What an interesting question. I guess I want to take a little different spin on the Ratios.
The number of high-end equipment buys I have done in the last year for my audio system was 7. The number of software buys I did I can't even count, must be at least 30, probably more. Each equipment buy was high-dollar and single piece, the cheapest thing I got was a couple of hundred dollars. Software buys have been anywhere from 1 CD to about 80, usually in the $8 to S30 range.
For me, this is all about the music. The equipment is stuff you need to make the music sound best. I think I am done with my main system for a while now, I have it sounding the way I want it to sound. The last batch of upgrades was done after I moved last May, new house == new system... Next project is the second system, for my new 'home away from home' on the west coast. Probably, I will end up bringing one of the east coast systems... ok, with a few upgrades :)
I have almost exclusively CD's. I have more money in CD's than in equipment, and that probably will not change. I get much more pleassure out of finding a new disc I like than I do out of getting a new amp. On the other end, when I do get a new 'toy', it is awesome to go back through thousands of CD's to hear some of the great stuff you haven't heard in a while.
My spending on music is limited by one thing only: Self control. My wife claims I have little self control, she is right. I have, at last count, 100 or so CD's that have not even been opened yet. Yet I buy more. The 100 or so will eventually get listened to, when I am in the mood to hear them. It is sometimes a bit painful to spend half a paycheck on music, which has been known to happen. For me, it is the thing that keeps me sane, balanced and happy, so it's worth it.
And that brings me to the other ratios I am interested in: How does your spending on equipment and music relate to: Car payment? House payment or rent? Food? Clothing? Heck, what percentage of your paycheck goes in to this hobby, both to music and to gear? Last year, I spend nearly 10% of my income on music, another 10% or so on toys... I never thought of it that way before!
Niels.
The number of high-end equipment buys I have done in the last year for my audio system was 7. The number of software buys I did I can't even count, must be at least 30, probably more. Each equipment buy was high-dollar and single piece, the cheapest thing I got was a couple of hundred dollars. Software buys have been anywhere from 1 CD to about 80, usually in the $8 to S30 range.
For me, this is all about the music. The equipment is stuff you need to make the music sound best. I think I am done with my main system for a while now, I have it sounding the way I want it to sound. The last batch of upgrades was done after I moved last May, new house == new system... Next project is the second system, for my new 'home away from home' on the west coast. Probably, I will end up bringing one of the east coast systems... ok, with a few upgrades :)
I have almost exclusively CD's. I have more money in CD's than in equipment, and that probably will not change. I get much more pleassure out of finding a new disc I like than I do out of getting a new amp. On the other end, when I do get a new 'toy', it is awesome to go back through thousands of CD's to hear some of the great stuff you haven't heard in a while.
My spending on music is limited by one thing only: Self control. My wife claims I have little self control, she is right. I have, at last count, 100 or so CD's that have not even been opened yet. Yet I buy more. The 100 or so will eventually get listened to, when I am in the mood to hear them. It is sometimes a bit painful to spend half a paycheck on music, which has been known to happen. For me, it is the thing that keeps me sane, balanced and happy, so it's worth it.
And that brings me to the other ratios I am interested in: How does your spending on equipment and music relate to: Car payment? House payment or rent? Food? Clothing? Heck, what percentage of your paycheck goes in to this hobby, both to music and to gear? Last year, I spend nearly 10% of my income on music, another 10% or so on toys... I never thought of it that way before!
Niels.