What's your golden rule or "10 Commandments" in this hobby?

[av_phile]

Here are my personal 10 commandments in this hobby:

1. Don't say anything about their sound system you wouldn't want them to say about yours.

2. If you have to criticze, say it to yourself. You might survive longer criticizing his wife than his sound system.

3. If in doubt, don't buy. Check the net. If still in doubt, trust your ears.

4. If you can't trust your ears, get another hobby.

5. Never compare; the other man's grass is always greener.

6. Never ask a salesman for his opinion, he's reliable only when asked How Much.

7. This hobby is supposed to be fun. If you can't have fun, time to upgrade.

8. If your wife can't stand your hobby, time to change (whichever I leave to you)

9. If they like what they hear, offer them your gears at cost, so you can upgrade.

10 Always buy in pairs. For every gear, a present for the wife.

Care to be more serious???

 

[Mudcat]

Have you had a life altering moment recently? This appears to be a rather drastic change from a lot of your older posts.

I agree with all, except for the stuff below, in which I agree with minor comment. For 1 and 2, being critical can be accomplished with tact. Maybe thats called politics or whatever.

For #4, I do not trust my ears, that is why I use measurements first, then trust my wife's ears. To many, being too trusting of their ears has lead them down the path of cable risers, magic stones, and special creams that have to be applied by twenty year old supermodels.


For #5, this is human nature. We cannot get away from it. We will always compare. Not matter where an when, from the group urinals at the ball park, to size of someones woofer. The trick is to not feel inadequate when you see something bigger or better. I think that is self confidence.

1. Don't say anything about their sound system you wouldn't want them to say about yours.

2. If you have to criticze, say it to yourself. You might survive longer criticizing his wife than his sound system.

4. If you can't trust your ears, get another hobby.

5. Never compare; the other man's grass is always greener.

 

[Tons of Fun]

If your equipment cost more than the media you play on it you have lost the plot.

That is about it. If you feel that ferrite rings and CD pens etc make your life better then bully for you- you aren't doing me any harm.

 

[Francious70]

1. Research
2. Research
3. Research
4. Research
5. Research
6. Listen
7. Listen
8. Listen
9. Listed
10. Listen

 

[miklorsmith]

1. enjoy the music
2. Analyze what could be improved
3. research and devise ways to achieve that improvement
4. select the least costly and most effective approach
5. don't worry much about jewelery factor

repeat

I'm a simpleton. I only have 5 rules. I totally agree about criticizing the friends' systems. If they ask, I'll give input and not before.

 

[zumbo]

1. Japan has the brains. (electronics)
2. Germany for mechanical engineering. (speakers)
3. U.S.A for butt whoopin power. (amps)
4. Great Britain for the music. (Led Zeppelin)
5. Canada for the whisky. (Crown Royal)
6. China for the glass to put the whisky in.
7. Fill glass with whisky.
8. Turn system on.
9. Insert Zeppelin.
10. Consume whisky.

 

[sjdgpt]

Wife rules

A short list of rules applicable to wives...

1. That isnt new, I have always had that (fill in the blank).

if using #1, keep a small jar of dust hidden in your sock drawer. Use the dust to cover all new equipment to make statement #1 even more believeable.

and if that doesnt work

2. The dog ate my (fill in the blank) so I needed a new one.

if using #2, insure that the droppings in the back yard reflect the sudden increase in wood fiber and/or plastic in the dog's diet.

 

[Leprkon]

1. Never act like it's the last (insert component here) you will ever buy.. it won't be...
2. Don't jump on a buy until you've checked your resources at Audioholics
sub to (2)- people who are passionate about their favorite products are generally long-winded but in the end are the most likely to be able to tell you what you want to know. just try to ask your question as directly as possible, leaving them as little wiggle room as possible.
3. Last year's model may be a great buy, but you'll want to upgrade it twice as soon
4. No Japanese company may use English speaking people to write instruction manuals.
5. Overrated and overpriced is no way to go through life (freely and blatantly misquoted from "Animal House")
6. Corrolary to (5) you can't listen to a brand name, no matter how cubey the speakers
7. Silver speaker wires are best used for killing werewolves that invade your home while you were watching "Lord of the Rings". Use 12 gage fine-strand copper for no more than about $ .60 USD per foot to actually hook the speakers up.
8. Don't just buy toys to have toys. Always balance buys of new toys with new DVD's and CD's. You'll use your toys more often.
9. Don't ask your wife why she needs so many shoes when she only has two feet... she will only ask why you need so many channels when you only have two eyes
10. The cat will find the center of the bed long before you do.

