Interpersonal technical stuff and stubborn people that take the expert position but are not experts. This is like a Ann Flanders post!

[AnalogSteph]

Alright. I had words and he said he is slightly bipolar.

Checks out. Folks on the bipolar side can be hard to live with for eccentricities such as these (or worse). It's potentially quite unfortunate for all involved.

Now I must figure out how to handle a bipolar talking machine.

This might be a bit past your pay grade. He may need some professional help.
You can certainly try to apply liberal amounts of negative feedback (Bruno Putzeys style), but not being a psychologist I am not even sure whether this would help, plus you may find this extremely uncomfortable.

 

[DSJR]

Thanks for the replies. I have stated in plain English that I am not interested in the topic(s) anymore that he rants about and then always claims the high ground about. I believe the guy is mentally ill in some way. I've decided to reduce the amount of talk time that enables him to be this way. Initially I thought that maybe he was alone for too long and was extra gabby as a result but as things improved a little in some ways they have degenerated in other ways. This afternoon I used the dinnertime excuse to get away from his constant talking.

Uhuh Uhuh... is a imitation of me doing the conversational nod and saying "Uhuh."

There are some people here at ASR that come and go that are this way but I am able to filter them out and they don't bother me like a in-person thing does.

I am now thinking this guy simply likes to hear himself talk and is oblivious to those he is talking to/at.

Does his sound system play music well? That's all that's important really

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

After I was unable to clearly identify even the 128 kbit/s MP3 in a blind test with headphones, I thought for a long time that my poor hearing or inadequate equipment was the cause. Thanks to ASR, I now know that the threshold for sufficiently good (aka transparent) music playback (in terms of hardware/software and source formats) is much lower than the industry, test magazines and especially influencers on YouTube would have us believe. This industry and many hi-fi enthusiasts keep users (=themselves) in an endless cycle of dissatisfaction by always touting the next big thing.
As soon as you are no longer susceptible to this psychological tactic, you become satisfied with the equipment that is available. I now know that no matter how much I invest in even the smallest details from this point on, the (Pareto) optimum in terms of hi-fi has been achieved in my rooms. Cheap in-ear headphones on my cell phone are sufficient, as is Spotify music playback.
But changing the cables, considering a DAC with a tube preamp or similar mumbo jumbo? I will not consider it again...

The psychophysical factors are very important. What you're actually able to hear is really the most important thing. I can understand wanting to have the best device available if you're a serious gear hobbyist. In many cases performance beyond a certain level can't be perceived. Our Subaru is a good car. It handles nicely and accelerates well enough to reach freeway speeds safely. The seats are comfortable and the AC works. You can buy a lot better car than ours. The Subaru suits us fine.

 

[Timcognito]

Get off the subject of audio immediately and onto the subject of how animated one-side incessant conversation among friends is not not cool. As soon as he plays the bipolar card mention that you encourage him to some professional help or he may loose friends and suffer bouts of depression. I and others had similar problem with an otherwise ambitious and talented coworker that clearly needed help and it is important to sense when they are approachable, there are chemical things inside them going on that will not allow them to shut it off. The pendulum swings both ways so when they wind down or apologize for a bad incident, then is the time to help.

 

[Platypus20]

When this happens to me, I usually interject with the gory details of a recently viewed roadkill, I get a strange look and they meander off to another location

 

[whereisbrian]

If it's really a true friend, you have to forgive him, it's not a easy way, but i think the best one.

 

[napfkuchen]

The psychophysical factors are very important. What you're actually able to hear is really the most important thing. I can understand wanting to have the best device available if you're a serious gear hobbyist. In many cases performance beyond a certain level can't be perceived. Our Subaru is a good car. It handles nicely and accelerates well enough to reach freeway speeds safely. The seats are comfortable and the AC works. You can buy a lot better car than ours. The Subaru suits us fine.

