2. analog
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How can anyone afford this ?

I consider myself a dedicated audiophile. I am 36(which I am guessing is a little younger than the average here) and single. I have been interested in high-end audio since I saw my uncle's Mcintosh and Threshold equipment for the first time when I was 5.
Since joining the workforce and saving a little I have always been trying to put together a nice system on a budget. I do OK financially(I am a systems engineer) but I do live in NYC which may put some of this into perspective.
Over the last 6 months I have struggled to buy(all used on Agon) a pair of Dynaudio Audience 42s and a Threshold CAS2 amp, Chang CLS3200, and cables(I haven't gone out[I don't have a girfriend], purchased anything else and really haven't eaten too much to be able to afford these and it is still a real stretch). I am using the amp with a direct connection from my CD/DVD player(Cambridge Audo Azur 540D...slightly modified[op amps, PS caps, bypass caps] that I have had for almost 10 years). A fellow has a Threshold FET2 series II(to match with the CAS2) he is holding for me but that seems like a pipe dream at this point along with a turntable.
A few years ago the analogue bug hit me.
I had a setup consisting of an Audio Analogue Settanta integrated and a Nottingham Horizon SE turntable with a Rega RB300 tonearm with the Incognto rewire and structural mod. This was not an expensive kit by any stretch but for me it almost put me in the poor house. I had to sell the entire rig to pay my bills and it hurt.
It seems over the last 10 years or so I have not been able to keep a kit for more than 6 months before I had to sell it. Whenever I don't have a rig I am constantly scanning the online Ads lusting for the next bargain to set up a system and cannot even listen to music on a mass market rig(I have been spoiled).
Anyway, I guess my question is how can anyone normal afford this hobby? What type of money do you have to be making to be able to enjoy this hobby.....$100,000/year? $500,000/year? Do you need to be worth millions? $5,000 barely gets you in the door(some interconnects cost more) and you could possibly spend millions. I am not looking to put together a $10,000 system(not even close...and that is modest in this hobby) but if I wanted to I don't see it ever being financially possible. If I had a girlfriend or a family(hopefully someday) I would not event be able to think about this hobby with a good conscience. I guess I am wondering if all these people in this hobby are millionaires? I am close to selling my rig again to pay the bills(the amp needed repair/recap and that was $450). Any advice for an audiophile who lusts to put together a nice rig but can't afford it? Should I get out and save for 5 or 10 years and then try again? Maybe I am in the wrong hobby but it is more addicting that crack to me(and more expensive). Maybe I should be a crackhead instead...that might be the only thing to make me forget about it. Thoughts?
adamd1205
raquel
841 posts
 
I lived on the Upper East Side for fourteen years and commuted in for most of three more. The majority of people who live in the city would likely say that by the time they get home from work (assuming they in fact get home), they're so fried that the thought of going out after work for live music is like going out after work to climb Mt. Everest. I got so annoyed at spending $70 to sit in Avery Fisher Hall and then having to constantly look at my Blackberry or force myself to listen to the performers instead of drifting back into some deal point we were obsessing about that I pretty much stopped going. NYC is nothing like the glamorous life portrayed on TV shows - it's bare knuckles survival for most of us, and in this regard, people seek refuge in things like high-end stereos. People work hard everywhere, of course, which is why taking in music on one's own time, with a great stereo, appeals to a lot of people. As for the prices of some of the gear, yes, it's lamentable, but the hobby is dying, and with it, anything approaching the economies of scale that would make gear more affordable.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
It's trickle down, baby. The cost-no-object designs bought through high prices paid by rich early adopters pays for the R&D and proof of concept that results in advancements in the state of the art that benefit us all. Without $150,000 turntables, how would the maker know which are the most important design elements to be refined and cost-reduced for lower-priced models?

The results speak for themselves: I bought my first stereo in 1972 on sale for $419. Adjusted for inflation, that's $2125 for an Altec-Lansing compact with 44 wpc receiver, Garrard turntable built into the top, and garden variety small bookshelf speakers. Trust me, you can get much better today for the equivalent money, such as some PSB Image 6's, Cambridge or Marantz integrated amp, and Rega P3 or MMF 5.1 turntable with $200-300 Denon, Grado, or Audio Technica cartridge.

Ultra high end shows us what's possible, and from reading about and listening to such systems you come away with the essence of high end--an auditory virtual reality machine that transports you into a sublime performance complete with artist-to-listener rapport. While the ultra-expensive systems can get you that transcendental experience on the widest variety of music and ensembles, you don't have to spend anywhere near that to achieve a similar experience on most program material and a reasonable facsimile on the rest.
xiekitchen
821 posts
 
A little story maybe make you feel better... when I was 23 I moved to NJ/NYC area and was a Graphic designer in publishing.. significantly lower salary than you I'm sure... I got by with sharing apts. and started slooowly building system, starting with replacing my college midfi stuff with: Rega P-3 (which I still have the modded arm/cardas wire now on my P-9), Signet MC cart., Music Fidelity A-1 class A integrated, and a pair of lower end Stax headphones.. no speakers, no cables...
IF it was today.. I would start with a Rega Brio, Rega Apollo, entry level cardas cables maybe.. and headphones no speakers... and sloowly build better. but that right there ain't much money and it ain't bad...
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
And here I am just worrying about paying for retirement in a few years. ;-) I think if paying for this hobby was what was bothering me then I would get on my knees and be thankful. Very thankful.
ckoffend
684 posts
 
I do not earn a huge income by any stretch of the imagination; however, I am moderately comfortable. I think the first thing to affording this hobby is to live life financially smart. I don't live in debt. I only use credit cards for making on-line purchases and only when I have the available funds which allow me to pay the entire balance immediately. I only pay cash for cars. I put aside money every pay period for general savings, general investing, retirement and both of my kids college funds. I own a decent home (about 3,400 sf). My annual income is about $100K. In a typical month, I have 5 bills to pay - power, internet/Comcrap, mortgage (includes ins. & taxes), kids school lunch program and phone bill. Of course I have regular living expenses - groceries, gas, spending money, etc. . .

My kids and I take a few nicer vacations each year, usually out west skiing or to Florida. A Canadian fishing trip with my son and several smaller vacations.

I have owned some pretty good mid/upper-tier equipment (nothing in the stratospher). Krell FPB amps, Levinson, BAT, CJ, Pass amps. Some great digital equipment - DCS, EMM Labs, Esoteric, Wadia, Levinson, Audio Aero, etc. . . Some fine speaker systems (Wilson, VS, B&W, Gemme, Totem, etc. . . ).

I think the key is to live responsibly, always saving and only spending when doing so does not present a potential hardship down the road. Living in debt is what kills most people and takes away opportunities. Of course a very high income (which I am sure most people of this site have - many times mine - helps).

To the original poster. I would learn to live with a lesser quality "out-loud system" and spending a little money on a great headphone system may be the best way to go. One can get a great pair of headphones for a few hundred dollars that can outperform some of the best speakers made! Secondly, go with mid level cables that are a few generations old. I just fail to recognize (via listening) that the latest greatest $3,000 speaker cable of today is really notably better than the $500 (used price) two generation old cable that they replaced.
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