[pete s]

I have only had my current hi-fi set-up for a short while, but I am having thoughts about selling up and downsizing. I really enjoy my Roksan Caspian M1 CD and integrated amp, with PMC GB1i speakers. In my modest sized front room it gives a very pleasing, rich and detailed sound. I love it, but with a small baby now in the house, quality music listening time is rare and I am fearful of damage being sustained once junior is on the move!

I have now started thinking about selling up. Ultimately I would like to keep this set-up, but I can see it suffering, or being put into storage, only to come out of hiding again when the little’un has grown up a bit. This would be a shame, so selling it on, raising some funds and downsizing to something compact which can sit up on a shelf somewhere, is a possibility.

What have others done about their precious hi-fi when there are ankle-biters in the house?

I bought my gear knowing that we were expecting our first child, but I didn’t really think too far ahead and the prospect of damage etc worries me more than I thought it would.

[Don Dadda]

Ah ha! The Little HiFi Terrorist syndrome.

a) Never leave the little one with the hifi alone at any time.
b) No flashing /blinking lights anywhere on the setup. It only attracts them
c) Keep speaker grills on at all times.
d) When the ability to crawl and walk comes to them, resort to a)
e) Give the 'I'm the Daddy' look when they are anywhere near the setup
f) If e) does not work then give the 'I'm the Daddy' sound (this can resorts in tears as they think they are in trouble but is usually effective and they soon learn the hifi is out of bounds.
g) Always be 1 step ahead.
f) In the mornings, get up before they do and secure your terrority until they learn the hifi is out of bounds
i) Some has used fireplace grills to protect their kit, I never needed to. The Daddy look and sound has always worked for me but depending on how stubborn one's child can be it could be worth considering.


It is a ongoing process, the older they get, the braver the become, as my 4 going on 40 yr old child sometimes plays she don't hear, but i shall not be broken and nor will my kit

Or you sell your kit and look to rebuild once the little one is of the age of understanding.

[amcluesent]

Put the kit on wall-mounted frame (i.e. Apollo TT2), sell on speakers and get PMC db1i on wall brackets for next 8 years(!).

[SirDoss]

Don Dadda's a - i advice is spot on, I did all those things with my first little one. They do eventually get to a point where they know not to touch. Leaving speaker grills on is probably the most important bit of advice, I left mine off once, luckily the centre of the speaker managed to pop back out after the little one pushed it in and did no lasting damage. My lesson was quickly learned.

I'm just about to start it all over again as we had another little one last week.

[Just Old]

I have to say take no notice of anyone who posts with advice here on this subjest.
There is only one way to go.....

SELL THE BABY...
simple as that.........

[Don Dadda]

Originally Posted by Don Dadda

Or you sell your kit and look to rebuild once the little one is of the age of understanding.

On 2nd thoughts that's a bit extreme and i can't say that i would resort to that. They will just have to learn and adjust.

Originally Posted by Just Old

I have to say take no notice of anyone who posts with advice here on this subjest.
There is only one way to go.....

SELL THE BABY...
simple as that.........

.. stitches..can't breath for laughing

Oh Lordy... ...That's extreme to a completely different level.

[Mr_Sukebe]

Similar to Don's, but a few additions:
- Have a pair of speakers too tall to climb on and too heavy to push over, in my case a pair of floorstanders that work best against a wall
- One of my speakers cannot be reached easiely, I put a kickboxing pad against the front of the other to protect it from toy cars and similar
- The main stereo unit stand is one side of the sofa, with a coffee table again preventing easy access
- KEEP THE GRILLS ON

In short, nothing is easy to get to, and by the time mine was old enough to climb and get to it, he understood only too well what was an wasn't his toys. Never had an issue.

[Don Dadda]

Originally Posted by SirDoss

I'm just about to start it all over again as we had another little one last week.

Congrats

[amcluesent]

Also, note the cost of repairs. When they start asking for pocket money, you can bring out the invoices and say it's all going to repay their debts. Harsh but fair.

