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What has been your costliest mistake in this hobby?

For example :I recently learned a hard lesson- I accidentally ran voltage thru my $3000 MC cartridge (kiseki purple heart).  I have a TT with 5 prong connector and a phono cable with a 5 prong connector.  I accidentally swapped where they plugged into and ran electric thru the tonearm into the cartridge.  It was a stupid - not thinking- hasty mistake. When I corrected the problem the cartridge was fried.  An avalanche of four letter words followed!

So what has been your biggest and/or costliest mistake?
polkalover
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,094 posts
 
edgewear

Thanks,
sorry for your lost,
but very informative for us all.....
erik_squires
16,121 posts
 
Buying a sub (Miller & Kriesel) without knowing how difficult getting it to work right would be.  This wasn't that big of a cost in absolute terms, but I was a  young audiophile and everything seemed expensive, but that it derailed my listening experience.

I should have focused on the mid-treble, imaging and natural tonal balance over trying to get a 20 Hz response.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,094 posts
 
i made the same mistake exactly with the same sub (Miller and Kreisel) :)

I draw the same exact conclusion....

After that i embark in my intense experiments in listenings 2 years ago....

:)

I never use the sub more than an hour and is here always.... I was too lazy to put it for sale i think....I will never need a sub, neither four one....  :)    
dsper
663 posts
 
Probably not in keeping with the general path of this thread but: buying any stereo gear new. 

Thanks for listening.
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@brownsfan ,

I used to swap spade connectors for soldered ones but on one occasion the heat from the gun melted/burnt out its voice coil wire.

Why oh why can't all companies, at the very least, just use non tarnishing spades and connectors for their drivers?

Seriously, how much are they saving on connectors which will look pitted a few years down the line?

I somehow got what was left resoldered and working but it was an unhappy experience.

As was my decade long foray into the bottomless-moneypit Linn/Naim nexus... 
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