Men Only!??
It has struck me reading the forums, attending shows etc, just how much a male dominated 'hobby' the world of hi-fi seems to be. I'm not saying there are no women interested, but its dominace of interest by men can't be denied. I'm guessing its the gadget syndrome that is stereotyped as being a male thing and thus includes hi-fi and is something that most women don't seem to have an appeal with. I know there are lots of females out there who also appreciate music played though a decent hi-fi set up, a case in point being Clare, editor of What Hi-fi, and perhaps Clare, you can let us know whats makes you different to most women and makes you appreciate this hobby. I think I'm right in saying (correct me if I'm wrong) that you are the first female editor of the magazine, but as we all know we value your advice each month and therefore it makes no differencre to 'us men' that there are women who know just as much, if not more about hi-fi than we do.
I'm sure a lot of people on this forum will have a female partner (myself included) who would be more than happy listening to their CD's though a £200 mini system sitting on the book shelf and think it sounded good enough, without having to spend £2000 on specialist equipment to get the 'same effect'!
So where are all these women and do you have husbands and partners who can't understand why you want to upgrade your perfectly good marantz amp to a grands worth made by some odd company called Naim!
It's male dominated interest, but surely women's hearing appreciate good sound as well. Or maybe a new pair of shoes is more important! (see, reamined PC right until the end and then spoilt it with the last comment!!)
Well of course, I'm not saying Clare probably hasn't actually said at one time or another that her new pair of shoes actually matches her amp in colour and that it wasn't intentional for it to match, but that would illustrate her enthusiasm, and prove a good case for women in the hi-fi world...(I think!)
Don't forget the bloody handbags!!!!!
I've been reliably 'educated' that every new pair of shoes she buys........... requires a matching handbag to compliment them!
I've since used this logic to explain that my new Onk 875 ...........REQUIRED a matching set of KEF3005SE's to compliment them!!! 
Her logic, her rules........... I win!!!!
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I think you might be right Andrew. (note to self: Only post threads on the forum, that are genuinely about hi-fi. Keep all other thoughts to yourself!!)
Men Only ? Thought they'd have gone out of business years ago, with all the free stuff on the net.
Oh, you meant something different...
The problem is that now I'm really intrigued - does Clare have a pair of shoes that matches her amp in colour?????? I mean I do, but it's unintentional and largely blackness related. My amp does sound better than my shoes though.
I have so many pairs of shoes, they could make amps in just about every colour and i'd be sorted 
But seriously, I know plenty of women who love music and films and are interested in them, rather than the delivery equipment - however, if they can be sold the experience, not the products, i think you'd get a lot more of them interested. Don't talk features, show benefits (which is what we try and do, and will be doing more of).
As for me, I was brought up in a music and movie-mad household, with a gadget-bonkers Dad that had to have the latest kit - that was a lot of hand-me-downs to play with...
such as?
I have so many pairs of shoes, they could make amps in just about every colour and i'd be sorted
But seriously, I know plenty of women who love music and films and are interested in them, rather than the delivery equipment - however, if they can be sold the experience, not the products, i think you'd get a lot more of them interested. Don't talk features, show benefits (which is what we try and do, and will be doing more of).
I am blessed with a wife that understands - so the plasma we have is a boon to both of us for both watching movies (that she falls asleep in) and for making more of the room usable.
The KEF 2005s and the DSP A5 were a mutual decision and seriously appreciated by both of us. The DSP A1 wasn't exactly however...
She didn't object to me spending 250 quid on a cartridge (although she might now we have kids). (Actually you know she likes diamonds so why shouldn't I? Just 'cause the format's different...)
For this and many other things, I'm in danger of going way too sloppy 
My girlfriend didn't really understand why I decided to upgrade this time around until she saw and heard it all in action. I'm sure she isn't really that fussed but she can definitely appreciate the difference. It was a major breakthrough when she asked for some "decent" headphones for Christmas to replace her rubbish freebie ones that came with the MP3 player.
She's also resigned to my insisting on a "cinema" room in the next house. )
Claire,you sound like a pretty cool girl to me,I personally don`t know any women like you who are bothered how music sounds/films look.Please can you come over to my house and explain to my wife why I`ve upgraded to blu-ray and hddvd?She doesn`t care how good films look as long as she can watch them.By the way,are you married and do you like football?Talk to you soon mate.
Sorry, but I don't do house-calls! I would, however, suggest you let her choose a specific favourite movie of hers - if she's watching something she really enjoys, it looking great is bound to appeal (and win brownie points for you and the system).
By the way,are you married and do you like football.
Yes and yes (and sport in general - especially rugby and Formula 1. Looking forward to the Olympics, too!)
Does your husband share your enthusiasm for hi-fi Clare, or do you have to put on his favourite CD or movie to get him to appriciate your latest purchase??
Don't get Clare started on shoes...
Consulting Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision/whathifi.com Audio Editor, Gramophone