I am a credit risk manager for several credit card portfolios. I am 37. I am closing fast on a $70k system; but have learned a lot over the last 15 years I have been in the hobby. When I started, I was giving all my friends all the great deals as I upgraded my system. Now, I have Audiogon and pretty much refruse to pay retail. But, I read a lot about the systems and have a pretty good idea what I want. If I was starting out new and buying used, I think you could shop around, get good deals on equipment, and later on sell it at a minimal loss. That is definitely the way to experiment your way into a killer system. Oh, my last bit of advice is get a spouse that is either into the hobby or won't mind it. My first wife never got into it. My wife now is EXTREMELY tollerant!