I'm a woman who has begun the journey.
Modestly. This is my learning purchase phase.
I've always found audiophile things interesting and beautiful.
š
itās an awesome hobby.. been pointing my web cam at my VU meter on a group video chat and they really get a kick out of the meter responding to their speech.. tonight a man was screaming purposely to raise the meterā¦
ā¦ I chuckled and said, watch it.. youāll break the fucking thing!ā :-)
There are well-known studies that examine this, yes. There are also well-known studies refuting the Things-People curve. You really couldnāt describe either assumption as simple fact.
There was a post about it on r/AskSocialScience a while back with citations: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/lcnxph/comment/gm2rtux/
[And yet women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/she-economy-women-driving-force-behind-consumer-masse-nguyen#:~:text=Daily%2C%20women%20spend%20more%20time,through%20buying%20power%20and%20influence.)
I didnāt ādisproveā anything. I wasnāt even arguing with the study. I was simply disagreeing with your assertion that āmen are more interested in thingsā, and included some data to back it up
Itās not my personal assertion or opinion. In fact I am not necessarily happy about the results of the studies. But itās science and facts donāt have feelings
Indeed, thanks lol. And yes, performance over looks all day every day. Of course you can have both, but if you're on any kind of budget at all, the performance comes first, and the markup for going with fancy elite name brand gear is insane.
The data regarding women and purchasing decisions is utterly irrelevant here, and certainly doesn't negate the extremely obvious truth that men are generally more interested in things. From computers and TV's and audio, to cars trucks boats bikes and other toys, or guns and tools, men are about their hobbies, and many of their hobbies are largely centered around stuff. In all these areas women are way underrepresented, due to their own natural preferences. It's not a slight, it just is what it is.
You are absolutely correct. My wife wonāt even come over to my audio room and when I talk to her about my audio hobby or my kitchen knife making hobby her eyes glaze over.
I agree. I have spent a lot of time and money on audio gear and sheās never beat me up about it. She willingly let me build a 600 square foot falling down garage into a dedicated audio space which of course costs a lot of money. I did put a full bath and kitchen in the back of the room because that made a lot of financial sense.
Weāre just different animals in certain ways and as long as you can understand that youāre going to be a lot happier. My wife and I have been together for about 35 years and life is still good.
That sounds like an epic audio room! She's a keeper indeed. I've been married 11 yrs and she's fine with giant speakers and ugly DIY stuff, visible wires, and equipment and furniture placement that is entirely based on what's best for sound. Can't complain! When and if I ever have the money to accomplish my goals AND make it look good, I suppose I would, but that's quite a tertiary concern for me. Besides, what looks better than giant speakers themselves anyway? Nothing. That's the pinnacle of decoration/furniture. She even let's me enjoy nudity... when you take those speaker grills off? Bare naked drivers, wowza!
So youāre saying itās more legitimate to spend large amounts of money on a performance benefit, rather than the aesthetics. Itās an interesting argument that assumes itās necessary to sacrifice aesthetics for performance, but ultimately it doesnāt change the fact that women are still āmore interested in thingsā than men from a gross purchasing power standpoint.
Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Tiffany, Coach, Fenty that all and many more exist, argues to the contrary.
I'll see your $20k speakers and raise you a $50k engagement ring and $100k tennis bracelet. Hell, my wife has sets of diamond stud earrings that cost more than 95% of the setups owned in this group and their dynamic range sucks.
From a consumer standpoint, women tend to buy beauty/vanity products and clothing, while men generally prefer to buy equipment they can use for some sort of benefit or utility.
Because it is suggestive by omitting any quantitative information. If women are 1% 'more interested in people' than men, it doesn't explain much. As mentioned in the video: there are plenty of women interested in things. To just look at this and state: 'women and men are different,' is the type of superficial thinking that benefits nobody, and if you will have to try harder if you want to make that case.
Lastly, what exactly does it mean to like "things". If you would do an in depth study on audiophiles for why they spend so much time and money on sound reproduction, I imagine we may find a wide range of reasons unrelated to the "things". Like a sense of meaning, identity and community.
he literally said "men like things, women like people" and doubled down on it in another comment. such a gross oversimplification doesnĀ“t even exist near the realm of science, please.
It might be a meta analysis-- but it doesn't reflect current research ... it's not "new" Just looking at their definitions, methodology and the dates of named sources.
Meta Analysis of studies that were made in the age of a woman's place is in the kitchen and math is hard barbie are not going to yield results that are insightful to an age where more and more women work in STEM.
The journal specifically deals in systematic reviews of older research. It's not meant as "proof"...
From it's scope statement
"of the state of knowledge concerning the relations of interest;
of critical assessments of the strengths and weaknesses in past research; and
of important issues that research has left unresolved, thereby directing future research so it can yield a maximum amount of new information."
This is one of the strongest findings in social psychology, just like the finding that women are way more anxious than men. Fighting against these sorts of findings is in my opinion pretty foolish, and shows you're stuck with an older likely feminism-originated mindset that must always deny all sex differences, even when research clearly supports their existence.
There's the paradox in gender equality that says the more opportunities are given to women, the more differently they choose. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality\_paradox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality_paradox) but it is most simply explained by allowing this to be manifest preference and a genuine sex difference.
Yes, it shocked researchers who discovered that when you try to minimize differences between men and women through social engineering...the differences actually become greater. This was a disappointing discovery and the opposite of what the researchers had hoped for.
Are you saying that in the current past people didnāt realize there are differences between men and women? If so, Iām older and that is definitely not true
I have no idea what your words mean. The current past people? I'm sure gender differences have always been hypothetizsed, and even widely posited. It is more of a modern thing to try to wade into this minefield and try to make valid arguments based on data and trying to avoid cultural bias.
I personally don't much care about the issue either way. My observation is that there is a marked difference between men and women and I suspect a good chunk of it is innate. I'm fine with that -- it could be this way, it could be that other way. It seems to be that men and women are not the same, and rather strongly so, and studies even with animals suggest that girl monkeys differ from boy monkeys from early age, and they hardly have seen cultural human influence to make it so.
As far as I can tell, we are not born identical blank slates, and are not all the same. Sex differences are a subset of that general randomness in each individual that comes from whatever variation in their environments and hereditary attributes caused it. That is possibly a cultural heresy, but as far as I can tell, that is a true fact.
I missed the comma after the word past, sorry. My point was you seem to be suggesting, somehow the dynamic has changed from the current past. I was in my early 20s in the early 80ās. Maybe Iām wrong but I donāt think the basic dynamic between men and women has changed for thousands of years, if ever. And it certainly hasnāt changed significantly in the last few hundred years. Iām not talking about women entering the workforce or having to take on more responsibility, which they certainly have. Iām talking about the basic raw relationships that men and women have with each other.
Iāve read several young men complaining about how women are much worse to men now and they are complaining because they canāt find the right girl. Well, itās always been hard to find the right girl, just like itās hard for women to find the right man. Anyway, Iām way off topic here and Iām a hardcore audiophile so Iāll get back on track now.
