I have learnt a lot of useful technical stuff in these threads over the last few weeks. Sincere thanks to the many helpful posters. You know who you are.
But technical info has its limits, and what is notably missing is advice on the equally critical subject of sub psychology. My effort follows. This is going to get a bit rambling and technical, so anyone easily bored should stop reading now.
Firstly, note that I’m not referring here to the science of psychoacoustics: the study of the relationship between perceived sound quality and the listener’s understanding of the system’s cost. No. I’m referring to a matter of acute and general practical application. I’m talking about WAF, or SWMBO-friendliness. Call it what you will, it can make or break a system, and standard textbooks are woefully silent on the subject.
Let’s start with names. Names are important and need careful thought. An ill-thought-out name can spanner a sub. I’m looking at
you BK… An example might help here:
guy: “I thought we might get a new sub, for those deep notes that enliven music and provide movies with that extra sensory dimension.”
swmbo: “Good idea, which one are you thinking of?”
guy: *enthusiastically* “It’s called a Monolith; you should see the spec. – fantastic value and...”
swmbo: “No.”
guy: *puzzled* “You don’t understand; wait ‘til you see the graphs, proper bass down to 20 Hz and moves a shedload of…”
swmbo: “Just, no.”
And there you have it. You’ve blown it. No way back; or if there is, it will cost you. Big time.
Yet the outcome was readily avoidable by thinking through the psychological basics. What image does the name ‘Monolith’ call to mind? Yep, a massive, black, field-of-vision-dominating obelisk surrounded by a bunch of prancing apes tossing bones about while
Also sprach Zarathustra belts out from the skies.
You see: powerful, great-value sub and beer-glass support. She sees: monstrous lump surrounded by ape poo.
I have often wondered about the custom in some societies of having multiple names for the same person. From the biblical ‘Thomas, who was also known as Didymus…Simon, who was also known as Wayne’ and so forth, to modern Arabic: ‘Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen’. Why do they do that? Why can’t they have just one name?
Then I remembered that I know two blokes called Bob. That is what they call themselves and that is what others call them. Except for their wives, who call them ‘Rob’. This can be a bit awkward when phoning: “Hi, is Bob in?” *coldly* “I’ll see if
Rob is about… Robbie…phone…!”
There are guy-names and girl-names, and a mix-up can have bad consequences. Clearly, Bob is a guy-name and Rob is a girl-name. No offence to Robs out there – I guess you get plenty of women.
Which brings us back to the Monolith. It’s transparently clear what the problem is here, and – equally clear – what the solution is. Imagine for a moment that the sub had a different name, perhaps Molly, Mopsy or Midget. What a difference a name makes! Let’s re-run the discussion, and introduce a new idea:
guy: “I thought we might get a new sub, for those deep notes that enliven music and provide movies with that extra sensory dimension.”
swmbo: “Good idea, which one are you thinking of?”
guy: “I’m not sure; it’s down to a choice of a Velodyne Behemoth or a BK Munchkin. What do you think..?”
swmbo: *decisively* “Let’s go for the Munchkin.”
guy: *enthusiastically* “Great choice, it’s less than half the price of a Behemoth!”
Result – everybody happy!
Whether manufacturers of subs want to go to the trouble of designing separate guy-catalogues and girl-catalogues for their products is a matter for them to decide. But even without this useful approach by manufacturers it is clear that the right presentation can make all the difference. Note the new dimension of choice – the final decision lay with the stronger sex and she was all the happier for it.
Now – and I can’t stress this too highly – the techniques outlined herein are not to be undertaken lightly. If you are going to try them out it is imperative that you plan for how you will handle the moment when the product is finally unveiled in your home. I will not be held responsible for marital break-ups or dis-harmony brought about by planning failure.
This thread has rambled long enough. I will address tactics for the key product-delivery/installation moment later. Good luck, and good listening.