DIY is not all about saving money
Since this comes up a lot, we all enjoy our audio / music hobby in different ways.
Some of us like to build things. We may be by nature builders, or curious. We like taking things into our own hands and learning what makes them work. Some of us love woodworking. Some soldering, and occasionally we like saving money!
It's important to understand that saving money is not my primary motivation for DIY work. I DIY things because I like to make things, I like learning and I like experimenting. I won't apologize to anyone that I don't necessarily feel the same excitement you do from serial purchasing of new (or new to me) gear.
As a culture, I think we benefit greatly from DIYers who share their passion and experience. Those of us who don't have a financial interest in making claims, or reviewing products.
Being a DIYer is also not about lowering the value of good products. As a speaker designer I can really appreciate how hard it is for some brands to bring to market fair priced, well performing gear. I would not attempt it.
It does give me a great deal of independence though. Since I adjust my sound by changing parts in the speaker, I really don't care about cables. I mean, I have some DIY and some Wireworld and that's it. When I think about tweaking something it's either room acoustics or a crossover component. Right to the heart of the matter.
You should make yourself happy when you spend money, but please recognize that like many DIYers, I DIY to build. Bulding something with my own two hands IS the point for me. It is the difference between buying a meal, and cooking it myself. I like both, and when I cook for myself it is as much making EXACTLY what I want to eat as it is about saving money on the food budget, not to mention how hard it is to eat a balanced meal when out.
