a bad reaction towards just seeing big speakers. It's all conditioning and perception.

 

[3db]

cfrizz mentioned mental conditioning and I couldn't agree more. In my own experience - as a man who's into home theater, always had a home theater setup dominating my living room ever since I've lived on my own and thus, introduced the home theater "lifestyle" to any women in my life - the reactions of different women have mostly seemed to be a matter of pre-conceived ideas.

For example, one woman I knew hadn't even seen my place yet. I just told her that I had a 100" projection screen in my living room and her eyes went all wide and she said, "GAWD! That's gonna have to go if you ever expect me to come over to your place!"

Needless to say - we were not soulmates

But other women's reactions have ranged anywhere from blank stares to true enthusiasm, so it's by no means a "woman" thing - it's an individual thing.

Mostly though, I do think it comes back to conditioning. Most people, men or women, once we get an idea in our heads that we either like or dislike something, that general attitude sticks and it takes quite a lot to change it. If you have a terrible experience with a dog as a small child, you grow up not liking dogs - it's pretty much that simple.

So some women grew up with music and movies as a really pleasurable part of their lives. Other people had a negative experience where their dad brought home some huge *** speakers and their mom and dad had a fight over it - now that person instantly has a bad reaction towards just seeing big speakers. It's all conditioning and perception.

Good points. I never thought of HT or any other hobbby as a man vs woman thing. To me its always been individual....There's a woman at my place of employment who is into HT and music and we have some really cool conversations where we bounce ideas off of one another.

 

[Alissa]

I am a little different from most women in that I LIKE speakers that you can actually see. (No small little cubes hidden away for me!) This is NOT a one size fits all proposition!

Good point! I actually like to see my speakers too, rather than have recessed ones. I think you're missing something visually if they aren't there balancing out the TV, it's much more impressive. But, i do still like them simple, sleek and to blend in as much as possible as if they're a set along with the TV. And of course, i like it when they sound great!

Thanks for all the comments here, really interesting stuff!

 

[3db]

Good point! I actually like to see my speakers too, rather than have recessed ones. I think you're missing something visually if they aren't there balancing out the TV, it's much more impressive. But, i do still like them simple, sleek and to blend in as much as possible as if they're a set along with the TV. And of course, i like it when they sound great!

Thanks for all the comments here, really interesting stuff!

Welcome aboard

 

[cutter]

size DOES matter!

As one of the few females on the forum, I am sad to say my desire for perfect sound far outweighs my knowledge of the same-- but I sure enjoy learning bit by bit (pardon the pun) on this forum! I will have to admit to being the antithesis of most women when it comes to speakers-- the bigger the better! They turn out to be the most talked about thing in my living room (no dedicated HT yet). And, all my friends DO make fun of me, but they sure do like watching movies at my house!
My current set-up:
RBH T-30SLE towers (165 lbs. each!)
RBH 6100-SE/R center
RBH 661-SE/R surrounds
RBH 66 SE/R rear surrounds
Parasound 5250 amp
RBH SA-400 sub amp x 2
Denon 3805 AVR
Denon 3910 DVD
SONOS
ReplayTV

Luckily for the neighbors I'm not home very much-- or else they'd probably lynch me for rattling their windows! Anyway, I'm glad to see more people embracing chics who like this stuff--

 

[cfrizz]

Very nice set up Cutter!!!!

And POWER makes a difference too! Love that amp you got!

 

[jamie2112]

Sweet setup you have the Cutter. Cfrizz your rig is pretty sick as well. It is very refreshing to have some women AH'rs on here. Very impressive setup

 

[cutter]

And POWER makes a difference too! Love that amp you got![/QUOTE]

Thanks! I really wanted the Parasound monoblocks for the fronts, but just couldn't justify the cost, for now. I just purchased a Denon 5308CI and am waiting on the OPPO bluray player. So much tinkering, so little time! That Sunfire amp you have makes me a bit jealous, to be honest!

 

[WINGNUT4772]

As one of the few females on the forum, I am sad to say my desire for perfect sound far outweighs my knowledge of the same-- but I sure enjoy learning bit by bit (pardon the pun) on this forum! I will have to admit to being the antithesis of most women when it comes to speakers-- the bigger the better! They turn out to be the most talked about thing in my living room (no dedicated HT yet). And, all my friends DO make fun of me, but they sure do like watching movies at my house!
My current set-up:
RBH T-30SLE towers (165 lbs. each!)
RBH 6100-SE/R center
RBH 661-SE/R surrounds
RBH 66 SE/R rear surrounds
Parasound 5250 amp
RBH SA-400 sub amp x 2
Denon 3805 AVR
Denon 3910 DVD
SONOS
ReplayTV

Luckily for the neighbors I'm not home very much-- or else they'd probably lynch me for rattling their windows! Anyway, I'm glad to see more people embracing chics who like this stuff--

It's so nice to see other women in this hobby. I have that 5250 amp as well. Nice set up Cutter.Bigger is better!