What has been your costliest mistake in this hobby?

The hobby itself.

@janehamble ,

’Only when doing some REW testing did it come to light that both my Seas tweeters were pressed in. $900 a pair, plus installation. I have no idea how this happened. Could have been a visiting child or dog - but most likely it was clumsy carrying by me.’


That’s a pretty unpleasant experience. Sadly it happens all too often when it could easily be prevented.

It’s bordering on criminal negligence the way some companies don’t offer any protective mesh on their tweeters.

The one that Harbeth uses on their M30 / M40 tweeter is a model example of what should be a standard practice.

This sort of protection should be compulsory. For metal ones full protection Harbeth M30 style should be mandatory.

Even those 2 wire protective strips you sometimes see in front of a tweeter are better than nothing, but not by much.

ATC even have steel grilles on some of their models. Great idea.

Otherwise sooner or later, tweeters will get pushed in. You may or may not be able to recover the shape with a gentle use of a vacuum cleaner, but it’s doubtful whether it will perform again like it should.

Starting and running an audiophile cable company for twenty years. 

to WSRRSW,My most sincere and heartfelt apologies to you.  I wrongly assumed it was a reply by the person I believed I told that lying was unacceptable.  It was not meant for you and I am sorry that I did not ck the post before replying.I never engage in internet war, never, but I guess I got carried away after a long day.  Really, I've told myself lately what does it matter (re many minor irritations) and here certainly about someone I don't know when all this stuff (actually a huge part of my life right now), is going on.  So I don't think I got up on the wrong side of my bed that day, but probably after a 14 hr day and that's the norm lately, went to bed that way.  So once again please accept my apology.
Semper Fi brother  May you have fair winds and following seas.
Mark

My biggest mistake was getting a 'high end' tonearm from Origin Live.  $ Thousands!  It is not better than the standard Technics tonearm on an SL1200.  Origin Live  talk the talk but they do not walk the walk.  The latest version of their conqueror was a pain to set up, impossible to bias correctly and had no sonic benefit.  It was worse than a Jelco.  Short point if you have a Technics TT then keep the tonearm or get a Jelco or SME.