Vote: Is Stereo Equipment Attractive?

After 2 years of hard labor my basement is complete. It includes: A bedroom and bath suite (that we rent out), an exercise room and a combination movie room / listening room. The layout of the movie / listening room is:

-- Front B&W 684's (No center).

-- Built in surround and rear speakers.

-- Front Sub.

-- Projector middle of the room.

-- Control for movie screen towards the back of the room

*ALL* cables are behind the walls. With the stereo equipment in the rear of the room with patch cables to all the rooms speakers. Then plugs around the room for: front speakers, sub and projector. The plan of the room (that I thought my wife knew) was to have kitchen like cabinets on the rear wall with the stereo on top of a counter top. The patch panel is at the height to be between the top and bottom cabinets.

My wife strongly thinks that is bad. She thinks that the stereo equipment and all the cables are a distraction. She thinks that they should be in a floor to ceiling cabinet. Then it can be closed up and out of sight when not in use. I believe that stereo equipment and wires are really cool and like to look at them.

So what do you think? Is stereo equipment is:

1.) a thing of beauty and should be out on a counter or
2.) Should be hid away inside of a cabinet?

So I can tally up the vote, please title your response as:

"In Cabinet" or "On counter" Then I'll report the results.

Thanks,
Stan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by manlystanley

After 2 years of hard labor my basement is complete. It includes: A bedroom and bath suite (that we rent out), an exercise room and a combination movie room / listening room. The layout of the movie / listening room is:

-- Front B&W 684's (No center).

-- Built in surround and rear speakers.

-- Front Sub.

-- Projector middle of the room.

-- Control for movie screen towards the back of the room

*ALL* cables are behind the walls. With the stereo equipment in the rear of the room with patch cables to all the rooms speakers. Then plugs around the room for: front speakers, sub and projector. The plan of the room (that I thought my wife knew) was to have kitchen like cabinets on the rear wall with the stereo on top of a counter top. The patch panel is at the height to be between the top and bottom cabinets.

My wife strongly thinks that is bad. She thinks that the stereo equipment and all the cables are a distraction. She thinks that they should be in a floor to ceiling cabinet. Then it can be closed up and out of sight when not in use. I believe that stereo equipment and wires are really cool and like to look at them.

So what do you think? Is stereo equipment is:

1.) a thing of beauty and should be out on a counter or
2.) Should be hid away inside of a cabinet?

So I can tally up the vote, please title your response as:

"In Cabinet" or "On counter" Then I'll report the results.

Thanks,
Stan

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Stereo equipment is gorgeous, and if you were manly, Stanley, you'd tell your wife how it'll be goin' down. Hey, com'on this is the basement, bro.

Alot of people know a days put their equipment in closet type rooms off to the side of their theater or listening rooms. I can see the improvment in less distractions and less stuff in the room for sound to bounce off of and cause resonance but at the same time there are many attractive pieces of equipment out there that a person could set up a look at like a crown achievment of their money and efforts. And about the wires thing there are ways to hide the wires out of view for the most part. feaner does have a point as well, Its the basement and most likely any guest you have is not going to thow a fit because they can see your cd player or receiver or pre/amp or your speaker setup. In fact I have had quite the conversation started because my gear is in plain view. I just like to be able to see my stuff anyway. And I pay the damn house payment!!

Hey its eye candy for me. Its gotta be in the open to get as much air as possible. I will not put my stuff in closed cabinets. I love looking at gear. I love audio porn. My wife cant understand it....She hates it that I spend so much time down in the two channel room with my lap-top computer and the two channel system. I asked her what better way to unwind from a long day at work than sitting down in my easy chair listening to music and looking at audio porn. I've asked her a number of times to come down with me and sit and relax and listen, but she just rolles her eyes like I'm crazy...I might be a little but Its gotta be out.

frenchmon

Two different creatures. What's the question?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by manlystanley

After 2 years of hard labor my basement is complete. It includes: A bedroom and bath suite (that we rent out), an exercise room and a combination movie room / listening room. The layout of the movie / listening room is:

-- Front B&W 684's (No center).

-- Built in surround and rear speakers.

-- Front Sub.

-- Projector middle of the room.

-- Control for movie screen towards the back of the room

*ALL* cables are behind the walls. With the stereo equipment in the rear of the room with patch cables to all the rooms speakers. Then plugs around the room for: front speakers, sub and projector. The plan of the room (that I thought my wife knew) was to have kitchen like cabinets on the rear wall with the stereo on top of a counter top. The patch panel is at the height to be between the top and bottom cabinets.

