[ohhgourami]

Not sure if there is a thread exactly like this yet, but we seem to be having fun with the "non-audiophile reactions" thread so why not have other about what our significant others/partners/mates think about our beloved hobby.
 
 
I will start off. My girlfriend doesn't mind me spending so much money on this.  She knew exactly what she was getting into when we started dating.  Initially, she didn't understand why my DAP looked retro and why I took care of my IEMs like if they were my children, but once I let her have a listen, she totally understood.  She even shows interest every time I decide to make a new purchase.  She likes trying out the different headphones I buy to see what different qualities they have.  She also knows how to use my gear and the proper procedures when using them.
 
 
So what does your partner think?

 

[Brooko]

Good topic.
 
My lovely wife of 18 years gives me the usual "you've only got one pair of ears" comment every so often - but I now give her the customary "well you've only got one pair of feet".  It's become a common joke between us.
 
She doesn't mind - and she's even admitted that the gear sounds quite good - although she doesn't have the same love of music that I have (and we definitely have very different music tastes).
 
But she's pretty good about it.  I gave up smoking 5 years ago, don't drink a lot, and really have no significant vices (apart from golf 

 ) - so she's happy that I'm happy - as long as I keep the spending under control.  So whenever I want to buy something - we discuss it together.  She's pretty cool about the whole thing really.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

My ex couldn't understand why I log into a forum, meet "strange" guys, and go to some guy's house with a bunch of gear and CDs, and really thought it was weird. Then I made the mistake of mentioning at some point that what I find weird is when chicks (she included) would randomly meet with some guy in a coffee shop, because I thought a Law&Order SVU episode is more likely with a guy slipping somehting into their coffee and they get sexually assaulted vs a Law&Order Criminal Intent episode where the first guy to get some new gear from a distributor unwittingly welcomes a jealous internet troll from an audiophile forum, whacks him on the head with a line conditioner, then made off with prototype gear.
 
 
Result? It was downhill from there and I swore to never again have to deal that closely with estrogen 

 

[Rebel975]

My GF tentatively approves. The only caveat is that I keep it 'reasonable.' IE, important things come before purchases. Rent, utilities, etc. etc. etc... then gear.

 

[Arleus]

You swore off women for the sake of audiophilia? You, Sir, are a greater man than I.
 
My girlfriend is generally okay with it (as long as I don't comment on the number of games consoles / handhelds she has... or Zelda merchandise), but I have to say, she didn't sound impressed when I started talking about getting another pair of headphones for the office...
 
Quote:

 I swore to never again have to deal that closely with estrogen 

 

 

[mastershake2393]

I do wish my girlfriend was more accepting...
 
Every time I mention buying a new can, or gushing over a new IEM, she gets really upset and says I could be using my money "more wisely." It ends up being, "it's my money, I can do what I want!" argument...
 
After buying my FX700 I refrain from mentioning anything regarding Head-Fi to her.
 
I find it funny that both of my parents think it's awesome that I'm into audiophilia 

 

[flyingbangus]

LOL I'd have to go buy an Edition 10 to have something to even compare to my gf's purse collection.
 
She's supportive 99% of the time. She even went with me to an audio store during our lunch break when I wanted to audition Beyerdynamics (LOL ended up auditioning a Grado SR325is and Denon D2000).
 
She's been with me for 6 years, and she believes this is just another hobby that'll come and go. She's seen me go from nutrition and exercise, to show-quality guppies, to planted aquariums, to mini-reef tanks (spent days on research, but didn't pull trigger), to cars, and now to head-fi. I'll probably get into go-karting next, LOL

 

[DaveBSC]

My girlfriend doesn't quite understand how one headphone is different from another. When I bought my Denon NC-800s for traveling she said "why don't you just take those big gold ones, you spent enough on them". Um, you mean my irreplaceable Stax Omega 2 Mk1 honey? No, those don't travel

 
She probably won't understand my LA2000s either after I have those made. Oh well.

 

[Max598]

My girlfriend along with anyone else who walks in my room think my little dot mk3 is a flux capacitor or something.  When I tell people what it is I get the same response, "why dont you just get beats?". 