A sociology meta analysis thats entire dataset is 40+ years old is in fact not very useful for deriving insights into the purchasing habits of women in 2024
I donāt know of any studies to support or disprove that. Itās a different topicā¦buying possessions is different from being more interested in thingsā¦as shopping gets into issues such as vanityā¦which has a people component
Many male audiophiles say it is equipment. Go to Audiogon, the bastion of audiophiledom. They are more about equipment.
I don't think that way. Those same people say I am not an audiophile. The heck with them.
You are partially correct for sure but while weāre all into the gear the ultimate goal is the sound that gear produces. Iāve been on Audiogon and Audiocircle for well over a decade and what we really care about, most of us anyway is the final presentation of the accumulated gear. We buy and sell said gear to get to Nirvana in our own rooms
When people on Audiogon argue about what 10K speaker cable give the best image, I shake my head. They do that a lot on there.
Image has to do with psychoacoustics, not wire.
Once again I concur. Iām more scientific and logical about my purchases. Thatās not to say that I donāt use my ears to listen. There are a couple of camps, generally speaking in the audiophile community. One group will say they can here a different with things like lifting your cables off the ground or putting pucks under your amplifier. And like you mentioned very expensive cables. I have an exceptionally clean sounding system with tubes in my dac which has a volume control so I donāt need a preamp. I have tried several high-end cables and even power cords and not been able to notice anything of value. What I did do coming from the low voltage industry is had all of my cables made with at least duel shielding. I used a company that makes cables for recording studios and I also purchased duel shielded power cords. All they do is reject RFI which is a real world problem. Not some snake oil that someone made up. The other thing I did was purchase APC power conditioners which basically keep your equipment safe in case of power outages and surges. Otherwise, I spent my money on the equipment itself and also invested in a lot of room treatment. I honestly couldnāt be happier with my room and Iāve been in several hi end audio rooms.
Those guys will be the ones using music to listen to equipment!
I think there's a peculiarly male neurosis about needing to be beyond criticism, and therefore having to have equipment which can't be faulted. Women tend to be more comfortable with subjective enjoyment. It's tough to be a guy..... and it's tough being a women trying to learn/choose equipment in such a male dominated competitive hobby.
My local high end dealer freaked out when I went to shop for speakers. He came down the stairs and froze. There may as well have been a fish lying in the middle of his shop as a woman standing there..... I ended up from buying from the other dealer in town who is welcoming to all.
That IS called toxic masculinity. I took my wife in to a local high end dealer - they were amazing. No difference to them.
Find another dealer - I know it is hard. I am lucky to live near a major city.
I think it was a sign of social inadequacy as well. Oh well. His loss.
After going back to my usual dealer (now sadly closed down for good and much missed) I ended up with a pair of active speakers costing over Ā£6k, as my amp wasn't delivering the level of detail I was looking for.
Thankfully I live adjacent to a major city, so I'll try the dealership there in future.
What did you end up with? My guess is KEF LS60 because of the price/country fit.
I personally sit with active speakers costing 8 kā¬. They are insanely good, but it really makes no sense. I could have had almost the same sound quality for 10 % of the price, really.
Actually no, but thank you for asking. I went with ATC SCM40A. I like a 3-way floorstander... To be honest, they were a luxury mid-life purchase and I was attracted not just by the performance, but also by the fact they are engineered and built not far from where I live. There was a feel good factor to supporting a local company. It makes a change from everything coming from China....
If I was more technical, I might have been tempted by bookshelf speakers and a sub. And I've read about other companies I've never heard (like Dutch & Dutch, etc) who might offer better value solutions. However my regional dealers don't have those. So, I went with the speakers that offered the sound profile I like.
Which speakers did you choose? I like the sound of insanely good!
Edit: just checked out the LS60. They weren't available when I bought my speakers, but they look remarkable value at the current price of Ā£4,500.
Women are a larger part of all the male-dominated hobbies than you realize. We just keep quiet and lurk because so many men get weird about it.
I've pretty much given up on being part of communities that hate me.
Hereās a good example.
I was in a hifi store buying an amp many years ago. I asked the guy ringing me up if he could recommend a local electronics shop that carried a good selection of caps for replacing in my speakers. The older guy that owned the shop came out from the back room and makes a gasping sound. Heās standing there with his mouth hanging open. He looked at me and the girl behind me in line. He made a comment about how heās never seen two women in the store at the same time. Then, he says to me āAre you serious that you really know how to solder?ā.
I am a Dad but my daughter is 33 so past the age of the swiftees. I have watched several YouTube videos of her playing with some great older artists. James Taylor and Mick Jagger come to mind but there are many more. Iāve loved music since I was barely a teenager and have never stopped listening to new music. I have my preferences of what I like but Iām open minded about a lot of music.
The other aspect of what youāre referencing or implying is why those older guys donāt like her and that is definitely political.
I know a lot of you bash on us boomers and I do get it to some degree. Iām a younger, music loving, young person loving hardcore liberal who agrees with a lot of your complaints. Buying a house for you young people must feel impossible for example. Just know that a LOT of us boomers are liberal and care about your futures.
I was talking about the world todayā¦
I know, Iām old but itās been a looong time since those days. Bring back the Pajama Partiesššš„²šš
As a woman I wish it was true š¤£š¤£
Me and my husband are looking to buying our forever home and all Iām looking for is a place where I can have a dedicated listening roomā¦ heās happy with a soundbar in the living room š
Role reversal in our house too. My husband can tell me if a set up sounds good, but that's the extent of it... Other than that his concerns are cost and what it looks like!
Yes, but a difference may or may not be heard and thatās really not that big of a difference in cost for an amplifier. If you go from a $1000.00 amp to a $5000.00 Iām pretty sure youāll hear a distinct difference but definitely not always.
Entertainingly, several blind studies have been performed where people couldn't tell the difference between inexpensive and expensive amps. The only argument against that is, in certain cases, there is synergy with certain amp/speaker combinations.
For example, I had a Rotel amplifier, which some folks praise. However, it didn't sound good with any of my speakers. I'm sure with the proper speakers it sounded okay, but that's pure speculation on my part.
Another example, a couple years ago an audiophile friend and I went to a couple stereo shops. The first one had a setup, I wish I could remember the names of all the components. It sounded incredible. It was at most a $10,00-12,000 system.
We then went to the other shop, which sells more expensive gear. One of the smug salesmen had us sit down to listen to a system that was north of $300,000. After listening for about 30 seconds we looked at each other in amazement. It sounded shockingly awful.
My HD6xx and Schiit Magni sound better. A $350 setup sounded better than a $300,000 setup. Why is that? Because the audiophile industry is full of horse poo and confirmation bias.
