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How did U get into this expensive hobby?

So I was up last night listening to my system and thought to myself, when am I going to be 100% satisfy with my set up. Just for once I like to listen without thinking well maybe if I can add this or remove that I can improve on this or that area. A mist all that I thought how did I ever got into this hobby any way? Well, the nightmare began for me when I was working in my college university's periodical section. We had over 3000+ magazines on file. The first stereo magz I ever picked up was the AUDIO annual price list which was about 300 or so pages of all major audio mfg. and models..also known as the audio bible; what ever happened to Audio magazine anyway? I remembered being so intrigued by so many brands that I have never heard of before and how the workmanship and industrial design seemed so much far superior than the average Kenwood and Pioneer back then (no offense to Kenwood and Pioneer owners). This was 10 years ago and I started by scraping every pennies I had to purchase my first NAD integrated amp. Although 10 years have passed, I am still scraping for money to own something new every now and then, but this time instead of pennies, it's dimes a nickels since my tasted have upgrade with my salery. It'd be interesting to hear how some of you fellow audigoners got started in this hobby. Upon adding to this thread, you'll find that you'll get a little grin on your face after spilling your guts out on how you began on this deep pocket journey and how far you have come. Happy Holidays guys and gals.
3chihuahuas
cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
i composed the last post while some of you were engaged in impolite colloquy. (i'm a slow typist-4 fingers at best.) hope you don't mind my getting back to the theme of the thread. ;>0
bmpnyc
713 posts
 
A little over 30 years ago, my best friend bought a big Macintosh amp and preamp with these big upside down cone like speakers (OHM) and after hearing that system a LOT I had the beginning of a reference to aim for. But even then, I noticed that certain systems could give as much pleasure, or more, even though not as high end. My Marantz receiver and Criterion speakers sounded great in the near field. What really got me in to the Audio-Video hobby was my experience recording and producing music. After hearing some of the world's best systems for 2 decades and having to oversee the mixing process, trying to make a mix sound good on all types of systems, I had developed a decent ear in the process and could not listen to junk at home. I still try to keep in mind that "the best" system may not be the most expensive, but the one most fitting your needs and tastes. Nice post. I promise to read all of the comments above a bit later today. Good to hear from so many regulars. Happy New Year to all! ( I also learned the danger of trying the next level, and then the next level, when I kept trying different Grado cartridges, and found that the more I spent, the better it sounded.)
garfish
1,840 posts
 
It's very clear to me that Audiogon is almost entirely a web site whose main goal is to enable and promote the buying and selling of high end audio GEAR-- and the discussion of same. Audiogon is not a music site, and in the "chat forum", there is not even a category titled "music". In the year or so that I have been visiting here, my stereo system has improved dramatically (new & improved gear), and thus my enjoyment of recorded music has also improved dramatically. And yes it's expensive-- that's part of the title of this thread. I would think there are web sites devoted strictly to music for those that are purely "music lovers"-- don't know what they play their music on though? Cheers. Craig
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Me too cornfed that is "2001 a Space Odyssey" My very favorite film.
musikdok
120 posts
 
It was around the mid 70's - my friend down the street had an older brother (Gary - we called him "Fritz") who had a nice system (for the time) - Dual TT, Yamaha separates and ESS speakers. We would always ask him to take us to what was then the mid-fi "Mecca" of Cincinnati - The Audio Warehouse. Pretty soon I had saved up enough for a BSR TT, a Pioneer receiver, and some god-awful speakers that, to me, sounded WONDERFUL. Since then my system has gone through innumerable permutations and continues to evolve (more slowly now, as I concentrate more on the music (primarily LPS) and less on the gear), but I still wonder from time to time what 'ol Fritz is up to. I'd like to thank him someday for getting me started. No nightmare here, just beautiful music. Now where's that MONO pressing of the White Album?..............-John
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