This is a silly hobby.

I was at a library book sale this weekend and picked up about 45 classical LP's at $0.50 each. I've been cleaning and playing them and really having fun. Hours and hours of fun.

Comparing that to the 4 Mullard 6922's I bought for $576 from Vintage Tube Services... which is going to give me more pleasure for the buck? You're right. It is a silly hobby.

My wife tells me she'd rather have me spend on these things than on fast women or bookies. I guess it's all relative. Maybe ALL hobbies are silly at some level!

On the plus side, our musical passions seem less self destructive than many others. One of my best friends is into vintage car racing. He routinely blows $3-5,000 for a weekend of racing, sometimes more. But the gratification he gets makes the mere monetary value insignificant. On the other hand, he can afford it.

The fact is, it is NOT about the money, ever.

Foster_9: If I felt as you do, I would stop spending money. For many others however, the hobby yields a great deal of joy at any level of expenditure.

I think this hobby has a pretty good bang for the buck factor provided one doesn't do anything stupid, like buying the $10,000 pre amp that just showed up on the cover of Sterophile at full retail. If you buy used and let the other guy take the depreciation hit you can sell it for close to the same price years later. So the net investment isn't too bad, although it's not very liquid these day.

hey $578 is not that bad compared to somebody who spends $4,000 on a limited edition montegrappa fountain pen ...now thats a silly hobby collecting fountain pens!
which by the way you guys forgot to mention!!! hehehe

Well, my speakers cables cost more than my wedding band. My amplifier costs more than my wife's wedding ring. I'm not sure any audio expenditure can be quantified.

If you really want to grimace, think of the money you've spent on automobiles, and the fuel to drive them!

B