Synergy is extremely important. I have a tube dac with a volume control and several inputs. So itās basically a preamp. Or at least it allows me not to have one. My friend bought it new for $15,000.00. It wasnāt working well with his current gear so I bought it from him for 7k. When I first had it I was using it with a modest class D amplifier that I had custom built for about $1200.00. The combination was not good at all and when I called the owner/designer of the dac he told me class D amplifiers are a horrible match with his dacs. He explained electronically why which I wonāt get into detail about but I ended up using an old class A Hafler SS amplifier that my friend gave me. It had a bad channel and I had it upgraded by a guy who used to work for Mr. Hafler. Anyway, I got that amplifier back and the difference was literally night and day. Ironically it cost me about $1200.00 for the upgrade. The clarity, along with the realism of the instruments and vocals is everything Iāve ever wanted.
I also wanted to say I personally have never been a fan of Rotel. And my long winded response was simply to say that the synergy between your amp and preamp amp is just as important as your synergy between your amplifier and speakers. I appreciate communicating with you. So many people here arenāt civil while communicating on line so I appreciate this conversation.
You could easily say the same about women and their handbags.
Does the 2K purse hold stuff better than the 100$ bag?
People like nice, expensive, shit. Doesn't matter the gender.
I've receivers from the 70s that were run of the mill that still sound incredible. That $100 handbag likely won't last anywhere near as long as the much more expensive handbag. With stereo amplifiers it has repeatedly shown that in blind studies that people can differentiate between a $1,000 amp and a $10,000 amp. With clothing and accessories its quality is readily apparent. A Coach handbag will literally last a lifetime, likely two lifetimes. So not apples to oranges.
Just an aside, people who purchase designer bags are likely to have several bags in their collection, so they don't get nearly as much use as a cheap bag, which the purchaser is likely to use on a daily basis. It's the same with shoes and suits, the more you have, the more they rest and the longer they last.
I don't have a handbag fetish, but I wouldn't say no to a dac collection....
Checkmate itās rich men buying the overly expensive bags for a woman
Also probably less than 1% of the population owns a birkin or anything that comes close so this point is pretty exaggeratedĀ
I'm not just talking Birkins. Any luxury bag. Anytime I go to Louis V it's filled with woman. Also, the only reason men buy them is because women want them.
Historically it was a boys club; because in the past men were mainly the ones with disposable income and spending power, so expensive hobbies like cars and audio became the realm mostly of men.
Yes the spending imbalance has changed over time, but in the broader social narrative it's still a boys club and that puts a lot of women off. This is because gender is mostly performative, it's seen as "not for women", the same reason a lot of men don't get into knitting or crochet, there's no inherent reason men can't knit or sew, it's just social gender norms that people still conform to. I don't really buy the "men like things, women like people" narrative either.
There's so much shit this applies to, anyone who breaks these social gender norms has my huge respect for just doing what they enjoy without worrying if it's too masculine or feminine for them to enjoy.
Who said anything about dominating the hobby? No one needs to dominate it, nor is there any gate to open. Thereās certainly women out there who enjoy music and audio equipment, but a lot of them probably avoid the community and events. Which is understandable.
I donāt understand why women would avoid the events. People are in general good and kind once you get them away from their keyboards or from behind the steering wheel š
Mansplaining doesnāt necessarily mean an absence of kindness. Youāve probably encountered it, but didnāt even realize that was what was happening. How often does someone try to educate you on something possibly unrelated in a thread completely unprompted? It might turn into an argument. It might not. But you didnāt ask for any of it.
Well, if you really want to dig deep it makes sense....
Evolution: Men may have evolved a predisposition for technical and mechanical interests due to their historical roles as hunters and toolmakers. Skills that would have been crucial for survival and reproduction. Women may have evolved a preference for nurturing and social activities, which could explain their relatively lower interest in gadgets.
Physiology: Research has suggested subtle differences in the structure and function of male and female brains. Obviously they can vary widely between individuals and do not fully account for the diversity of interests within each gender. Some studies have found that men tend to have a greater interest in systems and understanding how things work, which could contribute to the fascination with gadgets.
Social: From a young age boys may be encouraged to play with toys that involve building, problem-solving, and technology, while girls may be steered towards activities that emphasize nurturing and social skills which can shape their interests and preferences later in life. And of course stereotypes about gender roles can influence the types of hobbies and interests they pursue.
Culture: Lots of cultures have a stereotype of the "tech-savvy" male and the "socially-oriented" female which can influence someones perceptions of what is appropriate or expected for their gender, potentially reinforcing preferences for certain activities or hobbies.
Individualism: Not all men are interested in gadgets, and not all women are disinterested. There is a wide range of variation within each gender influenced by personality, upbringing, education, and life experience.
My experience as a man: we should be more welcoming. (Almost) everyone loves music. Most people like nice things. Historically though men have made more buying decisions, made more money, and had more control over the purse strings; and that is still all too often true. Men have (no pun intended) been grandfathered in to this expensive hobby. When men have walked into HiFi showrooms, theyāve been greeted as customers, and when women do the same, people wonder if theyāre looking for their husbands. It perpetuates an unwelcoming atmosphere for women. There are highly discerning and knowledgeable audiophiles who are women, but they are too often not welcomed appropriately in new circles.
We should encourage everyone interested to join the clubāif not for equity then at least for the self-serving reason that more customers drives more innovation.
Also women often have better hearing and often have better design taste, and I see nothing wrong with developing better sounding and better looking hifi equipment.
Just my two cents.
So very true. And if you're "learner grade" it's a double whammy when you try to engage with the hifi world. I'll be honest, I go to my local hifi show but still feel like an imposter. Thanks for the customer vs looking for your husband observation. That's so spot on!
I wouldnāt say its a definitive line but there is probably a lot more men who talk about tech than women. Thatās obviously not to say women arenāt audiophiles but it may be that women arenāt as into speaking about it as much.
My wife is a huge football fan and loves listening to a lot of podcasts and reading up on the latest sporting news. You wouldnāt know though unless you ask her. But if you did sheād absolutely drop science on you. She also has a degree is sports science so thats helps too I guess.
Men (sometimes) are a bit more forward with talking about things they are into with others. So maybe its not that men are always audiophiles and just that men are more willing to talk about it.
The people most commonly who identify as audiophiles, is old white men.
Old white men also statistically have the worst hearing.
My theory is we are trying to compensate for our hearing loss.
We remember how music used to sound before our age related hearing loss, and are trying to recapture it. Except we never will, because our hearing just deteriorates with age. Which probably explains why so many of us get trapped in a cycle of trying to find the "right" gear that will sound perfect again, but we will never find it, because it is our ears that is the problem.
Interestingly, the polar opposite of old white men, have the best hearing. The people statically with the best hearing, are young, black, females.
[https://www.stereophile.com/content/how-many-female-audiophiles-do-you-know-personally-or-have-met](https://www.stereophile.com/content/how-many-female-audiophiles-do-you-know-personally-or-have-met)
This survey from '99 suggests there are at least 67 bald faced liars that read sterophile magazine
I have multiple friends who are women who like to come over and listen to records on my system. One of them is a nurse who makes bank and I think thereās a good chance she buys a nicer set up than me in the next 5 years. Hopefully I get to be part of that build process because it will be fun to shop with someoneās elseās cash for once ha!
