At What Age Does An Audiophile Buy His Last Amp?

Tbg- I hear ya. I'm beginning to have second thoughts about storing speakers I'm not using, but like too much to sell, in the basement! Getting 'em DOWN w a handtruck w/o a crash was a bitch, not sure what I'll do when I want to fire em up again.

65 in my case, but then I thought my last amp was last one as well, so who knows. You can never say never and of course any amp, particularly a tube one, has a finite life, even the ARC Ref 75 I have bought recently.

I know half the fun is swapping and tinkering, but you have to stoip sometime. In my case it is retiring soon as the cut off.

Great question, great answers. For me music is a tonic. Last year I had major surgery and I spent months recuperating at home. I spent my time doing three things for the most part- listening to my music, watching James Bond movies, and sleeping the day away on pain meds (well, that was especially the case the 1st month). I also found renewed interest in my system through that time. I had been working so hard up to then I sort of neglected listening to music. In the 1 yr plus since my operation I have 1- changed my digital source; 2- had my tuner upgraded; 3- changed interconnect cables; 4- changed speaker cables; and 5- changed integrated amps. I also had my turntable tuned up; the only thing I didn't change were speakers and my phono preamp. And with my speakers, once I could actually move them around (I had a weight limit of how much I could manipulate; heck, I found it hard to open the fridge door at first)I used the Cardas placement program to reposition my speakers (it worked out well).

So my answer is this- as long as I am healthy and can still get enjoyment out of my music, and the funds allow, I don't see that there really is any age at which to buy one's last amp.

Probably 2 weeks before he kicks the bucket after exclaiming "That's it! I've found it! I finally have perfect sound forever!"

True...you actually never know that was your last amp until it's too late.