2. analog
  3. 1296759668

How can anyone afford this ?

I consider myself a dedicated audiophile. I am 36(which I am guessing is a little younger than the average here) and single. I have been interested in high-end audio since I saw my uncle's Mcintosh and Threshold equipment for the first time when I was 5.
Since joining the workforce and saving a little I have always been trying to put together a nice system on a budget. I do OK financially(I am a systems engineer) but I do live in NYC which may put some of this into perspective.
Over the last 6 months I have struggled to buy(all used on Agon) a pair of Dynaudio Audience 42s and a Threshold CAS2 amp, Chang CLS3200, and cables(I haven't gone out[I don't have a girfriend], purchased anything else and really haven't eaten too much to be able to afford these and it is still a real stretch). I am using the amp with a direct connection from my CD/DVD player(Cambridge Audo Azur 540D...slightly modified[op amps, PS caps, bypass caps] that I have had for almost 10 years). A fellow has a Threshold FET2 series II(to match with the CAS2) he is holding for me but that seems like a pipe dream at this point along with a turntable.
A few years ago the analogue bug hit me.
I had a setup consisting of an Audio Analogue Settanta integrated and a Nottingham Horizon SE turntable with a Rega RB300 tonearm with the Incognto rewire and structural mod. This was not an expensive kit by any stretch but for me it almost put me in the poor house. I had to sell the entire rig to pay my bills and it hurt.
It seems over the last 10 years or so I have not been able to keep a kit for more than 6 months before I had to sell it. Whenever I don't have a rig I am constantly scanning the online Ads lusting for the next bargain to set up a system and cannot even listen to music on a mass market rig(I have been spoiled).
Anyway, I guess my question is how can anyone normal afford this hobby? What type of money do you have to be making to be able to enjoy this hobby.....$100,000/year? $500,000/year? Do you need to be worth millions? $5,000 barely gets you in the door(some interconnects cost more) and you could possibly spend millions. I am not looking to put together a $10,000 system(not even close...and that is modest in this hobby) but if I wanted to I don't see it ever being financially possible. If I had a girlfriend or a family(hopefully someday) I would not event be able to think about this hobby with a good conscience. I guess I am wondering if all these people in this hobby are millionaires? I am close to selling my rig again to pay the bills(the amp needed repair/recap and that was $450). Any advice for an audiophile who lusts to put together a nice rig but can't afford it? Should I get out and save for 5 or 10 years and then try again? Maybe I am in the wrong hobby but it is more addicting that crack to me(and more expensive). Maybe I should be a crackhead instead...that might be the only thing to make me forget about it. Thoughts?
adamd1205
drdennis
165 posts
 
Time is what you need. Buy good used equipment on Audiogon, and slowly trade up. Don't overspend to the point that you have to sell at a loss to pay bills. I would think you may have spent many thousands, and don't have anything to show for it.

DG
cmalak
681 posts
 
A bit of advice, there will always be someone with a better stereo, a flashier car, a bigger house, probably in a better neighborhood, with a bigger TV. Don't worry about it. It doesn't equate to a happier life. It doesn't equate to love and it doesn't have a thing to do with your character or your inner peace.

Couldn't have said it better.
jj2468
280 posts
 
IMHO you are falling into the audio buying pattern that the audio industry wants you to fall in. Bigger power, more flash, new technology, shiny finishes, more drivers, bigger caginets, etc.. The industry, including the audio magazines, want you to equate the foregoing plus higher retail prices with better sound. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of gear, these attributes don't correlate well with better sound. Hence, the merry-go-round.

I'll say it again. Price does not correlate well with quality of sound.

My suggestion, and you know what free advice is worth, is:
a) focus on old gear enjoying giant reputations (klipsh, lenco, technics sp-10, audio research, altec, etc.). Simply, physics has not changed and many sound engineering issues were figured out years ago.
b) focus on less power and simple is good (complexity and power cost money and do not correlate with sound quality, unless you are filling an auditorium)(for a neutral sound buy an old kt88 or 6550 audio research tube amp; for a warm sound buy an old conrad johnson el34 tube amp; for klipsch style speakers buy a simple reputable 300b amp)
c) go back to analogue and buy a Lenco or Technics sp-10 turntable that works, since both are better than tables cost 10x more; and digital costs much more to better analogue
d)terminate your subscription to all audio magazines
e)it is quite possible to build a system for $5,000 that will better many modern systems costing many many times more
f) listen listen listen

Good luck. Jeff
Ag insider logo xs@2x
islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
One way of upgrading your system is to have your existing components upgraded, by that I mean replacing mediocre parts with much better ones. If the used equipment you have purchased is in the mid-priced area or better, then much of it can be worth investing in, making them perform much better. Many on this forum disagree with this, but this method has worked very well for me.

Best,
Dan
lewm
13,174 posts
 
I sympathize with your plight. Here are some ideas:
(1) Buy one system within your means and then think of that as basic to your every day life, something that is non-negotiable.
(2) Re-read what Viridian wrote.
(3) For bang for the buck, think used and even vintage gear. There is plenty of information available on the internet to permit you to select some great items that way, at a fraction of their original price.
(4) DIY. Teach yourself a little bit about electronics. You can then assemble kits, make mods, etc, to satisfy your lust for the new and different. If you really get into DIY, you can save a huge amount of money, but it's not essential to go that far.
(5) Use Audiogon marketplace as one source of good used gear, but refrain if possible from reading these threads. Temptation is everywhere here. Avoid envy.
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