HT Wife of the Year (nominations, PLEASE) (1 Viewer)

[John Gates]

PhilS, in this thread http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/...ML/042364.html
nominates his wife, for DARN GOOD REASON, for HT Wife of the Year. Thought it would be cool to open up a thread so we who are lucky enough to have supportive wives can brag about them.
I hereby nominate MY wife for the coveted HT Wife of the Year award. I offer the following as evidence for my claim:
1) She *suggested* that she should move our homeschool stuff out of our 16 x 27 " bonus room so I could create "man-space" or a home theater.
2) She no only allowed me to buy 2 SVS 20-39's, but she will KILL me if I sell one of them.
3) She spent 40+ hours painting and decorating the HT room with me, and she was excited about it the whole while.
4) She allows me to research, test, and make most of the decisions around the gear in the room. Then she trusts me to do the right and responsible thing with our family finances.
5) She is (also, like PhilS' wife) making curtains for the room.
6) She approved spending about $200 to build a 12 inch riser to elevate the rear seating.
7) She has authorized the spending of around $3000 for a large screen HDTV (or front projector, etc, if one can be found in the price range) when my next bonus is paid.
8) She is encouraging me to SPEND MORE MONEY on nOrh gear so she can have some speakers for the house.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Who else has an AWESOME spouse?
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[Terry Flink]

I should nominate my first wife who has never said anything about my "investment". Or maybe I should nomitate my second wife who didn't take any HT gear in the divorce. Hmmmmm?

 

[Chip E]

I'd like to nominate myself for never getting married and spending all MY money the way I see fit! I look at some of my friends relationships with their wives and say "I'm so fucking glad i'm single" I really do.. Hahaha.. Just hadda throw that in, sorry proceed with the thread, by all means..
- Chip
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[Doug_B]

My better half has earned top honors in my house thus far in support of HT. She was the one who suggested making the what-was-to-be formal living room into a media room instead, after I had bought her a DVD player for Christmas. She has given me the proxy to do all the legwork to decorate the room (I make sure she likes stuff before making final decisions), and she'll stand behind whatever gear decisions I make, at whatever budget I choose to allocate. At this point, I'm finishing up the room and am about 2 months from major audio purchases. Thus, she has more opportunities to earn points for HT WOTY

Doug
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"Today is a good day to die." ...Old Lodge Skins

 

[Greg S]

Good thread John!!
The only reason I can think of to nominate my wife is that she doesn't give a rats ass what I do or how much I spend so long as she can still watch TV/DVD whenever she wants. Works for me!!
Greg

 

[mctague]

Wife-to-be went out and bought a Pioneer Elite big-screen after I bought the ring.
Suggested I go with whichever sounds better when offering an ACI Titan II as a more decorator friendly alternative to an SVS. (My CS-U arrives this friday).
Suggested I go ahead and get the 6' long fish tank for the living room when I was only suggesting a 4'.
I think I'll keep her!

 

[PhilS]

Maybe we should allow our wives to read this thread. Perhaps they will feel the need to outdo one another by allowing us to buy even expensive HT equipment more frequently. (I'm just kidding, honey.)

 

[Parker Clack]

I personally have THE HT wife of the year. My wife not only encourages my HT purchases but also allows me to sit in front of this computer night and day to run this place.
Now if that isn't THE BEST then I don't know what is.
Parker

 

[Kevin Coleman]

I have to nominate my Wife this year becuase besides my center speaker and my speaker wire everything in the whole theater has been upgraded this year. I am on my fourth DVD player this year and it is only the 8th month. All of this while we were also making room for a new baby. She even let me take three weeks off work when the baby was born. I fully expected to be out on the street by now. In all reality I probably should be. But don't tell her. I do find it works better to beg like a little baby for an upgrade rather than go behind her back.

Kevin C.