My wife strongly thinks that is bad. She thinks that the stereo equipment and all the cables are a distraction. She thinks that they should be in a floor to ceiling cabinet. Then it can be closed up and out of sight when not in use. I believe that stereo equipment and wires are really cool and like to look at them.

So what do you think? Is stereo equipment is:

1.) a thing of beauty and should be out on a counter or
2.) Should be hid away inside of a cabinet?

So I can tally up the vote, please title your response as:

"In Cabinet" or "On counter" Then I'll report the results.

Thanks,
Stan

---

GODS TEETH, why get such a great system and no center?
Great for music but as much as 90% of sound from HT goes through the center.
Get thee a center young man, and commit HT sin no more!:1:

As for what "wifey" thinks, grow a PAIR.
Wht you are reffering to in the genetic inabillity of women to enjoy good
audio equipment. Its closely connected to their inability to drive and throw a ball..
A mans fear of his woman is called the WAF, or wife acceptance factor.
In other words a mans ability to buy stereo equipment is inversely proportional
to his fear of his wife, this fear decreases as age sets in,
and men just dont care anymore, and "wheres the old bat going anyway?".
The invention of flat screen TV has led to more HT than anything else. Why?
Because women think they are "stylish" and let their henpecked men buy more
and bigger.
Get what you want, and if teh wife complains, well,
thats what GREYHOUND is for.
Unless she looks like [I]this of course.:1:

Stan, you should re-post this as a proper poll. Scroll down when drafting your post, you will see an option.

My vote is that equipment can go both ways. For the vote I say yes, attractive. It's all what you do with it. Of course, it has to go with the decor of the room. Silver for a more modern look, wood for traditional, etc...

Yes I agree with the Poppa man on this one. It depends on the room and the equipment and also the enclosures used to house the equipment. If done right equipment can add a bit of tech look to a room. But if the room is designed to be stealth by design then throwing a bunch of equipment in the room would ruin the effect. It all depends on the theme of the room and your tastes really. And also the wife approval ratio I suppose.

I'm lucky that aside from all the cables and the fact that all my gear does not have the same color faceplates and lights, my wife uses the system more than I do as she is home more. She digs the tubes glowing!

The massive can of worms behind the multiple systems is another story and I try to hide them as best I can. But, with a Reciever, DVD, Tape Deck, Panamx unit, Pre-Amp, Amp, DAC, CDP, Sub, Sub switch box for HT or 2CH, Niles selector box, speaker cables going to rears, family room, outside, it's pretty hard to hide it all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pixelthis

As for what "wifey" thinks, grow a PAIR.
Wht you are reffering to in the genetic inabillity of women to enjoy good
audio equipment. Its closely connected to their inability to drive and throw a ball..
A mans fear of his woman is called the WAF, or wife acceptance factor.
In other words a mans ability to buy stereo equipment is inversely proportional
to his fear of his wife, this fear decreases as age sets in,
and men just dont care anymore, and "wheres the old bat going anyway?".
The invention of flat screen TV has led to more HT than anything else. Why?
Because women think they are "stylish" and let their henpecked men buy more
and bigger.
Get what you want, and if teh wife complains, well,
thats what GREYHOUND is for.
Unless she looks like [I]this of course.:1:

---

ROFLMAO


frenchmon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pixelthis

As for what "wifey" thinks, grow a PAIR.
Wht you are reffering to in the genetic inabillity of women to enjoy good
audio equipment. Its closely connected to their inability to drive and throw a ball..
A mans fear of his woman is called the WAF, or wife acceptance factor.
In other words a mans ability to buy stereo equipment is inversely proportional
to his fear of his wife, this fear decreases as age sets in,
and men just dont care anymore, and "wheres the old bat going anyway?".
The invention of flat screen TV has led to more HT than anything else. Why?
Because women think they are "stylish" and let their henpecked men buy more
and bigger.
Get what you want, and if teh wife complains, well,
thats what GREYHOUND is for.
Unless she looks like [I]this of course.:1:

---

OK, don't have time to get a true tally, but it looks some what like:


2 Votes For: "I'm a wimp".
1 Vote For: "Do a real pool man".
1 Vote For: "Don't quit your day job to design HTs.
2 Votes For: "It depends"
5 Votes for: Audio Stuff is good looking.

Ahem I say...

