I know this is probably going to open up a whole new can of worms, but it seems to me like almost every poster here is male. Of course, I can't be sure from the sign-on names, but from the discussions it certainly seems so.

I guess what I'm wondering is why women are not as interested in these discussions. When I tell my wife about some new piece of electronic gear I'm considering, her eyes glaze over. What surprises me most is that she has a much finer ear than I do. She can pick out nuances between different speakers that I completely miss. But getting her to listen to equipment is like pulling teeth. I wish I had her hearing ability.

I realize that there is a directed socialization that we all undergo in youth, but I wonder if we are not perpetuating the segregation in these very discussions. Terms like "WAF" certainly aren't flattering and I can list a whole littany of comments from these lists that my wife would just love to tear into.

I am trying to do my part, though. I've been actively introducing my daughter to the appreciation of music and ironically she's taking more of an interest than my son (who's also a little younger). We also strictly monitor their TV viewing, so I suppose we also create more 'time' for music. But I wonder how it is in other homes....

Anyhow, it's just an observation...