What kind of stereo you have is really not important here! (REVISITED)

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by AVTechMan, Mar 28, 2012.

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  1. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    :) i never question someone's decision to spend money on something they love, unless it doesn't jibe with their overall financial situation. this is a hobby. it costs money. whether you choose to race cars or motorcycles or boats, or fly planes or jump out of planes, you're going to spend money. there's no way around it. even camping. i have a friend who got really into camping. he dropped $3k in REI very quickly. such is life.

    i think we all have to recognize that each of us coming at this from a different angle and with different priorities. but, there is nothing crazy about spending $20k+ on great sound.

    in fact, i think people who have the cash, and plunk it down fast are better off than those, like myself, that try to avoid spending it with half measure purchases, and then end up trading components. they're better off because they get the most enjoyment from it without all the headaches.

    everyone should buy what they can comfortably afford and enjoy it. for some people it's $1k and for some its $50k. it killed me when metralla posted that fellow's system with the dedicated room and gryphon gear and people tried to make the case that he couldn't possibly enjoy it as much as they enjoy their modest systems, because they are real music lovers and that fellow is just a rich collector type. BS! you can't rate another's enjoyment. but you sure as hell can rate the sound quality and i'd go so far as to say i'd take an hour a day with his system over 8 hours with mine.

    speaking of which, enjoy your new cary gear.
     
  2. Tony Plachy

    Tony Plachy Senior Member

    Location:
    Pleasantville, NY
    I agree with Kevin. There are certainly status symbols in the world the indicate success and that someone is doing well. I have heard people say that so and so must be doing well because the live in a neighborhood where the cheapest house goes for $2.5M, or that they own 3 BMW's and trade in the oldest one every year for a new model, or that their kids go to the best and most expensive private school in the area. So there are people who either buy houses in certain neighborhoods, or buy certain cars even though they have no idea what the car is capable of doing, or send their kids to the best schools just because they can afford it, but when is the last time you heard someone say of they must be doing well because they have Mac amps, or Wilson Audio speakers or an SME TT with a $5K cartridge in it?

    I have been told by people in other threads here that there are wealthy people who go to certain audio dealers that will come in and install a very good home theater or sound system for them that looks and sounds good, is reliable and the dealer will service it if it ever needs and that they really don't care how good it sounds nor do they really love music, they just want a system that is acceptable in their social circle, but I don't see any of those kind of people here at the forum.

    People here who spend what they can afford on getting the best sounding system they can do it because they love music and they want the best sound that they can get.
     
  3. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam




    This is the truth. :righton:
     
  4. Definitely not all about that here. Sure, my favorite turntable may be the Linn Sondek LP12, but not for it's "status symbol". Often times, my own half-homebrew "personal" unit doesn't even have the Linn Sondek LP12 brand on the armboard (and my ability to build one from spare parts makes it relatively inexpensive for me to own). I can appreciate it for it's ability to do the job with it's fairly simple mechanics. I've also listened to other turntables that I can be equally happy with (I had a Thorens TD320 that I would have been more than happy to keep). To me, the music is more important, and I realize there's a limit. I'm content within my budget, and though I know of (and can appreciate) those who spend much more, I can also relate to those who have systems costing much less as well (I still fix and resell "entry level" turntables on occasion, as long as they can do the basic job of tracking a record, keeping speed, and being user-friendly for the most part, as well as not costing a fortune to rebuild). I can still enjoy the music played on an entry level turntable, even though I know it will sound "that much better" on my own "flagship" system. My own thoughts.
     
  5. TONEPUB

    TONEPUB Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Even wealthy people don't see expensive hifi as a status symbol. It's a completely self indulgent thing.
     
  6. wilejoe

    wilejoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Parlin,NJ USA
    Some of you have already heard what I am now going to post so I apologize for repeating it hear. On August 13, 2002 (about 8 months after I bought my current stereo system) I had a myocardial infarction in the left anterior descending artery of my heart. Simply put I had with no warning or previous symptoms the kind of sudden heart attack that you see advertized in the Plavix commercials on TV. As I was being rushed to the hospital (were fortunately the best cardiac care unit in the region is) one of the things that flashed through my mind was am I glad a had a chance to listen to music on my stereo system before I die. This is why it is important to each of us who loves music that you have the best sounding stereo system you can sensibly afford (I am NOT suggesting that anyone spends the child's college tuition fund or anything like that on a stereo system) to listen to that music. Do not assume as I often did that I can wait a few more years (which turned into more than ten years) to buy the system I really want, because as I learned (the hard way :winkgrin: ) none of us should assume tomorrow will come for us.[/QUOTE][/



    I'm glad you're still around and enjoying your music Tony. I'm going to take your advice but in moderation .
     