 

[Andy W]

I nominate my wife. This topic has hit the passion of my life, so please forgive me for this post being so long.
We’ve been happily married for 10 years. Aside from my wife being my all time best friend and lover for life, my reasons for nominating her are as follows:
(Everything you are about to read is true; I am not making this up.) (Please also note I am not mentioning her name as I wish to jealously protect our privacy; the Internet can be a funny place).
When we first met, I introduced her to high end audio (vacuum tube electronics and full range ribbon speakers), and what was then pre-pro-logic standard Dolby surround home theater with laserdiscs. She did not know this industry or equipment existed, but she appreciated it and took to it immediately. She wanted only original aspect ratio laserdiscs as soon as she learned what they were about.
She loves music and movies.
She and I always shop together for audio/video hardware. Everything I recommend, she supports, and visa versa. We always agree on what we can afford and what we cannot.
When I was between jobs in 1998 (unemployed), she suggested we upgrade our home theater and purchase a Yamaha DSP-A1 controller amplifier, a Toshiba SD-3107 DVD player and Paradigm Reference Studio 20 speakers for surround duties, which we did.
When I suggested that we should add a subwoofer to our system, she said "Fine, let’s get the biggest, baddest, one we can find." We shopped together as usual, and bought a Velodyne F1800RII.
She wanted to get another DVD player so we could hear DTS soundtracks, which we did. She prefers DTS soundtracks over Dolby Digital most of the time.
She wanted to upgrade our Pioneer 50" RPTV with a Sony 61" XBR RPTV, which we did.
She wanted our RPTV to be ISF calibrated, which we did.
She wanted to ditch cable for a DSS satellite system with two receivers, which we did.
She wanted to get another laserdisc player (the Pioneer CLD-704) when we already had two (a Pioneer Elite LD-S1 and an old Pioneer LD-700), so we could have a player that automatically changes sides and passes a Dolby Digital signal, which we did.
She bought more laserdiscs than I did during the pre-DVD era. Most of them were presents for me.
She is always buying me presents (some for special occasions, some for no occasion) such as (recent purchases), Sennheiser HD-600 headphones, and a Musical Fidelity X-Cans headphone amplifier with the X-PSU power supply, a portable CD player and Grado headphones.
She is always buying me tweak presents, such as, a VPI brick to place on our 2 channel high current tube hybrid amplifier, vacuum tube dampers to reduce microphonics, interconnect cables, contact cleaners, Video Essentials DVD, Avia DVD, test CDs from Chesky, Mobile Fidelity, and XLO, an XLO test LP, etc.
She regularly buys me audio/home theater magazines that, for whatever reason, I have not ordered a subscription.
She is always buying me CDs, LPs, and DVDs as presents for no special occasion. She also buys for me audiophile CDs and LPs, such as XRCDs, and Acoustic Sounds LPs. She regularly speaks with Chad Kassem, owner of Acoustic Sounds, to get his recommendations and to make purchases from him.
She likes LPs. In fact, she thinks LPs sound quite superior to CDs, saying that CDs sound hot and strident to her, while LPs are non-fatiguing to listen to at loud volumes or for extended listening sessions. As we speak, she is encouraging me to upgrade our phono cartridge.
All I have to do is show just a slight interest in a new DVD title, and she brings it home the next day. Sometimes when we both express interest in the same title, we will both bring home a copy of the same title as a present for the other, which just happened again a couple of days ago.
She enjoys watching movies for "boys" as much as she enjoys watching movies for "girls" (we categorize movies as being for boys or girls, and sometimes for both boys and girls). One night, we will watch Das Boot together, and the next night, we’ll watch Sense and Sensibility.
She buys fancy Sorice storage cabinets to store our A/V software.
When we travel together, we take some time to peruse the local A/V salons and used LP shops.
She buys season tickets to the symphony for us to attend together.
She helps me take apart the RPTV for cleaning (Sony RPTVs are notorious to dismantle).
She helped me to permanently remove the protective acrylic screen on the RPTV to eliminate glare (again, another difficult task because it’s a Sony).
We own Apogee Diva full range ribbon loudspeakers (very large, very heavy, quite ugly, expensive, and scores poorly on the generic wife acceptance factor scale, but they sound spectacular). She helped me replace the screens that cover and protect the ribbons (like a grillcloth). These speakers are fragile and very hard to handle as they are heavy panels that offer little room to grab them. The speakers have to be taken apart to replace the screen covers. She was a trooper in this project.
She has suggested that we try to buy a used pair of Apogee Divas (they are no longer manufactured) to be used as surround speakers. But we both decided that we just didn’t have the room for them.
She supports and helps me move speakers an inch this way and that to maximize imaging, soundstage depth and overall integrated performance.
She does not at all mind my never ending tweaking, experimenting and maintaining our gear.
Almost every Friday evening, we either go to the symphony, or stay home to enjoy each other’s company. We will enjoy a bottle of wine, listen to music, and talk about whatever. We watch movies together on our home theater a few times a week. When we can, we will declare to have a "lost weekend." This is especially fun when the weather is inclement. A lost weekend is when we stay home, watch movies, and do other things.

