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Who else here is frugal?

If I had to describe myself as an audiophile in one word, I'd like it to be frugal. Iconoclast may also be right, but if I'm different it may be due to being frugal.  There used to be a TV show called The Frugal Gourmet. To paraphrase him, the food he cooked wasn't necessarily cheap, but he'd get as much value as he could out of what he was doing.


Being an iconoclast doesn't hurt either. Listening for yourself and buying what you like, regardless of what reviewers say and how expensive something is also points us towards this.


What about you? Do you feel better saving money than spending it? Then tell us about yourself. :)
erik_squires
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
My daily driver for work was a 996 X-50 Turbo, very frugal... except for tires....
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Attempting to convince a "frugal" audiophile that he/she holds him/herself back in terms of their listening experiences is marginally less difficult than attempting to lift the North American plate.   :)


geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
While it is true my entire system costs only about 10 dollars, not counting tweaks, I am definitely not (rpt not) frugal. The reason I opted out of the typical audiophile system - my previous all tube Class A headphone amp and the World’s most modded Oppo 103 and Sennheiser HD-600 - was actually due to sound quality. Or at least the expectation of that possibility. That’s right. Sound quality! No more AC house power, no more AC Ground problems, no more power cords, no more interconnects, no more digital cable, no more speaker cables, no more huge transformers, no more fuses. No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks. 🧐 Now, see if anyone can guess which system sounds better, my all tube Woo Audio + Modded OPPO system + Sennheiser HD-600 or my SONY WALKMAN CD Player + SONY MDR-700v headphones. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, ”Are you out of mind?”
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,043 posts
 
Geoffkait ,I think you are right about the noise level...If someone dont care about the acoustical difference between headphones and speakers, this is the right track to travel...

But an old guy as I am like the acoustical freedom of his speakers also... The good news is I think it is possible, " in the grid", to reach relatively near, not too far behind, your quality "off the grid" system, with many precautions related to vibrations resonance, electrical embedding, and acoustical treatment and some other "tweaks"... I say "near" indeed because for the purity of the sound frequencies, the best speakers will always be most of the times only slightly behind the best headphones; but  this acoustical, atmospheric freedom of the sound waves travelling to my body, out of the brain, we must recognize that this is indeed an another world... My best from my past to your future... :)
erik_squires OP
16,069 posts
 
I agree that cans can be wonderful, and compared to a custom made listening room, a real cost-saver, but ...
Frugality is not about doing without, but doing the best you can with what you have. Lots of us experience our sound system through our bodies and skin, not just our ears. If this is you, cans aren't frugal. They're inadequate.


Best,
E
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