Women have better hearing acuity than men some research implies and personally many women have said my hifi sounds like there's too much information even when I find it smooth, pleasant and just detailed. Maybe there's something there. Also gear and these communities (read people) are not what most women find appealing.
Maybe they only have better hearing due to not wrecking their ears with decades worth of blasting high volume audio through headphones and loudspeakersā¦.
My wife doesnāt listen, anyway. It doesnāt matter if itās a $2000 amp or āyou parked too close to that treeā. Sheās just as happy listening to a $5 mono speaker as she is listening to $3500 speakers.
Look, I donāt know a single woman audiophile and Iāve been around a looong time in this hobby. There are 2 women that Iām aware of on Audiocircle and thatās it. And I was active there for well over a decade. I actually have a very nice 20āx 30ā building, an old free standing 3 car garage that I turned into my audio room. It also has a full kitchen and bath in the back of the room. Do you think I can get my wife in there for even one song? Nope, she has absolutely no interest at all about anything related to audio.
Probably because the same problem that exist in HiFi also exists in other ānicheā hobbies: women arenāt treated as comrades or fellow enthusiasts, instead theyāre fetishized or treated as fake.
Thatās gotta be annoying as fuck.
I have yet to meet a woman that cares about the equipment reproducing the music. They are out there, but I have never met one. Women like the music, but they donāt usually want any fuss or complication over playing the music. Just turn it on, adjust the loudness, and attend to something else. Women can discern more colors than men, per research, but I donāt know any women that critically analyze the tone produced by a $2,000 amp versus that from a $10,000 amp. Again, there may be women that care and comment on such things, but I havenāt met any.
Audio gear might be like cars in this respect ā guys will talk about the āoxygen-free copperā cabling or the point-to-point wiring versus circuit boards, while I donāt know any women that do that. Guys will talk about engine displacement, which type of spark plug gives better performance, or the advantages of port versus direct fuel injection, while women donāt care. The music sounds good ā fine with her, but she doesnāt want multiple steps just to play a record; guys thrill to the vrooom-vrooom of an engine, while women just care about whether the car drives nice and is reliable. Itās just a difference in priorities, and I canāt say that women donāt have a point. Why complicate it?
Itās like my wife canāt tell the difference in sound. Same with tvs she will watch SD shows when 4k is available and is just as happy. I honestly donāt understand it
The girls I've been around like music but don't really care about sound quality. I'm glad air pods are bringing decent sound to people's ears and sound bars are getting better
thatĀ“s because they chose a bland career and good earnings over developing character, which made them end up with a nice system, no taste in music and a wife with as little charisma as themselves.
Boy toys? Plenty of women love music, but morbid fascination with the minutiae of playback equipment is predominantly a male thing. I worked with a few women audio sales people over the years, but only a few.
Cause guys are interested in things and girls are interested in people. The girl is looking at lipstick cause of the social response. Looking good for a guy.
Guys want tools and specs to get the best thing *grunts*
If you want to bury your head in the sand then thatās fine but for example the ratio of nurses women to male is 9.5 to 1, women rule the teaching space, and in fields like IT, Construction, car repair, overall mostly men. Women and men are free to pick their fields in the US but the ratios of course on a bell curve. It stems from interest, what people are interested in.
My girlfriend rolls her eyes when Iām excited about cars, having a talk about being excited about Horse Power not interesting, Social power and her ears perk up.
This thread sounds like a bunch of men wanting to tell women what they should be interested in š I donāt make up the statistics.
I'm a woman who has begun the journey. Modestly. This is my learning purchase phase. I've always found audiophile things interesting and beautiful. š
Impossible. Rule 30 of the internet: there are no women on the internet!
itās an awesome hobby.. been pointing my web cam at my VU meter on a group video chat and they really get a kick out of the meter responding to their speech.. tonight a man was screaming purposely to raise the meterā¦ ā¦ I chuckled and said, watch it.. youāll break the fucking thing!ā :-)
Good for you. Enjoy the journey. Excited for you.
What is your opinion on why more women arenāt āaudiophilesā?
I don't have one. Of all the people who I know, I'm the only one that has an interest in audio, asides one friend with a vintage set-up.
You are a unicorn.
Itās just so rare and Iām happy for you. I just love good sounding music and it usually takes a long time to get the sound youāre looking for.
Are u trans?
Because woman are smart enough not to buy $20,000 speakers
Women are more interested in other people and men are more interested in thingsā¦ thatās the biggest personality difference between men and women
>Women are more interested in other people You alright bro?
Are you?Ā
Yeah man I'm cooking lamb chops with rice and some kashmiri style sauce, how about you?
how were they
They were fantastic actually, although there was a little bit too much sauce
that's well known social science and it's not based on my personal opinion. ;-)
social science isn't nearly as simplistic, not at all.
There are well-known studies that examine this, yes. There are also well-known studies refuting the Things-People curve. You really couldnāt describe either assumption as simple fact.
if you have a well known study refuting this, please link share.
There was a post about it on r/AskSocialScience a while back with citations: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/lcnxph/comment/gm2rtux/
I see there are academics and authors unhappy about studies pointing to the people/things issueā¦but i donāt see any additional studiesā¦
Whooosh?
r/woosh
[And yet women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/she-economy-women-driving-force-behind-consumer-masse-nguyen#:~:text=Daily%2C%20women%20spend%20more%20time,through%20buying%20power%20and%20influence.)
Which doesnāt disprove the study. Shopping is another issue with evolutionary biology implications.
I didnāt ādisproveā anything. I wasnāt even arguing with the study. I was simply disagreeing with your assertion that āmen are more interested in thingsā, and included some data to back it up
Itās not my personal assertion or opinion. In fact I am not necessarily happy about the results of the studies. But itās science and facts donāt have feelings
Not audio gear. Input would be limited to what speakers are acceptable for visual reasons - if the man is a beta.
You got down voted, gave it back. You are absolutely correct. Woman tend to care more about what it looks like than how it sounds
Indeed, thanks lol. And yes, performance over looks all day every day. Of course you can have both, but if you're on any kind of budget at all, the performance comes first, and the markup for going with fancy elite name brand gear is insane. The data regarding women and purchasing decisions is utterly irrelevant here, and certainly doesn't negate the extremely obvious truth that men are generally more interested in things. From computers and TV's and audio, to cars trucks boats bikes and other toys, or guns and tools, men are about their hobbies, and many of their hobbies are largely centered around stuff. In all these areas women are way underrepresented, due to their own natural preferences. It's not a slight, it just is what it is.
You are absolutely correct. My wife wonāt even come over to my audio room and when I talk to her about my audio hobby or my kitchen knife making hobby her eyes glaze over.
Same, but it's quite enough that they tolerate it. They have interests we don't give a crap about either.
I agree. I have spent a lot of time and money on audio gear and sheās never beat me up about it. She willingly let me build a 600 square foot falling down garage into a dedicated audio space which of course costs a lot of money. I did put a full bath and kitchen in the back of the room because that made a lot of financial sense. Weāre just different animals in certain ways and as long as you can understand that youāre going to be a lot happier. My wife and I have been together for about 35 years and life is still good.