[BlueWizard]

Also keep in mind, that is it not just speakers. Unless everything is bolted down, kids can pull TV over on themselves. They can pull over chest of draws. They can pull over bookcases. Misc knick-knacks and assorted objects can be pull off of counter tops and shelves. They can pull lamps over on themselves subjecting them to burn and possible electrocution. Poisons? Household Cleaners? Electrical Outlets? and a hundred other things most of us don't even think of.

It is a dangerous world, far better to teach kids to confront and deal with danger than to try to isolate and insulate them from it.

Steve/bluewizard

[rorackowe]

Sold my floorstanders for bookshelf + sub, all kit in cabinets behind doors (Ikea besta) attached to the wall. Bought S master pro stereo amp as it doesn't get as warm.

[mykyll2727]

Originally Posted by SirDoss

I'm just about to start it all over again as we had another little one last week.

Congratulations on the new addition to your family!!!!

[pete s]

Thanks for the suggestions and discussion chaps. There are times when selling the baby is an appealing option! :D Seriously though, I think my separates are generally out of harms way (well, for the first couple of years anyway), but it is the speakers that worry me more. They are resonably weighty floorstanders, but will wobble with a bit of a shove. Grilles will most definately be staying on and I did considering wrapping them in some sort of padding, although this is going to look a bit daft in the front room!

[Atchi123]

I am in exactly the same situation with a 8 month old not far off becoming a hifi hazard
My prized gloss black CM7's are front of mind, are there any solutions to tether the floorstanders to the floor or wall? The cones can be protected by covers but my main concern is the speakers getting pushed/pulled over onto the little one.

[BlueWizard]

Just a thought, one member of the forum, who didn't have problems in general, one day discovered his kid were storing their small toys in his bass ports. Though once the fell into the speakers, they were very hard to recover. I think he opened his speakers for some reason and discovered a cache of small cars and other tidbits inside.

Steve/bluewizard

[Atchi123]

just thinking, what about some standmount speakers on filled stands....if you filled the stands with something exceptionally dense then they would be "hopefully" immovable. What could you use for that? I know sandbags are the typical thing that is used.

[Dazzor]

I was/am in the same boat. My little boy is now 14 months old, he can get to almost anything now...so seperates behind a cabinet door was the only option. He started walking about 2½ months ago.

I sold my Roksan Caspian M-1 amp, XTZ 99.25 front-3 and Rega DAC.

I still have my Yamaha Z7 and modest 4.1 system and have managed to kid-proof it. (Don's list is right on the money, IMO too)

I needed the cash for a house-purchase but the other reason for selling the hi-fi was simply because I don't get anywhere near enough time to enjoy it.

So although my passion is stereo hifi I sold it and kept the more in-use HT kit.

On the flip side it now means I can lust after new kit until I can afford it again and also consider new options like actives fronted with something like the MDAC. My other lusting is for a really nice secondhand power amp like a Meridain 557 or the less common 559 and a nice pre and stay with passives...who knows. The unknown factor is nice in a way; having a blank canvas and starting again is an exciting prospect for me.

My main goal now is a dedicated little outbuilding in the garden...I can dream

[Dazzor]

Originally Posted by Atchi123

just thinking, what about some standmount speakers on filled stands....if you filled the stands with something exceptionally dense then they would be "hopefully" immovable. What could you use for that? I know sandbags are the typical thing that is used.

I was using little Z2 soundstyle for my XTZ99.25's and they were really top-heavy.

I used blu-tac to keep the speakers on the stands and when my little boy arrived and swaped the floor-spikes for screws and screwed them into the floorboards....Job done.

[Dav1dF]

Originally Posted by pete s

I have now started thinking about selling up. Ultimately I would like to keep this set-up, but I can see it suffering, or being put into storage, only to come out of hiding again when the little’un has grown up a bit. This would be a shame, so selling it on, raising some funds and downsizing to something compact which can sit up on a shelf somewhere, is a possibility.

