Do I have any idea what I am talking about? Well, you would probably assume that I am not married, and you would be correct. But, I do have a very steady girlfriend, and I live what I preach. She openly tells me that some of my equipment purchases are stupid, and I openly remind her that she has six closets full of clothes and shoes that she never wears.
The subject of her moving in has come up, and I know that she would like to say that I have to choose: the six-foot-tall speakers or her. But she never forces this issue, because she knows what choice I would make. And once I called her bluff, she would lose all her leverage.
Sushi mentions a VERY good stunt that I have definitely pulled in the past. Take the management to lunch somewhere nice on a Saturday. Make sure she has a glass (or two) of wine. Then take her shopping somewhere that she LOVES. It could be jewelry, it could be furniture, whatever. Then, between stores, accidentally drive by the best home theater retailer in town. Casually suggest that you go in for a minute "to look at the televisions." Then accidentally bring her favorite DVD into the store with you and let the salesman sit her down in the fancy room with the projector and the $100k system.
At the end of the audition, she will be saying, "that is so much fun but we could never have those 300 lb. rear speakers in the living room." The salesman casually suggests in-walls...
all of a sudden, the management demands home theater!
It might not work, but it's a pretty slick ploy.
Tim