 

[greenrolaids]

my partner could care less about my headphones / earphones.
 
Some times i put my iem's up to his ears to get him to possible appreciate what i am listening to, most often he just shakes them off and goes about his business.
 
But thats a dog for you..

 

[wallace]

After you have been married for 40 years you will find that when you put your latest phones on her head,she will say -OO They sound nice,but she never uses them,it would seem that females have other fish to fry.They are from the planet Venus after all.At least she has chosen to ignore all the little box's that arrive from China from time to time.One advantage of being a pensioner in UK,the winter fuel allowance payment does get you a decent pair of phones,everyone else round here spends it on Gin.

 

[zammykoo]

My gf is indifferent about my hobbies. She knows I am a mad DIYer so getting/building new audiophile equipment is just adding another hobby to the batch. I'm glad she doesn't 'restrict' me on buying materials, although I do know how to control my spendings so it's not much of an issue.
 
I also let her listen to my headphones the other day for the first time and she LOVED it. She actually wanted to keep it, lol. I offered to get her another different pair (so I can try as well) and she wanted to keep mine in the mean time until I get one for her.

 

[Coolsax]

My wife tolerates my Audiophillia.. i don't have a lot of vices at all and I'm currently liquidating on old hobby so I'm not using any cash flow funds on it currently.  she doesn't get it at all and while she understands that things probably sound different she just doesn't care... she likes music, but is indifferent when it comes to quality.  that said we do have a nice HT and I have my own little listening room in a spare bedroom for 2channel. and then my headphones for when i'm not upstairs..

 

[astroid]

Tried it with my wife once, she said it hurt too much........................oh audiophilia right..........

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

You swore off women for the sake of audiophilia? You, Sir, are a greater man than I.
 

 
Well, not totally...it's just that a committed relationship is way, way, way more expensive than most people think. I still have a lot of female friends (without benefits, mind you), but of course I know them well. And, well, instead of it being able to inform my strategy to snag one, it made me think all the effort's not worth what I get out of it.And it's not like it was only for my way of enjoying music. Another point of argument was hwo she didn't like me riding bikes, despite the fact that I'm more into CBRs than Choppers,* and those I've dated interpret that as selfish behaviour (what if you crash?!)* But, when they go out and get plastered, and I know men are sharks, I pick them up after work but I don't drink in there, I'm "cramping their style," as opposed to making sure that 1) they're not hitching a ride with someone drunk and 2) she won't wake up next to somebody she doesn't even know.** Or one wants to have a date to watch Sebastian Bach (hott guy from Skid Row, not the long-dead composer), but I'm a prick for watching Epica because she suspects I'm mentally wanking off to the vocalist. I'm not jealous that she likes a guy with golden locks, why can't I watch a lady headbanging with long red hair in Amsterdam?! Not like she's dancing half-naked on a window negotiating what I can get for 100 Euros, *******it (well, OK, she was singing and I wanted to spend $1,500++ to fly there, watch the show, then go home in a week.)
 
Plus, I've also seen posts that go, "FS: (insert [car] audio gear or fast toy here)....RFS: Need space in trunk for baby/Need funds for baby/Need to make way for a baby room/Wife doesn't like it/Wife hates the noise/" or worse, "Divorced, need to settle/pay alimony/she got the house, I'm now in a 1-room apartment..." So basically I decided, "**** I better quit while I'm ahead."

 
 
*They lump hauling a bike to the track on a trailer and riding at high speed BUT with full protective gear and tire walls all over in the same bin as riding a bike cross country wearing only a leather vest with spikes and chains sticking out of it, sunglasses and no helmet, and a shotgun in the back. But they like going to places in the country where they might encounter someone who's more like a real Hell's Angel, like guys drunk on home-brewed hard liquor who've never seen real women dressed up as on TV (if they even have TV.)
**Story from college: girls gets plastered, boyfriend's chauffeur picks her up. Next day she calls her guy and with a dreamy voice tells him how amazing he was the night before, but of course the guy was in another city doing field work for a term paper. Go figure.