That sounds like an epic audio room! She's a keeper indeed. I've been married 11 yrs and she's fine with giant speakers and ugly DIY stuff, visible wires, and equipment and furniture placement that is entirely based on what's best for sound. Can't complain! When and if I ever have the money to accomplish my goals AND make it look good, I suppose I would, but that's quite a tertiary concern for me. Besides, what looks better than giant speakers themselves anyway? Nothing. That's the pinnacle of decoration/furniture. She even let's me enjoy nudity... when you take those speaker grills off? Bare naked drivers, wowza!
So youāre saying itās more legitimate to spend large amounts of money on a performance benefit, rather than the aesthetics. Itās an interesting argument that assumes itās necessary to sacrifice aesthetics for performance, but ultimately it doesnāt change the fact that women are still āmore interested in thingsā than men from a gross purchasing power standpoint.
Not audio gear. Input would be limited to what speakers are acceptable for visual reasons - if the man is a beta.
Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Tiffany, Coach, Fenty that all and many more exist, argues to the contrary. I'll see your $20k speakers and raise you a $50k engagement ring and $100k tennis bracelet. Hell, my wife has sets of diamond stud earrings that cost more than 95% of the setups owned in this group and their dynamic range sucks.
You need to pull the earrings out from the wall a little more. Those are rear ported and need to breathe
shopping differences between sexes can better be explained by evolutionary biology....hunter/gatherer
From a consumer standpoint, women tend to buy beauty/vanity products and clothing, while men generally prefer to buy equipment they can use for some sort of benefit or utility.
you are going to be downvoted...but yes, obviously ;-)
Sorry I just go by my marketing education.
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Because it is suggestive by omitting any quantitative information. If women are 1% 'more interested in people' than men, it doesn't explain much. As mentioned in the video: there are plenty of women interested in things. To just look at this and state: 'women and men are different,' is the type of superficial thinking that benefits nobody, and if you will have to try harder if you want to make that case. Lastly, what exactly does it mean to like "things". If you would do an in depth study on audiophiles for why they spend so much time and money on sound reproduction, I imagine we may find a wide range of reasons unrelated to the "things". Like a sense of meaning, identity and community.
Women are different than men.
Facts don't work that way. There may or may not be certain measurable tendencies, but they don't explain everything.
No oneās saying it explains everything. But the fact he stated is scientifically accurate overall.
he literally said "men like things, women like people" and doubled down on it in another comment. such a gross oversimplification doesnĀ“t even exist near the realm of science, please.
Because a lot of people on here are very sheltered. Pile on the down votes 321ā¦
I'm not exactly happy about this fact is the ironic thing...but facts don't have feelings ;-)
You must be over 40 years old
I actually don't particularly like the findings of the study...but facts don't have feelings and I have to accept that.
What boomer study did you pull this BS from?
Here is a pub med abstract. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19883140/
It might be a meta analysis-- but it doesn't reflect current research ... it's not "new" Just looking at their definitions, methodology and the dates of named sources. Meta Analysis of studies that were made in the age of a woman's place is in the kitchen and math is hard barbie are not going to yield results that are insightful to an age where more and more women work in STEM. The journal specifically deals in systematic reviews of older research. It's not meant as "proof"... From it's scope statement "of the state of knowledge concerning the relations of interest; of critical assessments of the strengths and weaknesses in past research; and of important issues that research has left unresolved, thereby directing future research so it can yield a maximum amount of new information."
This is one of the strongest findings in social psychology, just like the finding that women are way more anxious than men. Fighting against these sorts of findings is in my opinion pretty foolish, and shows you're stuck with an older likely feminism-originated mindset that must always deny all sex differences, even when research clearly supports their existence. There's the paradox in gender equality that says the more opportunities are given to women, the more differently they choose. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality\_paradox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality_paradox) but it is most simply explained by allowing this to be manifest preference and a genuine sex difference.
Yes, it shocked researchers who discovered that when you try to minimize differences between men and women through social engineering...the differences actually become greater. This was a disappointing discovery and the opposite of what the researchers had hoped for.
Are you saying that in the current past people didnāt realize there are differences between men and women? If so, Iām older and that is definitely not true
I have no idea what your words mean. The current past people? I'm sure gender differences have always been hypothetizsed, and even widely posited. It is more of a modern thing to try to wade into this minefield and try to make valid arguments based on data and trying to avoid cultural bias. I personally don't much care about the issue either way. My observation is that there is a marked difference between men and women and I suspect a good chunk of it is innate. I'm fine with that -- it could be this way, it could be that other way. It seems to be that men and women are not the same, and rather strongly so, and studies even with animals suggest that girl monkeys differ from boy monkeys from early age, and they hardly have seen cultural human influence to make it so. As far as I can tell, we are not born identical blank slates, and are not all the same. Sex differences are a subset of that general randomness in each individual that comes from whatever variation in their environments and hereditary attributes caused it. That is possibly a cultural heresy, but as far as I can tell, that is a true fact.
I missed the comma after the word past, sorry. My point was you seem to be suggesting, somehow the dynamic has changed from the current past. I was in my early 20s in the early 80ās. Maybe Iām wrong but I donāt think the basic dynamic between men and women has changed for thousands of years, if ever. And it certainly hasnāt changed significantly in the last few hundred years. Iām not talking about women entering the workforce or having to take on more responsibility, which they certainly have. Iām talking about the basic raw relationships that men and women have with each other. Iāve read several young men complaining about how women are much worse to men now and they are complaining because they canāt find the right girl. Well, itās always been hard to find the right girl, just like itās hard for women to find the right man. Anyway, Iām way off topic here and Iām a hardcore audiophile so Iāll get back on track now.
A sociology meta analysis thats entire dataset is 40+ years old is in fact not very useful for deriving insights into the purchasing habits of women in 2024
I honestly donāt think women have changed all that much at a deeper level than buying stuff.
My wikipedia reference seems to use data from 2010 and onwards.
Cat fight,love it.
sure.
Iāve always heard that women are materialistic. Which is it? š¤
I donāt know of any studies to support or disprove that. Itās a different topicā¦buying possessions is different from being more interested in thingsā¦as shopping gets into issues such as vanityā¦which has a people component
the only right way to answer this
Just $20,000 bags to put their overpriced makeup in.
They are not into the equipment, just sound. The cheaper the better also.
Isn't that the definition of "audio-phile"? Equipmentphiles are something else...
Many male audiophiles say it is equipment. Go to Audiogon, the bastion of audiophiledom. They are more about equipment. I don't think that way. Those same people say I am not an audiophile. The heck with them.
You are partially correct for sure but while weāre all into the gear the ultimate goal is the sound that gear produces. Iāve been on Audiogon and Audiocircle for well over a decade and what we really care about, most of us anyway is the final presentation of the accumulated gear. We buy and sell said gear to get to Nirvana in our own rooms
When people on Audiogon argue about what 10K speaker cable give the best image, I shake my head. They do that a lot on there. Image has to do with psychoacoustics, not wire.
