Female audiophiles on YouTube, sign the audiophile community could be becoming more diverse?

[slaweks]

This subjectivist and objectivist debate feels like an internecine war, which no-one outside the audiophile community cares about. We both sides have a lot more in common with each other than with non-audiophiles. There's an element like alcoholics anonymous when people change from one side to the other and become like tee-totallers in relation to their previous beliefs. Maybe there is also an emotional/religious element to the sides we gravitate towards as some of the most subjectivist people I've debated with are engineers with a formal education.



I don't think the audiophile community is intentionally sexist. It's just we have developed an extreme gender skew which creates additional barriers. There's a lot of similar communities like the knitting/sewing community which are almost completely female. That becomes a barrier itself for men who might be interested in knitting.

There are no barriers, or they could be easily overcome. The fact is that men and women are different, women (generally, on average) prefer to spend their time interacting with humans and not doing the 21st REW scan of a new speakers arrangements. These differences (men preference for dealing with things and women preference for human interactions) are natural, inborn, they can be detected with one week old babies - girls' eyes follow human face much more than say keys. The differences in brain activity can be detected even before birth, in fetuses. Female fetuses exposes to unnaturally high amount of testosterone (due to some mother problems) are much more likely to become engineers etc.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

There are no barriers, or they could be easily overcome. The fact is that men and women are different, women (generally, on average) prefer to spend their time interacting with humans and not doing the 21st REW scan of a new speakers arrangements. These differences (men preference for dealing with things and women preference for human interactions) are natural

Those innatist arguments don't explain the gender skews between the knitting community and woodworking or audiophile/DIY speaker building community. Knitting is a solidarity activity which is based on practical skills it's not a more social activity than being an audiophile or DIY enthusiast. There are traditionally more male physical outdoor activities like the gardening community which have a gender balance now. There are historically more female indoor activities like the cooking community which have a significant ratio of men in their community.

, inborn, they can be detected with one week old babies - girls' eyes follow human face much more than say keys. The differences in brain activity can be detected even before birth, in fetuses. Female fetuses exposes to unnaturally high amount of testosterone (due to some mother problems) are much more likely to become engineers etc.

You could give a hormonal-developmental explanation for particular types of thinking. As we all know the audiophile community has a diverse range of attitudes, thinking styles and personality types. We have a wide range of personality types, people from different educational backgrounds, emotional types and logical types, social people and solitary people, just an extreme gender skew and generational skew (few younger people).

 

[AdrianusG]

It's not a hopeful sign if we can't discuss about getting diversity of people into the audiophile community without immediately needing to 'close the thread' or argue about sexism. We should be able to discuss how to improve the community and appeal to a wider set of people without getting into politics?

I agree,

Cancel culture, if you want to call that a culture at all, is at least to me, one of the most toxic events of the last 15 or so years,
difference of opinion? cancel the person or group, because obviously only ours is the correct one, yegg
people who are openly Racist/Sexist will out themselves anyways.

 

[Rednaxela]

It's not a hopeful sign if we can't discuss about getting diversity of people into the audiophile community without immediately needing to 'close the thread'. We should be able to discuss how to improve the community and appeal to a wider set of people without getting into politics?

But diversity is politics right?

 

[Leejb1970]

People also too quick to put a label on someone’s opinion. Sexist, racist, xenophobic etc. Lazy.

 

[TheBatsEar]

It's not a hopeful sign if we can't discuss about getting diversity of people into the audiophile community without immediately needing to 'close the thread'

It's because if i told you my personal believes, someone would start a struggle session and call me a misogynist boomer idiot, as can be read in this very thread before.

I then would defend myself, get my ass banned and the misandrist pigs would have won.

 

[recycle]

From what I have noticed, the audiophile world is made up exclusively of senior people, generally men, dripping with sexist stereotypes of the past. The new generations (no matter what gender they are) are not very interested in hi-fi, I think because it is a very expensive hobby

 

[Deleted member 21114]

People also too quick to put a label on someone’s opinion. Sexist, racist, xenophobic etc. Lazy.