I could probably overload HTF’s server with more examples, but I’ve probably bored you all enough (those of you who have read this far, thank you).
All this may sound like I am a mooch, as I have not told what I do for her. But this post is not about me; its about my favorite person in the whole world, my wife. We have no secrets between each other. God blessed me when He put her in my life. I am the luckiest man alive - not just because she supports my audio/home theater hobby, but because of who she is and that she loves me so much. And I love her very much.
Andy

 

[Saurav]

That's a great post. What turntable/arm/cartridge are you using, if you don't mind my asking? I came to America about 2 years ago with not much more than a suitcase of clothes, so my equipment is of course much more modest than yours. My wife fully supports my hobby/insanity, and also prefers vinyl to CDs. I'm not nominating her for anything, but this thread has been a pretty enjoyable read.

 

[Timon Russo]

Getting married Saturday. But its already looking good for my fiance as HT wife 2002. She helped me remove and clean the screen on our Mits WS65807 last night, and authorized the purchase of (finally) Toy Story 1+2. Now I've got proper demo disks for all the guests that will soon be arriving!!!

 

[John Gates]

Wow, Andy! Great post! I feel the same about my wife, and God has indeed blessed me also with a wonderful companion. It sounds like your wife knows how much you appreciate her.
John
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[James Mudler]

I have to chime in here. I have to nominate my wife. She came home from work with a Ampro 9" CRT projector. Her work was redoing the command center and she went over to the installers and bought them lunch for the old projector they were going to throw out. They also gave her (3) 40x80 screens. Plus she has spent may long nights building the theather room, and always bringing surprises. My last gift was a Lexicon processor.
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Luke, I'm your father

 

[SteveK]

Andy, I think we have a winner.
Seriously, you are obviously an extremely fortunate man, and it's also obvious that you know that. Too many times on this forum, it seems as though people would willingly give up their wife if it meant they could just get that new TV or move the speaker an inch or two. I'm sure much of that is tongue-in-cheek, but it's truly refreshing to read a comment from somebody who obviously loves his wife more than his HT gear. You are truly blessed, and it sounds like she is too.
Steve K.

 

[bryan knott]

I'd like to nominate myself for never getting married and spending all MY money the way I see fit!

Dito that, but im married. I just dont understand you guys? Letting your wives tell you what you can & cant buy with YOUR money.
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[bryan knott]

Andy, your right. You are a kiss ass.

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[KeithH]

Can I nominate my girlfriend? We aren't married and I know people say things change once you are married, but she is a pearl when it comes to her tolerance of my audio/video obsession.
This past Saturday, I went speaker shopping at two different stores, and she was more than willing to go with me. Although she would never consider herself to be an audiophile or possess a golden ear, I welcomed the second opinion. We spent three hours listening to six different speakers with only two CDs, and she never complained once. She didn't fall asleep, ask to take my car somewhere to go shopping, or ask when I might be done. She even offered her opinion many times.
I picked up a pair of Totem Arro floorstanding speakers on Saturday, but we got home very late such that we were too tired to play with them. The next morning, she wanted to hear the Arros compared to the Energy e:XL 16s they replaced, as did I, of course. Once again, we did a lot A/B'ing, and she never lost interest. I am not about to say that she is becoming an audiophile, but she does like being able to share in this pursuit.
Another reason I feel my girlfriend should be considered for this prestigious award ( ) is that as a film/video major in college, she gets into home theater. While I tend to focus more on music, she is into movies big-time. In fact, one reason she doesn't mind going to A/V stores with me is that she likes to looks at the big HDTVs. She'll probably make me buy one someday.
So, do I win?
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My:
HT Pics ; Equipment List ; DVD Collection ; LD Collection
KeithH: Saving the Home Theater World Before Bedtime

 

[John Garcia]

Well she's not my wife yet, just S/O right now, but hope to change that very soon.

