Reader Patrick Calley emailed me this gem "A few years ago I visited a dealer to audition the Wilson Sofia loudspeaker. He told me it was on loan to a very good customer who was interested in buying them, for an in-home audition. Three visits later, over the course of a few weeks, the speaker still "on loan" to this customer, I asked why it was taking so long. The dealer's reply, 'he's trying to convince himself he likes them".
Of course this has nothing to do with the Wilson's which, I assume, are great loudspeakers as most of Dave's stuff is. But I find it interesting because how many times has this happened to you? It has certainly happened to me. It happens with food I am wary of, cars I should like, clothes that should fit me, and yes, of course, music that everyone else is raving about and I sit listening and scratching my head.
Sometimes this feeling is, in my experience, absolutely valid and worthy of sticking with it to make sure. Your expectations are one thing and what you're getting is quite something else. Change your expectations or validate your senses? I can recall a friend of mine telling me the best move she'd ever watched was Christopher Guest's Best in show. I watched it and scratched my head. Why? Because I didn't realize it was a tongue in cheek mockumentary. I now consider it one of my all time favorites but only after changing my expectations.
The customer who was trying to convince himself to like the Wilson's was, of course, reacting to the dealer and the world telling him these are the best speakers. But it wasn't working for him.
If you're clear about your expectations and a product doesn't meet them, it's ok. Just make sure the two are aligned before you throw the baby out with the bathwater.