How about the 'wireless' Dynaudio Xeo3 bookshelf speakers? Granted, they need their own power point, but that aside there's no other cables to the speakers - the system can be placed anywhere you like. The transmitter sits with your source - whether that be a streamer or something - it doesn't have to be anywhere hear the speakers.

Just a thought

[cornish]

i was thinking last night.... what if.... what would i do? was thinking that maybe i'd have those stairgates on every door with the lounge/listening room being off limits regarding leaving the carpet commando alone... lucky for us, we don't want kids but it's impossible to plan for the unexpected.

[Dazzor]

Originally Posted by cornish

i was thinking last night.... what if.... what would i do? was thinking that maybe i'd have those stairgates on every door with the lounge/listening room being off limits regarding leaving the carpet commando alone... lucky for us, we don't want kids but it's impossible to plan for the unexpected.

Answered your own question I'd say

Forget all about ideal strategies in front of having kids; they all falter. Just my experience.

Adapting in situ, that's how it worked for me. And like I said, it's not even about protecting your kit as much as having the time or oppotunity to listen to it. Again, just my experience.

[cjohnson6]

I lost the stylus off my SME Sure V15 combo and had an AR speaker topple of its stand ( after it got covered in chocolate ). I have to agree with the ' sell the baby ' view.. they only get more expensive.

Seriously, if you sell the kit now, you'll never be able to find the funds to replace it. Kids are Sooo expensive..

My opinion.. keep what you got and look after it!

[cornish]

Originally Posted by cjohnson6

Seriously, if you sell the kit now, you'll never be able to find the funds to replace it. Kids are Sooo expensive..

some kids are expensive even when they have grown up!

Originally Posted by Dazzor

Adapting in situ, that's how it worked for me.

that obviously didn't involve changing the locks and serving the divorce papers in hospital then!

[Don Dadda]

Originally Posted by cornish

some kids are expensive even when they have grown up!

Including when they have supposedly left home

[Don Dadda]

Originally Posted by Dazzor

...it's not even about protecting your kit as much as having the time or oppotunity to listen to it. Again, just my experience.

I hear that. when i get home, the little one at full strength and raring to go So when she gone to bed, i get my time but i'm usually passed out on the sofa by the time the 1st track has ended.

[cornish]

Originally Posted by Don Dadda

Including when they have supposedly left home

i'm 40 and my mum would be scared to death if i told her i just bought a motorbike! she was glad when i changed it for a car in my teens after passing a driving test.

they never stop worrying. we had some home improvements last year and it cost more than expected... without asking my dad offered to give me the money. i didn't take up the offer, although suggested he should use the money to buy himself a nice hifi which unfortunately he hasn't done.

Originally Posted by cjohnson6

.

Seriously, if you sell the kit now, you'll never be able to find the funds to replace it.

well not until you are retired. the stairgates are much cheaper. along with close supervision. a lot less costly than replacement later in life or repairs in the near future if you leave a toddler alone with intriguing things that are irresistible to touch.

[andydav66]

A bit radical but I went for divorce so my hifi could breath again, no more hiding in the corner out of the way and listening with headphones. Only one day a week when 'the wiggles' takeover. Seriously if you have the space find a spare room with smaller speakers or a shed with child proof locks.

[tonyrees687]

Keep your kit and train the rugrats. If you downsize now you will be dissapointed. Its worth paying for repairs if damage has happened. I downgraded because of kids and have never had the same since, the money always goes elsewhere. Even if you do come in to a little windfall its almost impossible to spend it on your self it allways goes on the family. You got some nice kit keep it.

[pete s]

I forgot that I'd posted this up some time ago. Well my thoughts have changed from thinking about selling up, or downsizing, to sod it, the kit stays and junior will just have to be educated to respect Daddy's stuff!

In fact, far from getting rid, I'm considering upgrading my speakers - what do you think are the chances of selling this to the Mrs on account of a new pair being heavier and therefore less likely to be toppled by the little'un?

[tonyrees687]

Stay strong keep a big smile and do the dishes once in a while. No probs