She has never really been into movies, but since meeting me, she is much more interested in movies and music. Her home entertainment when I met her consisted of a 20" TV, AND THAT'S IT. No music

I listen to a lot of music, and a wide variety, as mood dictates. Simply through osmosis, she has begun to both appreciate and enjoy music. She used to hate going to audition audio equipment with me, but she didn't mind because she could see that I have a big interest in it. She didn't know that much about gear or brands, but after I set up the HT at home, she readily admits that it sounds great and that the time I spent auditioning and configuring paid off.
My first kicker was last week when she was in Mi. visiting her family, who just built their new home. They were out shopping, and happened to go into a store and listen to a Bose system that they really liked. She began to explain the difference in cost vs. performance, and recommended they talk to me before spending their money on Bose! I was proud of her.

The second was when I was out auditioning my SR6200. I was sitting on my cash, waiting for a good oportunity when I had to spend that money on a new set of tires ($700). The same week, I found the 6200 on sale at Cambridge, and I was not comfortable spending any more money until I had the cash in hand to buy it. She had just received her American Airlines credit card, for which she gets miles (she travels a lot). Not only did she encourage me to buy the receiver because it was on sale, she also told me that she would take the miles from charging the receiver, and we could pay it off before the bill came, which we did. Worked out great.
She has never questioned the purchase of a piece of equipment for the HT (or wine, computer parts, or performance parts for the car), and has actually encouraged it, to some extent, becuase she knows I enjoy it. She also says that it is better to get something that I will be happy with than something less expensive and still want the other one.
She may not win any HT wife of the year contests, but she is the greatest in my book

.
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All progress is based upon a universal, innate desire on the part of every organism,
to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)

 

[Andy W]

Hi Saurav. It’s good to from you again, HTF’s famous resident Stereophile magazine contributor.
To answer your question, our vinyl playback setup consists of a Sota Star Sapphire Series III turntable with vacuum hold down, electronic flywheel and reflex clamp, SME 309 tonearm, Monster Cable Alpha 2 moving coil cartridge, Arcici Lead Balloon stand, and a Nitty Gritty 1.0 record cleaner. The turntable system's signal is sent to a Counterpoint SA-3000 tube hybrid preamplifier moving coil phono stage.
We're very pleased with the sound quality of our system, but we both know our phono cartridge is long overdue for replacement. The stylus is still in good shape, but the cantilever suspension is very likely to be brittle due to its age, which may be contributing to a slight hardness in the sound of some LPs that have an emphasized upper midrange and treble.
Since cartridges, like speakers, are transducers, their sound is very different from one cartridge model to another. And without us having the capability to audition cartridges before we make a purchase decision, we feel paralyzed with making a decision on which new cartridge to buy. In the good old days, you could take home a few broken in cartridges on loan for auditioning. Not today. Now you have to buy them sound unheard from an Internet web site or from a dealer who will order what you think you want with the hope you will keep it. Not a good way to make an informed decision about a transducer component. We prefer to take home loaner demos and then purchase the one we like, rather than buy a new component for audition purposes and probably return it. It just doesn’t feel right to us to do that to businesses trying to carve out a living.
When my wife first heard vinyl playback on a quality turntable system, she was bowled over by how quiet LPs’ background noise could be, and how sweet, liquid, rich and dynamic well produced LPs could sound. She thought her LP collection would sound like trash after having played them on an inexpensive Aiwa turntable she had. Much to her surprise, she began rediscovering just how great her LPs could sound after they were cleaned on the Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine and played back on a high resolution system.
I apologize to everyone for going off topic a bit to answer Saurav's question with a verbose answer.
Sean and John, SteveK, thank you very much for your kind words. It means a lot to me to receive positive acknowledgements on how I feel about my wife. I'm just crazy about her. Our friends tell us we’re joined at the hip.
Bryan, very funny. You may be right. I’ll never know because I am in bliss.

Regards,
Andy