I've read this comparison several times and think it's a bit flawed. The problem is perception. A 100 euro DAC is transparent and fulfills its function 99.9% (100% can perhaps be achieved in the price range up to 300 euros). It's not just "fine" but (near) perfect. Things look significantly different with your Subaru or my Skoda. For example, in terms of comfort, an S-Class with active, ventilated massage seats, air suspension, DSP-controlled sound system, draft-free/quiet air conditioning and all sorts of extras for noise insulation is on a completely different level. So I see - to an extent - that more expensive products offer more performance, comfort etc.
Hifi products for absurd prices, on the other hand, hardly justify their price at all (especially the electronics) but rather are part of a largely esoteric and religious substitute (of course with exceptions).
From this it can be deduced that a reasonable discussion with hi-fi believers is difficult / impossible, similar to other cult followers. When the Jehovah's Witnesses ring my doorbell again, I point out to them that there is only room for 144,000 in heaven and instead promote membership with the Satanists.

 

[JustJones]

Who's Ann Flanders?

 

[NTK]

Who's Ann Flanders?

I think OP meant Ann Landers.

 

[JayGilb]

Dunning Kruger Syndrome

 

[JustJones]

I think OP meant Ann Landers.

I forgot about her. Probably so. I googled Ann Flanders and came up with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Flanders and couldn't make a connection.

 

[Philbo King]

I have a friend that is a ranting technophile that knows little to nothing about audio electronics, audio files and what sounds good and why and he constantly rants and raves about flac files and MP3 being inferior as he listens to 50 year old crappy recordings and claims flac is so much better and look at his topping DAC sampling rate display and how it is so great. He is so unapproachable about facts and figures and rants about facts and figures that he imagines are superior. I have relegated myself to doing the, "Uhu Uhu" thing in effort and hope that the subject will simply pass by. I am near my wits end on the stuff and am becoming very annoyed at his arrogance, rudeness and persistence while using ridiculous analogies to describe electronics and software stuff. I am a polite guy that does not like confrontation and every time I attempt to state facts and figures he gets aggressive and overbearing. How is this experience for you peeps and how do you handle this sort of interpersonal rubbish? I mean we do it everyday here @ ASR but when it is in person it's a whole different dynamic and more annoying. I actually left his pad today with the excuse that I need dinner because I needed to get away. >@^_^@<

For me, the correct response would involve walking away and not looking back. YMMV

 

[Doodski]

Does his sound system play music well? That's all that's important really

The music is mostly second rate recordings and as such the gear sounds not up to it's capabilities.

 

[Doodski]

If it's really a true friend, you have to forgive him, it's not a easy way, but i think the best one.

I am truly trying to accommodate and understand.

 

[Doodski]

Dunning Kruger Syndrome

This fits.
"The rational model holds that overly positive prior beliefs about one's skills are the source of false self-assessment."

He is annoyingly confident and braggy about that. To a fault.

 

[Doodski]

For me, the correct response would involve walking away and not looking back. YMMV

I've considered it but I'm trying to train him. I have succeeded in some small ways but the big amount of information from me to him about how he gets annoying is coming and I have no idea what reception I'm going to get. So I'm waiting for a good moment to bring it up.

 

[DSJR]

The music is mostly second rate recordings and as such the gear sounds not up to it's capabilities.

HAH! Much of my music taste is anything BUT 'audiophile' quality, but I just don't care. A really well sorted system doesn't make mincemeat of less than stellar recordings and sometimes, by cluttering the reproduction less, can help a listener dive more easily into the music mix through the production quality.

 

[JeremyFife]

You can't change someone else's behaviour, just decide if you will accept it or not.

If their behaviour is upsetting to you, you can walk away - literally or metaphorically - or tell them. They don't need to listen.

Do they mean well, are they deliberately antagonistic to you? Are they just strange, difficult to get on with? Perhaps over time you will come to a better mutual understanding.

Long way of saying that sometimes you just have to live and let live.

 

[restorer-john]

I've considered it but I'm trying to train him. I have succeeded in some small ways but the big amount of information from me to him about how he gets annoying is coming and I have no idea what reception I'm going to get. So I'm waiting for a good moment to bring it up.

Trying to train him, huh? So, a sort of pet project of yours to bring him in from the dark side? Some people don't need or want to see the light - they're happy in their delusions.

 

[Doodski]

Do they mean well

Yes, he demonstrably shows good faith and trust.

Are they just strange, difficult to get on with?

Yes and yes. Mostly he is so opinionated and so proud of himself that he does not listen well and simply interjects with some rubbish.