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How do you convert the HT-challenged spouse? (1 Viewer)

Ron AZ

Agent
Joined
Mar 1, 2002
Messages
25
:angry: ...you can hold your breath, until she buys you one...
:b ...you can tell her how much you enjoy watching 'chick-flics'...
:D ...hide money until you have enough...then just buy it all..that way you are only screemed at once.
:frowning: ...put a 36" X 48" picture of your mother-in-law up over the fireplace before asking her if you can get a HT.
:star: ...tell her you only have 6 months to live and this is your last request.
;) ...tell her she can watch HGTV everyday on it.
:) ...win the lottery...then you just might get one...
Ron AZ
 

Dan Cabral

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jun 26, 2002
Messages
69
I kinda look at it this way...

If she's not into it, she's not into it. It may be that she just doesn't understand that this is what you enjoy doing with your time.
You might be able to make her understand and learn to enjoy it as well, but if that doesn't happen, I would just say "You have your things that you enjoy, and I have mine. This is something I enjoy spending my time doing, and if you think about it, there are a lot worse ways I could be spending my time and money. I would love if you would share this hobby with me, but I understand if it's not your thing."

Not everyone is going to be a fan of this hobby/addiction we all have, as it is with any hobby. While it would be great to have your wife be as enthusiastic as you are about it, that just may not happen, even if she does become more accepting of it.

For example, I would love it if my girlfriend were as enthusiastic about my computer gaming hobby, but it's just not something that she gets enjoyment out of. She really doesn't understand why I like going to LAN parties, but she understands that I do enjoy it. She doesn't want to participate, which I would love if she did, but she also understands that I could be spending my time in many worse ways, and computer gaming is a fairly innocuous way for me to spend my time compared with drinking, doing drugs, or cheating.
 

Lew Crippen

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 19, 2002
Messages
12,060
Can’t add too much to a lot of good ideas. Especially Anthony’s suggestion of “Compromise”. It pretty much (IMO) comes down to not getting too obsessive in your quest for perfection, while ensures that your wife’s territory is respected. For example:

1)If the living room is sacrosanct, use another locale even if its not optimal (the second bedroom suggestion).
2)Or use some of the speaker money on appearance (rosewood, for example). Ask your wife to pick from several sets of speakers (after all everyone has a list). If she picks the Divas, it won’t be all bad.
3)Or she may not like big speakers. Go for bookshelves (or even some good satellite speakers).
4)If (as one person has already suggested) it’s the surround speakers and cables she does not like, spend some time on figuring out how to hide the wires (under the floor, through the walls, under the carpet, etc) and place the surrounds.
5)Don’t get too hung up on optimizing the position of the subwoofer. Per one suggestion already, hide it behind the couch. At least you will have the subwoofer.
6)Or if she hates black, don’t get the VTF-2 or 3. Or if she hates round and tall, you don’t get the SVS.
7)Same with the TV or projection system. Go with what she will accept.

In the end HT is no different than buying a car or house. Or especially, decorating the house.

I gave up a long time ago and we have Laura Ashley in the bedroom. It’s all going to come back now, as we convert a bedroom to a library. This is going to be wood, leather and dark colors.

Good luck.
 

Tim Fennell

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 11, 2002
Messages
139
Compromise is usually the best policy. While I have had to do some extra work to get the HT into the den I at least have it where we hang out as opposed to a dedicated room.

Some of the compromises I've made

KEF 104 speakers - I liked others but the slim size made them less imposing than saw B&W 801s or KEF 107s which even if they cost the same would have been outlawed. I bought these 15 years ago and wanted to use them as front speakers.
No rack. I have audio gear in a set of bookshelves on one wall and video gear with the tv (32" Sony flatscreen) on another bookshelf. I should have bought stock in Monster Cable before I started the project. I have 18-20' runs of coax and optical. Not to mention speaker wire... I have done all the video switching through the tv since I can avoid 2 20' runs of SVideo cable doing this.

I have an Adcom ACE which turns all audio gear including 2 large Adcom amps on and off as well as protecting the equipment from surges and lightning. I had a 2 channel amp which drove the KEF 104s and added a 3 ch amp to drive the Center and rears. I had to go onto Ebay to find a 2535 which had a 200 wpc center and 60 wpc rears. I wanted the center to be about the same as the fronts. Because of this I have 2 amps to turn on and off.

I got a Lexicon DC-1 surround processor which I can adjust output levels to .5 dbs on all channels. This allows to fix up speaker placement. So far I've set it by ear. I also figured it was flexible enough that I wasn't painted into the corner for the forseeable future. I spent a few hours trying to figure out how to trigger the Adcom ACE from the DC-1 but several trips to Radio Shack got that working.

The rear channels are on their backs behind a couch which is about 1 foot from the wall. I got some KEF 1.5Qs which sound quite nice even though the placement seems a bit odd at first. You don't see them but you hear them. Works for me.

My next step is a Pronto to get rid of the "which remote turns the volume up?"... The answer is complicated when you have tv volume and processor volume. I agree with her that it gets messy if you don't try to make everything work together. I am trying to get this to work so that you turn on the system and go. No picking up 2-3 remotes to get things running. Also this means 1 place to adjust volume which I think will make most of this setup more palatable.

Interestingly,
My wife seems irked by Surround Sound. When we watched a rain scene in Gosford Park, she asked me if it was raining outside. I said no, that was the movie and she seemed annoyed. I thought it was impressive she thought the rain was real... She doesn't get why I spend so much time and effort putting this together, although I've been a stereo/hifi nut since she's known me (25 years).


Tim
 

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