If you've a pair (and that's not just applying to men) you know that:

Cars can be drop dead gorgeous
Guns can be drop dead gorgeous
HiFi gear can be drop dead gorgeous!!!!!
Furniture can be gorgeous
Wimmins can be unspeakably gorgeous.

It don't take genius just a pair of eyes and an soul.

Da Worfster

Well you might want to try a few upgrades. Denon is great, but doesn't score high on the attractiveness scale. I've found that visitors, male or female, express more interest in gear that is simple and curvaceous or that has clean lines. So with that in mind, here are some suggestions that I hope will bring back a little matrimonial peace:

http://big-screen.de/deutsch/image/p...ews/denson.jpg

http://www.big-screen.de/deutsch/ima...e-high-end.jpg

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/images/uploads/PTDGT.JPG

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gallo5/ref1.jpg

http://www.norh.com/products/norh5/walnut5_1_5.jpg

As for cables, two important factors: hide the slack and stick with a single brand, color or design. Of course, it's all about presentation:

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/15227.jpg

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messa...381/390292.jpg

Just stay away from any forbidden fruit...

In this area there will be many opinions, and mainly because we all have different taste:

a) Music
b) Equipment
c)Room settings
d)style (2 channel vs HT)

[QUOTE=nightflier]Well you might want to try a few upgrades. Denon is great, but doesn't score high on the attractiveness scale. I've found that visitors, male or female, express more interest in gear that is simple and curvaceous or that has clean lines. So with that in mind, here are some suggestions that I hope will bring back a little matrimonial peace:


QUOTE]

Nice touch Flier...

All my gear looks good. My speakers make me feel like I'm in Kubrick's 2001. Even the stuff that is aesthetically challenged looks good to me.:devil:
Tubes glowing in a darkened room is, uh, romantic? Well, at least they're decent space heaters. Winter is not so far away.

I like my stuff to look like what it is. Bang & Olufsen...you can keep it. If it runs on tubes, let's see them. If it has some sort of high tech meters and scopes, so be it. If it looks like something out of the Museum of Modern Art, it's not for me.

Notice how that picture pixelthis posted looks like a hot girl? That's because that's what she is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 02audionoob

I like my stuff to look like what it is. Bang & Olufsen...you can keep it. If it runs on tubes, let's see them. If it has some sort of high tech meters and scopes, so be it. If it looks like something out of the Museum of Modern Art, it's not for me.

Notice how that picture pixelthis posted looks like a hot girl? That's because that's what she is.

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That is SHANIA TWAIN, calling her a "hot girl" is like calling a Testerosa a
great grocery cart.
AND MY STUFF has transistors, and I don't care to see em.
Now, in deference to the OP, he just has his priorities screwed up, that changes as
you get older, especially if your kids look like the mailman.
Of course in defense of women a lot of guys have systems that look like an
epileptic octopus.
I used to be guilty of that, finally figured out that a good looking system is a lot more enjoyable.
AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR WIFEY being "unreasonable".
Nothing wrong with having fifty identical pairs of black pumps, is there?:1:

Thanks for the laugh Pixelthis!

[QUOTE=audio amateur]Thanks for the laugh Pixelthis!

LAUGH???:1:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pixelthis

LAUGH???:1:

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Your post cracked me up:yesnod:

why are you always posting up pix of hot chix? is it cause it rhymes or cause ... you're hard up?

Anyways, screw all that.

You best be closing your eyes when you listen to music or you've got it all wrong. So who cares if it looks like a sweet country peach or not.

So, I'll be putting out my stereo equipment out on a counter top for all to see. I told my wife the poll and she said I asked people who are biased. My response was: No way! These guys are very totally unbiased. She just gave me that look like: You're nuts.

Then she asked if she could do a poll of her friends. I said: Sure, as long as they agree with me..... So, the vote is in: [B]Stereo Equipment Is Beautiful!!![/B]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by manlystanley

So, I'll be putting out my stereo equipment out on a counter top for all to see. I told my wife the poll and she said I asked people who are biased. My response was: No way! These guys are very totally unbiased. She just gave me that look like: You're nuts.

Then she asked if she could do a poll of her friends. I said: Sure, as long as they agree with me..... So, the vote is in: [B]Stereo Equipment Is Beautiful!!![/B]

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Quote:

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She just gave me that look like: You're nuts.

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Now when that happens...you know you wear da draws in the house! All they can do is have that look and roll their eyes. Good for you. You da man!

frenchmon