Andrewp wrote:all youve done now is create more uncertainty about how I get one of these things across the line with the ''war office''
At least you got as far as planning for one
After almost 50 years of marriage, I can honestly say that my wife's been amazingly tolerant of my interests. We (OK - "we") designed and built our house to accommodate some of them. The only furniture in the living room for 3 or 4 years was my grand piano. We had dozens of fine guitars and amplifiers, and cameras from Leica to Rollei. We had a coffee station in the kitchen, and I had an espresso machine in my office. We had a full machine shop in an alcove in the garage (with MIG, TIG, gas, lathe, mill, presses, bending brake) in which I built or restored about 40 vintage and race cars. We had a library/listening room that was home to dozens of high end audio pieces over the years. The only thing she really balked at was the Infinity Reference Standards - I got them in the door, but they left again within a year or so. I think she was intimidated by speakers that were bigger than she is. [SPOILER: DON'T FEEL BAD FOR HER - SHE HAD HER OWN "COLLECTIONS". THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT I COULD AND DID RESELL STUFF TO PAY FOR MORE. SHE JUST GOT MORE.]
But when I started talking about machines like those you're looking at, she was less than overjoyed - especially once we knew we'd be retiring and downsizing soon. Now that we've been retired and in an apartment for a few years, it's clear to both of us (for different reasons, of course) that my ECM is probably as serious a piece of coffee kit as we'll ever have. I hope those of you who can adopt machines like Slayer, Speedster, Synesso etc can enjoy them as much as possible, even if it's only for a brief dalliance. The coffee probably won't be any better than you can make with a good prosumer machine, but the experience is well worth the cost to me!
I even bought a few machines from closed coffee shops and restaurants, but they all had logos or other trappings of commerce. This can be a downer too, when seeking approval - but sometimes it's the only way to afford something extravagant. I had a friend who'd always wanted an S class Benz but couldn't swing a purchase or traditional lease (the alimony and child support were killing him). He got a really great deal on an almost new S380 and picked it up before telling me about it. When I saw it, I realized why he didn't tell me the whole story - he bought it at auction after the feds confiscated it from a gentleman whose business was providing helpful women to men who needed special attention. The good news is that it had enough chrome on it so you could comb your hair in front of almost any surface.