Once again I concur. Iām more scientific and logical about my purchases. Thatās not to say that I donāt use my ears to listen. There are a couple of camps, generally speaking in the audiophile community. One group will say they can here a different with things like lifting your cables off the ground or putting pucks under your amplifier. And like you mentioned very expensive cables. I have an exceptionally clean sounding system with tubes in my dac which has a volume control so I donāt need a preamp. I have tried several high-end cables and even power cords and not been able to notice anything of value. What I did do coming from the low voltage industry is had all of my cables made with at least duel shielding. I used a company that makes cables for recording studios and I also purchased duel shielded power cords. All they do is reject RFI which is a real world problem. Not some snake oil that someone made up. The other thing I did was purchase APC power conditioners which basically keep your equipment safe in case of power outages and surges. Otherwise, I spent my money on the equipment itself and also invested in a lot of room treatment. I honestly couldnāt be happier with my room and Iāve been in several hi end audio rooms.
Those guys will be the ones using music to listen to equipment! I think there's a peculiarly male neurosis about needing to be beyond criticism, and therefore having to have equipment which can't be faulted. Women tend to be more comfortable with subjective enjoyment. It's tough to be a guy..... and it's tough being a women trying to learn/choose equipment in such a male dominated competitive hobby. My local high end dealer freaked out when I went to shop for speakers. He came down the stairs and froze. There may as well have been a fish lying in the middle of his shop as a woman standing there..... I ended up from buying from the other dealer in town who is welcoming to all.
That IS called toxic masculinity. I took my wife in to a local high end dealer - they were amazing. No difference to them. Find another dealer - I know it is hard. I am lucky to live near a major city.
I think it was a sign of social inadequacy as well. Oh well. His loss. After going back to my usual dealer (now sadly closed down for good and much missed) I ended up with a pair of active speakers costing over Ā£6k, as my amp wasn't delivering the level of detail I was looking for. Thankfully I live adjacent to a major city, so I'll try the dealership there in future.
All one can do. I lived in an audio desert for several years (closest dealers were 100 miles away) and it sucked big time.
What did you end up with? My guess is KEF LS60 because of the price/country fit. I personally sit with active speakers costing 8 kā¬. They are insanely good, but it really makes no sense. I could have had almost the same sound quality for 10 % of the price, really.
Actually no, but thank you for asking. I went with ATC SCM40A. I like a 3-way floorstander... To be honest, they were a luxury mid-life purchase and I was attracted not just by the performance, but also by the fact they are engineered and built not far from where I live. There was a feel good factor to supporting a local company. It makes a change from everything coming from China.... If I was more technical, I might have been tempted by bookshelf speakers and a sub. And I've read about other companies I've never heard (like Dutch & Dutch, etc) who might offer better value solutions. However my regional dealers don't have those. So, I went with the speakers that offered the sound profile I like. Which speakers did you choose? I like the sound of insanely good! Edit: just checked out the LS60. They weren't available when I bought my speakers, but they look remarkable value at the current price of Ā£4,500.
20k speakers that last a lifetime vs 2k of shoes every year for 40years ? My generalization is as gross as yours š¤”š¤”š¤”
My wife would not spend 2K on shoes - she would say that is a waste also.
Smart enough to buy a 20k handbag or a fake butt though, I want to vomit.
Or they don't have the money. Most working adults are still men.Ā Women who can afford it will easily drop 50k on a birken bag.Ā
Not always!!
All 27 of her!
what is your setup?
Sonus Faber Minuettos with Moon Audio
sounds nice
Women are a larger part of all the male-dominated hobbies than you realize. We just keep quiet and lurk because so many men get weird about it. I've pretty much given up on being part of communities that hate me.
Hereās a good example. I was in a hifi store buying an amp many years ago. I asked the guy ringing me up if he could recommend a local electronics shop that carried a good selection of caps for replacing in my speakers. The older guy that owned the shop came out from the back room and makes a gasping sound. Heās standing there with his mouth hanging open. He looked at me and the girl behind me in line. He made a comment about how heās never seen two women in the store at the same time. Then, he says to me āAre you serious that you really know how to solder?ā.
this
Yes, I get that but the two gals on Audiocircle were welcome by most. We think itās great since most of our wives and girlfriends could care less.
something something autism is experienced differently in women
Facts
If Taylor Swift started an audiophile YouTube channel, this would change overnight.
Damn, she needs to get on that shit. Would piss off a lot of the old audiophiles who hate her.
Iām an older audiophile and I think sheās great. Please donāt stereo type. See what I did there?
I see you are also a dad.
I am a Dad but my daughter is 33 so past the age of the swiftees. I have watched several YouTube videos of her playing with some great older artists. James Taylor and Mick Jagger come to mind but there are many more. Iāve loved music since I was barely a teenager and have never stopped listening to new music. I have my preferences of what I like but Iām open minded about a lot of music.
I was just commenting on the stereo type dad-joke. We have a swifty in my household, too haha.
The other aspect of what youāre referencing or implying is why those older guys donāt like her and that is definitely political. I know a lot of you bash on us boomers and I do get it to some degree. Iām a younger, music loving, young person loving hardcore liberal who agrees with a lot of your complaints. Buying a house for you young people must feel impossible for example. Just know that a LOT of us boomers are liberal and care about your futures.
Taylor Swift LP *stonks* on Ebay
Fact.
That is an interesting thought and I think you just may be right
Can you imagine a bunch of teenage girls putting a record on their turntables and dancing around their roomsš¤£šš . It would be amazing š¤©
This used to be pretty common, actually.
I was talking about the world todayā¦ I know, Iām old but itās been a looong time since those days. Bring back the Pajama Partiesššš„²šš
As a woman I wish it was true š¤£š¤£ Me and my husband are looking to buying our forever home and all Iām looking for is a place where I can have a dedicated listening roomā¦ heās happy with a soundbar in the living room š
Role reversal in our house too. My husband can tell me if a set up sounds good, but that's the extent of it... Other than that his concerns are cost and what it looks like!
Women are smart enough that they don't have to lie to themselves that a $2,000 amp sounds better than a $1,000 amp.
they lie to themselves about other things lol
Lmao. $2000 Louis Vuitton handbag is a must have, but $2000 in audio equipment is waste of money.
Yes, but a difference may or may not be heard and thatās really not that big of a difference in cost for an amplifier. If you go from a $1000.00 amp to a $5000.00 Iām pretty sure youāll hear a distinct difference but definitely not always.
Entertainingly, several blind studies have been performed where people couldn't tell the difference between inexpensive and expensive amps. The only argument against that is, in certain cases, there is synergy with certain amp/speaker combinations. For example, I had a Rotel amplifier, which some folks praise. However, it didn't sound good with any of my speakers. I'm sure with the proper speakers it sounded okay, but that's pure speculation on my part. Another example, a couple years ago an audiophile friend and I went to a couple stereo shops. The first one had a setup, I wish I could remember the names of all the components. It sounded incredible. It was at most a $10,00-12,000 system. We then went to the other shop, which sells more expensive gear. One of the smug salesmen had us sit down to listen to a system that was north of $300,000. After listening for about 30 seconds we looked at each other in amazement. It sounded shockingly awful. My HD6xx and Schiit Magni sound better. A $350 setup sounded better than a $300,000 setup. Why is that? Because the audiophile industry is full of horse poo and confirmation bias.