  7. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    in my own limited experience, hifi trails behind virtually everything else as a status symbol. i knew a guy with a $15M 10,000 square foot house, and he had a mac system to run his whole house audio system. it was a server based system with speakers built into the walls and ceilings throughout the house, and the stereo was in the background, rather than displayed prominently. because, let's face it...what interior designer is going to approve of enormous amps and speakers with cables the size of anacondas running throughout the room? he loved music and rocked out to AC/DC and hendrix and collected their guitars and memorabilia, but he did not want have to be as involved with his system. he loved being able to pick up a remote and pick whatever song he wanted, without too much hassle.

    i contrast that with my first experience of a tw acustic raven ac-3. i joined an audiophile club right around the time that it had come out. one of the members had just bought one. he was retired and was comfortable, but by no means wealthy. he had at least $75k tied up in his system, which he listened to in his living room. while he was justifiably proud of his system and its sound, it was apparent that he had not spent all that money for any status, but because he loved music. he loved being involved in the system, and great care was spent on adjustments between albums. and he had put a lot of care into isolation, power, cable choices, etc. it was the culmination, at that time, of a lifetime of owning hifi gear, and it was obvious it worked well for him and he loved it.

    i would be willing to bet that, outside of the audio community, no one was affording either man status based on their hifi systems.

    if you've got $75k to spend on a status symbol, get a nice car or watch or bespoke clothing. not hifi gear.
     
  8. TONEPUB

    TONEPUB Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I guess I've just had a very different experience with wealthy people. The handful of friends of mine that have come into money overnight are the ones into buying "status symbols."

    The ones I know that have had money all their lives are very low key about what they spend and what they display.

    Cars have become just like expensive hifi. $75k isn't really a "status symbol" car anymore. Nice 5 series BMW, but that's not Ferrari or Bentley money.
     
  9. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    like most things, it's all relative. in some neighborhoods, a $75k car will afford its owner status. in others, it's the daily driver. unless you live in a neighborhood of audiophiles, a $75k system will just get some curiosity wherever you live.

    wealthy people are good at staying wealthy for long periods of time. people who come into a large fortune suddenly don't always have that skill.
     
  10. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    What kind of stereo you have is really not important here! turns into a lesson in wealth.

    Holy generalizations!
     
  11. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    I'm not sure about that. If I'd had the cash when I became addicted to this stuff... ugh... around twenty years ago, I'm not sure I would have had the experience or taste to make good decisions. I'm lucky in that that my tastes still change. I can only hope that my current system will see even more changes over the years, just as I can only hope that I'll keep hearing music that makes me want to listen to it.

    Maybe in another thirty-odd years, when I hit retirement age, I'll be likely to agree that dropping a big pile of cash in one right place is the way to go. Until then, my gear is a part of how I have fun listening to music. I intend to keep experiencing and loving new things for as long as I can.

    This is to say that I don't really have "headaches." I have a hobby that brings me regular doses of surprise happiness. Whatever annoyances it brings with it are just part of the price.

    Hell, I'm not even against "half measures." Enjoying a "half measure" for years while you save up the money for a more full measure means that you managed to get years of enjoyment. I'd still be listening to a boombox if it weren't for those half measures.
     
  12. TONEPUB

    TONEPUB Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    It really seems like the system isn't a thing unless you want to make it one. It certainly doesn't have to be.
     
  13. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Amen.
     
  14. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    there was a lesson in wealth buried here somewhere? please point me to it. i need the money so i can buy a stereo that is really not important here.
     
  15. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Actually, could I just ask to be pointed toward some useful lotto numbers?
     
  16. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    Terrible lesson in wealth. I was being too nice.
    Really not important here, everything.

    $top me!
     
  17. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    4.0 4.1 5.1 7.1 7.2
     
  18. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    Terrible views on stereo, too. :laugh:
     
  19. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    4 8 15 16 23 42
     
  20. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    I, for one, said that my taste had changed. I never said that my taste was good!
     
  21. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    TAAB 2
     
  22. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    TAAB
     
  23. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    the half measures thing just reflects my own preferences. i mostly agree with you, but i have done too much component swapping in the past 3 years. if i had just gone to a dealer i trust with my budget at the time i got on the merry go round, and sat with that for the past three years, i would have been spared a lot of wasted time. sure, i learned and experienced new things, but the swapping ultimately detracted from my enjoyment. that's just my experience. some people love swapping out components regularly and their enjoyment is enhanced by the regular changes and tweaks. not me. i just sold my dac and sacd player, and still have my speakers on the market. having spent the last 2 weeks dealing with lowballers and packing and shipping, that's probably coloring my thoughts about this stuff right now. :)

    the most important thing i learned, and no offense to anyone, is to take everything you read on forums regarding components with a grain of salt. because people are often suggesting that you buy whatever they bought, and it might not be your thing. and, to get back to an earlier point, that is why it's helpful to have your equipment posted on your profile. people who own rega tend to recommend rega. and people who own vpi tend to recommend vpi. etc. it's not wrong. in fact, it's probably just human nature. but it's a bias.

    btw, if i had too much cash 20 years ago i would be dead. so i'm glad i didn't. :)
     
  24. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    CA lottery is up to $500M. i'm terribly tempted to play this number. :)
     
  25. eelkiller

    eelkiller One of the great unwashed

    Location:
    Northern Ontario
    Exactly, clear as mud.
     
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