I'm genuinely interested as to how you intended

Bugger that. They're already invading our football coverage in the UK.

to be understood?

 

[antcollinet]

But diversity is politics right?

Why? It doesn't need to be. It shouldn't be.

Celebrating diversity is not a political act. Encouraging diversity (or at least discouraging the behaviours that inhibit it) in an activity - or in a forum - is not a political act. It is simply about treating others - especially "others who are not like me" with respect.

 

[Keith_W]

From what I have noticed, the audiophile world is made up exclusively of senior people, generally men, dripping with sexist stereotypes of the past. The new generations (no matter what gender they are) are not very interested in hi-fi, I think because it is a very expensive hobby

Been to a hi-fi show lately? I went to one a few months ago. I don't have the exact demographics of who showed up. But I saw a lot of young people there and quite a few women, who weren't necessarily there to accompany their husbands/bf's, etc. The younger people were mostly clustered around the headphone section of the show. There were a few women who showed up alone (I think?) and were going from room to room for a listen. The gender balance was still 80% male at the very least, and most of the women were there to accompany their partners (maybe to stop them from buying stupid things as is our tendency if someone wasn't around to say no!).

I also have a few friends whom I met in an Australian forum who are in their early 30's, who are stepping from headphones into home systems. The next generation of audio enthusiasts definitely exists.

 

[Deleted member 21114]

Been to a hi-fi show lately? I went to one a few months ago. I don't have the exact demographics of who showed up. But I saw a lot of young people there and quite a few women, who weren't necessarily there to accompany their husbands/bf's, etc. The younger people were mostly clustered around the headphone section of the show.

The future is headphones. Pity, as I can't stand them. Pity for my neighbours too.

 

[fpitas]

The future is headphones. Pity, as I can't stand them. Pity for my neighbours too.

Headphones were a thing when I was in high school. You don't want to know when that was

 

[Rednaxela]

The next generation of audio enthusiasts definitely exists.

I read sexists.



Sorry. I'll see myself out.

 

[TheBatsEar]

The future is headphones.

Have they solved that the stereo image is about 9cm wide and behind your eyes in your head with existing stereo material?

 

[Deleted member 21114]

Have they solved that the stereo image is about 9cm wide and behind your eyes in your head with existing stereo material?

With the current strides in DSP, psychoacoustics, metamaterials and fancy cables we have managed to attain an 11cm wide image near the hypothalamus.
No progress on sweaty, squashed ears though.

 

[coonmanx]

From what I have noticed, the audiophile world is made up exclusively of senior people, generally men, dripping with sexist stereotypes of the past. The new generations (no matter what gender they are) are not very interested in hi-fi, I think because it is a very expensive hobby

Or maybe they have been convinced that music sounds great on a "smart speaker"...

LOL.

And now you have people who actually believe that a guy who was on a show where he made people eat deer dicks is actually an intelligent human being. Yeah I am talking about Joe Rogan and his utter nonsense that he spews...

Idiocracy is real...

 

[coonmanx]

Also, let's face it. Even though I used to wait salivating for the next copy of Stereo Review to show up... I now realize that it was just an advertising rag and nothing more.

 

[617]

If I had a good social life in my late 20s I doubt I would know anything about audio to be honest. Now that I'm creating a more active social life after the pandemic, my interest in audio discussion had dropped.

 

[wunderkind]

Good! There is hope for future hifi events becoming less of a sausage fest.

I think younger gens prefer convenience and to certain extent minimalism. I read somewhere that many young people no longer want to own vehicles as they perceive these sort of things as indulgence and incompatible with climate change.

 

[Leejb1970]

I'm genuinely interested as to how you intended

to be understood?

I'm genuinely interested as to how you intended

to be understood?

I wasn't looking to be understood. If it takes explaining then it's above your head.