 

[gregz]

I had 10 good commandments, but I done broke them all.

 

[mtrycrafts]

6. China for the glass to put the whisky in.

Have you tried Irish crystal yet?

 

[Leprkon]

I had 10 good commandments, but I done broke them all.

you will undoubtably spend all eternity with a Bose Lifestyle cd player and a copy of Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits for your only CD....

 

[mtrycrafts]

For #4, I do not trust my ears, that is why I use measurements first, then trust my wife's ears. To many, being too trusting of their ears has lead them down the path of cable risers, magic stones, and special creams that have to be applied by twenty year old supermodels..

That is where I have the issue as well

 

[rgriffin25]

A short list of rules applicable to wives...

1. That isnt new, I have always had that (fill in the blank).

if using #1, keep a small jar of dust hidden in your sock drawer. Use the dust to cover all new equipment to make statement #1 even more believeable.

and if that doesnt work

2. The dog ate my (fill in the blank) so I needed a new one.

if using #2, insure that the droppings in the back yard reflect the sudden increase in wood fiber and/or plastic in the dog's diet.

I thought I was the only one who thought I should try to make something new look old. Simply Hilarious!

 

[sjdgpt]

5 more rules:

1. The deeper your sub shall go, so shall your dog's snoring to mimick the sub.

2. The smaller the dog, the greater the space the dog shall require in the middle of your bed/chair/sofa while you are watching your favorite movie.

3. Power cords and speaker wires are used in a dog's dental hygene as a flossing agent.

4. Cloth speaker grills are far superior to a scratching post for the cat.

5. Your collection of vinyl records will be destroyed by your 10 year old daughter's friends during the first slumber party held at your house.

 

[zumbo]

Nope. Spend too much on audio. I have to draw the line somewhere!

 

[furrycute]

My rule, always check my bank account balance before making any audio equipment purchases.

 

[Az B]

My rule, always check my bank account balance before making any audio equipment purchases.

That's a good one.

And always have a few hundred bucks in a slush fund that your wife doesn't know about, just in case a really good deal comes up.

And rather than try to make stuff look dusty and well planted, I simply tell my wife about any purchases. Of course, the price she hears about may be lots less than reality.

"Honey, can you believe it! This guy was selling these Martin Logans at a garage sale for $40!"

 

[Zarg]

A/V Whiskey

Have you tried Irish crystal yet?

Actually, I have a set of Murano crystal whiskey glasses I bought in Venice, back when my money went towards traveling rather than towards HT. I love them so much I never use them, lest they get chipped or broken or whatever. How sad is that?

 

[Steve1000]

This is such a cool thread, but I've had a hard time coming up with guiding principles.... so just my scatterbrained main things I keep in mind...

1. For sound quality my money is most efficiently spent on speakers. Even then, speakers have become so good, I hit my "good enough" for my own needs at a pretty low price point.

2. I avoid what I view as the audiophile cable/amp/source ripoff scene. My belief is that audible differences among well-made components and cables are zero or nearly zero.

3. I spend my money on convenience, fun, and gadget-value -- if it makes me enjoy my sytem and my music more it's golden.

4. Digital EQ is my friend!

5. I evaluate my success by whether I am having fun and whether I am increasing my music enjoyment.


I like these observations as well:

...being critical can be accomplished with tact. Maybe thats called politics or whatever.

...I do not trust my ears, that is why I use measurements first, then trust my wife's ears. To many, being too trusting of their ears has lead them down the path of cable risers, magic stones, and special creams that have to be applied by twenty year old supermodels.

...We will always compare. Not matter where an[d] when... the trick is to not feel inadequate when you see something bigger or better. I think that is self confidence.

 

[furrycute]

"Honey, can you believe it! This guy was selling these Martin Logans at a garage sale for $40!"

Forty bucks for a pair of Martin Logans?! I'll take 50 pairs!