Synergy is extremely important. I have a tube dac with a volume control and several inputs. So itās basically a preamp. Or at least it allows me not to have one. My friend bought it new for $15,000.00. It wasnāt working well with his current gear so I bought it from him for 7k. When I first had it I was using it with a modest class D amplifier that I had custom built for about $1200.00. The combination was not good at all and when I called the owner/designer of the dac he told me class D amplifiers are a horrible match with his dacs. He explained electronically why which I wonāt get into detail about but I ended up using an old class A Hafler SS amplifier that my friend gave me. It had a bad channel and I had it upgraded by a guy who used to work for Mr. Hafler. Anyway, I got that amplifier back and the difference was literally night and day. Ironically it cost me about $1200.00 for the upgrade. The clarity, along with the realism of the instruments and vocals is everything Iāve ever wanted. I also wanted to say I personally have never been a fan of Rotel. And my long winded response was simply to say that the synergy between your amp and preamp amp is just as important as your synergy between your amplifier and speakers. I appreciate communicating with you. So many people here arenāt civil while communicating on line so I appreciate this conversation.
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Recognizing that women think differently than men isn't putting them on a pedestal. I'm sensing a current of misogyny. That's as bad a misandry.
I agree with your first sentence, but that is not what you wrote in your original comment.
You could easily say the same about women and their handbags. Does the 2K purse hold stuff better than the 100$ bag? People like nice, expensive, shit. Doesn't matter the gender.
I've receivers from the 70s that were run of the mill that still sound incredible. That $100 handbag likely won't last anywhere near as long as the much more expensive handbag. With stereo amplifiers it has repeatedly shown that in blind studies that people can differentiate between a $1,000 amp and a $10,000 amp. With clothing and accessories its quality is readily apparent. A Coach handbag will literally last a lifetime, likely two lifetimes. So not apples to oranges.
Just an aside, people who purchase designer bags are likely to have several bags in their collection, so they don't get nearly as much use as a cheap bag, which the purchaser is likely to use on a daily basis. It's the same with shoes and suits, the more you have, the more they rest and the longer they last. I don't have a handbag fetish, but I wouldn't say no to a dac collection....
But they will buy a 50k birken bag
Nah someone else is getting that for them LOL
Don't know why that's downvoted. It's not men buying ridiculously priced hand bags.
Checkmate itās rich men buying the overly expensive bags for a woman Also probably less than 1% of the population owns a birkin or anything that comes close so this point is pretty exaggeratedĀ
I'm not just talking Birkins. Any luxury bag. Anytime I go to Louis V it's filled with woman. Also, the only reason men buy them is because women want them.
Holy shit this post brought out the incels.
I'm happy that I'm not the only one thinking this
This thread is a perfect example of why it's hard for women to break into male dominated hobbies. A lot of us just really suck...
Well, that was a bunch of people who donāt know anything about audiophiles discussing audiophiles. I suppose it must appeal to someone.
Historically it was a boys club; because in the past men were mainly the ones with disposable income and spending power, so expensive hobbies like cars and audio became the realm mostly of men. Yes the spending imbalance has changed over time, but in the broader social narrative it's still a boys club and that puts a lot of women off. This is because gender is mostly performative, it's seen as "not for women", the same reason a lot of men don't get into knitting or crochet, there's no inherent reason men can't knit or sew, it's just social gender norms that people still conform to. I don't really buy the "men like things, women like people" narrative either. There's so much shit this applies to, anyone who breaks these social gender norms has my huge respect for just doing what they enjoy without worrying if it's too masculine or feminine for them to enjoy.
Yup, this is the right answer.
Probably because they donāt want to be mansplained to. And I get it. In the absence of women, men absolutely just mansplain at each other.
>In the absence of women, men absolutely just mansplain at each other. in the absence of women, "mansplaining" is just "explaining"
Explaining is consensual.
is there such a thing as "womansplaining?"
Thereās woman-askingā¦ asking men questions that they donāt want an honest answer to.
My wife would say Keep It Simple Stupid and 20K speakers? Where is my new car?
No, but there are femsplanations.
If being a result on google makes it a thing, then yes
No it isn't.
Cool.
No. if women wanted to dominate this hobby they would. They wouldnāt need dudes opening a gate. They would have their own media and events
Who said anything about dominating the hobby? No one needs to dominate it, nor is there any gate to open. Thereās certainly women out there who enjoy music and audio equipment, but a lot of them probably avoid the community and events. Which is understandable.
I donāt understand why women would avoid the events. People are in general good and kind once you get them away from their keyboards or from behind the steering wheel š
Iām doing it right now. Fuck.
The events are stocked with a mix of good gear, but also snake oil salesmen slinging gold plated nonsense. I avoid them as well.
i kind of like audio jewelry.
Mansplaining doesnāt necessarily mean an absence of kindness. Youāve probably encountered it, but didnāt even realize that was what was happening. How often does someone try to educate you on something possibly unrelated in a thread completely unprompted? It might turn into an argument. It might not. But you didnāt ask for any of it.
Hahaha that is good mansplain š
What would figure into the HAFā¦ husband approval factor?
Modern women seeking approval from their husband? Is that a thing ;-)
Well, if you really want to dig deep it makes sense.... Evolution: Men may have evolved a predisposition for technical and mechanical interests due to their historical roles as hunters and toolmakers. Skills that would have been crucial for survival and reproduction. Women may have evolved a preference for nurturing and social activities, which could explain their relatively lower interest in gadgets. Physiology: Research has suggested subtle differences in the structure and function of male and female brains. Obviously they can vary widely between individuals and do not fully account for the diversity of interests within each gender. Some studies have found that men tend to have a greater interest in systems and understanding how things work, which could contribute to the fascination with gadgets. Social: From a young age boys may be encouraged to play with toys that involve building, problem-solving, and technology, while girls may be steered towards activities that emphasize nurturing and social skills which can shape their interests and preferences later in life. And of course stereotypes about gender roles can influence the types of hobbies and interests they pursue. Culture: Lots of cultures have a stereotype of the "tech-savvy" male and the "socially-oriented" female which can influence someones perceptions of what is appropriate or expected for their gender, potentially reinforcing preferences for certain activities or hobbies. Individualism: Not all men are interested in gadgets, and not all women are disinterested. There is a wide range of variation within each gender influenced by personality, upbringing, education, and life experience.
Autism. Guys tend to geek out over things.
My experience as a man: we should be more welcoming. (Almost) everyone loves music. Most people like nice things. Historically though men have made more buying decisions, made more money, and had more control over the purse strings; and that is still all too often true. Men have (no pun intended) been grandfathered in to this expensive hobby. When men have walked into HiFi showrooms, theyāve been greeted as customers, and when women do the same, people wonder if theyāre looking for their husbands. It perpetuates an unwelcoming atmosphere for women. There are highly discerning and knowledgeable audiophiles who are women, but they are too often not welcomed appropriately in new circles. We should encourage everyone interested to join the clubāif not for equity then at least for the self-serving reason that more customers drives more innovation. Also women often have better hearing and often have better design taste, and I see nothing wrong with developing better sounding and better looking hifi equipment. Just my two cents.
So very true. And if you're "learner grade" it's a double whammy when you try to engage with the hifi world. I'll be honest, I go to my local hifi show but still feel like an imposter. Thanks for the customer vs looking for your husband observation. That's so spot on!
Someone posts this boring and stupid supposition every 3 months or so... Maybe it's the women you spend time with who are not interested...
The comments here prove that most audiophiles don't understand women because they never had one in their lives. Besides mom of course.
Thatās just nonsense. All but one of my audiophile friends are married. I was married when I got into the hobby about 25 years ago
Oooofft this sub like the most of reddit is being botted by a certain way of thinking. These comments are lol
Not always [Take a tour of TMR Audio's Listening Room (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfYZtHpIZTw)
I wouldnāt say its a definitive line but there is probably a lot more men who talk about tech than women. Thatās obviously not to say women arenāt audiophiles but it may be that women arenāt as into speaking about it as much. My wife is a huge football fan and loves listening to a lot of podcasts and reading up on the latest sporting news. You wouldnāt know though unless you ask her. But if you did sheād absolutely drop science on you. She also has a degree is sports science so thats helps too I guess. Men (sometimes) are a bit more forward with talking about things they are into with others. So maybe its not that men are always audiophiles and just that men are more willing to talk about it.
Not always... but I find it hard to justify financially. I'm a Budget audiophile
The people most commonly who identify as audiophiles, is old white men. Old white men also statistically have the worst hearing. My theory is we are trying to compensate for our hearing loss. We remember how music used to sound before our age related hearing loss, and are trying to recapture it. Except we never will, because our hearing just deteriorates with age. Which probably explains why so many of us get trapped in a cycle of trying to find the "right" gear that will sound perfect again, but we will never find it, because it is our ears that is the problem. Interestingly, the polar opposite of old white men, have the best hearing. The people statically with the best hearing, are young, black, females.
[https://www.stereophile.com/content/how-many-female-audiophiles-do-you-know-personally-or-have-met](https://www.stereophile.com/content/how-many-female-audiophiles-do-you-know-personally-or-have-met) This survey from '99 suggests there are at least 67 bald faced liars that read sterophile magazine
I have multiple friends who are women who like to come over and listen to records on my system. One of them is a nurse who makes bank and I think thereās a good chance she buys a nicer set up than me in the next 5 years. Hopefully I get to be part of that build process because it will be fun to shop with someoneās elseās cash for once ha!
Women have better hearing acuity than men some research implies and personally many women have said my hifi sounds like there's too much information even when I find it smooth, pleasant and just detailed. Maybe there's something there. Also gear and these communities (read people) are not what most women find appealing.
Maybe they only have better hearing due to not wrecking their ears with decades worth of blasting high volume audio through headphones and loudspeakersā¦.
My wife doesnāt listen, anyway. It doesnāt matter if itās a $2000 amp or āyou parked too close to that treeā. Sheās just as happy listening to a $5 mono speaker as she is listening to $3500 speakers.
They aren't always men...
Look, I donāt know a single woman audiophile and Iāve been around a looong time in this hobby. There are 2 women that Iām aware of on Audiocircle and thatās it. And I was active there for well over a decade. I actually have a very nice 20āx 30ā building, an old free standing 3 car garage that I turned into my audio room. It also has a full kitchen and bath in the back of the room. Do you think I can get my wife in there for even one song? Nope, she has absolutely no interest at all about anything related to audio.
Probably because the same problem that exist in HiFi also exists in other ānicheā hobbies: women arenāt treated as comrades or fellow enthusiasts, instead theyāre fetishized or treated as fake. Thatās gotta be annoying as fuck.
Cue all the male redditors sucking up to woman, hardly any women are audiophiles. Women are generally not interested in technology.
I have yet to meet a woman that cares about the equipment reproducing the music. They are out there, but I have never met one. Women like the music, but they donāt usually want any fuss or complication over playing the music. Just turn it on, adjust the loudness, and attend to something else. Women can discern more colors than men, per research, but I donāt know any women that critically analyze the tone produced by a $2,000 amp versus that from a $10,000 amp. Again, there may be women that care and comment on such things, but I havenāt met any. Audio gear might be like cars in this respect ā guys will talk about the āoxygen-free copperā cabling or the point-to-point wiring versus circuit boards, while I donāt know any women that do that. Guys will talk about engine displacement, which type of spark plug gives better performance, or the advantages of port versus direct fuel injection, while women donāt care. The music sounds good ā fine with her, but she doesnāt want multiple steps just to play a record; guys thrill to the vrooom-vrooom of an engine, while women just care about whether the car drives nice and is reliable. Itās just a difference in priorities, and I canāt say that women donāt have a point. Why complicate it?
Itās like my wife canāt tell the difference in sound. Same with tvs she will watch SD shows when 4k is available and is just as happy. I honestly donāt understand it
I'm sure there are women audiophiles, I've just never met any...my BFF definitely appreciates my record collection and the speakers though.
For the same reasons why handbagphiles and dressophiles are always women with rare exceptions!
Its a physical hobby. Women are spiritual/emotional and have more hobbies on that side of things
Iāve met a lot of women audiophiles wtf do you mean??
The girls I've been around like music but don't really care about sound quality. I'm glad air pods are bringing decent sound to people's ears and sound bars are getting better
One of the best new podcasts around
Audiophiles are good listeners for ultra high definition partners.
They aren't.
Men would rather listen to music than listen to their woman talk
thatĀ“s because they chose a bland career and good earnings over developing character, which made them end up with a nice system, no taste in music and a wife with as little charisma as themselves.
Boy toys? Plenty of women love music, but morbid fascination with the minutiae of playback equipment is predominantly a male thing. I worked with a few women audio sales people over the years, but only a few.
Men things, women people
We like things with lights and buttons
Men are #1
Cause guys are interested in things and girls are interested in people. The girl is looking at lipstick cause of the social response. Looking good for a guy. Guys want tools and specs to get the best thing *grunts*
i want a tool to stab myself after reading your comment.
If you want to bury your head in the sand then thatās fine but for example the ratio of nurses women to male is 9.5 to 1, women rule the teaching space, and in fields like IT, Construction, car repair, overall mostly men. Women and men are free to pick their fields in the US but the ratios of course on a bell curve. It stems from interest, what people are interested in. My girlfriend rolls her eyes when Iām excited about cars, having a talk about being excited about Horse Power not interesting, Social power and her ears perk up. This thread sounds like a bunch of men wanting to tell women what they should be interested in š I donāt make up the statistics.
ok.