Helping a kid out

tomic601-

The Bottlehead is magnificent and a wonderful idea.  I’m just not sure either of us would have the time to assemble it.  He’d be learning soldering, woodworking, circuit design and craftsmanship.  Things that just aren’t taught anymore.  I will seriously consider the viability of this option.

mastering92-

His ears are good and despite having a knucklehead for an old man (a good friend of mine nonetheless) is a pretty thoughtful kid.  I taught him about sound-staging and to listen to textures and details.  I taught him to listen to the empty space between things and how different recordings have different effects on the sound.  When his parents come over for dinner I let him listen to my setup while the old folks hang out.  I gave him a Zeppelin IV album and his ‘friend’ who also happens to be a girl…but definitely isn’t a ‘girlfriend’ listened to the whole thing start to finish.  We haven’t done any classical yet, and definitely no jazz…but I did get him to admit he dug a Dave Brubeck album I played so there is hope.

With my career, busy life and countless excuses my wife and I never had any children of our own and I honestly was never a big fan of having any around.  The older I get however the more gratifying it gets to share some ‘old fashioned’ things with the younger ones who actually seem to give a damn.  An increasingly rare commodity nowadays.

oldhvymec-

Agree that the Puffin would be a good fit but I want to keep the budget in the 200 or less range.  He does odd jobs around the neighborhood and is also saving up for a car so I know the competition for what his money gets spent on will be fierce.  I’m absolutely not above helping him out as he has proven to be both responsible and thankful.  I just want him to value the purchase and not get too carried away with gifts from the old guy down the street lol.  I’d prefer to be a mentor rather than a benefactor.

You only reinforce my point that there are literally a hundred options in that price range.  It’s difficult to discern which of them are just your average ‘me too’ products and which actually are quality sounding items.  I know the Schiit is the easy way out but for myself at least it’s a known quantity and fits the budget as well.  I was hoping for some hidden gems to consider that folks had some first hand experience with.  Thanks tomic601 for all the input and I may just take you up on your offer of duplicate vinyl…I was thinking about putting together a care package of music as a Christmas present.  I only mentioned the Bellari unit as I have heard it mentioned favorably a few times in reviews…plus it looks cool…which is of course also important.  I just unearthed a Rothwell Rialto for a teensy bit over budget that would be nice.

Alright, I’m sold.  Bottlehead it is.  Agreed that the experience and skill set are worth it all on their own.  I’m not sure how ‘handy’ he is and I am certain he’s never even seen a soldering iron.  The bragging rights of high end DIY amongst his friends has to be worth a bit also.  I’ll bring it up to him and gauge his interest is this type of project.  I don’t want to force him into any avenues he’s not totally invested in.  Everyone’s gracious donation proposals are really quite moving and enormously appreciated.  I have no issue making the project accessible for him monetarily and would enjoy doing so if required…my initial reluctance stems from the desire for him to budget, save, prioritize and appreciate the purchase rather than have it just handed over.  
You guys and gals really are a fine group and I feel a bit guilty for not taking a larger part in the community over the years.  I’ve been a lurker and infrequent commentator for almost a decade.  The knowledge base and experience contained here is immeasurable.  

millercarbon-
I’ll keep you posted as your offer is both unique, practical and gracious.

jollygreenaudiophile2-
I totally agree on the potentially overwhelming nature of the kit assembly process.  It wasn’t lost on me the amount of skills required to do it justice.  That being said, I’m definitely ‘all in’ if he is.  I’ve been a hobbyist of many things over the years from model trains to hot rods and have a small workshop where we would have all the necessary items to build it.

The Bottlehead route is an inspiring one for sure.  Something I never would have considered had Tomic not made me aware of them.  I personally love the idea of imparting these skills and investing the time into building something that will last…who knows, after I’m long gone it could turn up on some vintage audio website as a rare anomaly of a bygone era when people actually used to build things.

I rarely see him during the week now that the world is getting back up to speed so I will run all these options by him when we meet up next.  I’ve decided to cap any financial input from him at $200, any additional parts, tools or labor above and beyond that I’ll cover.  I had a quick chat with his old man to make sure I wouldn’t be stepping on any toes.

On another note and my apologies for being off topic, but I can’t believe how good that little system sounds all on its own…(must be the speaker wire).  The Dual must have a million miles on it but a little TLC and a new cart has it playing like new and those little Elacs are awesome for the money.  
I will keep everyone apprised of the situation especially since this thread has somewhat taken on a life of its own.  Many thanks for everyone and their gracious offers, let’s keep the conversation going!

Additional thumbs up on the Sinatra album by the way…its fantastic.

Easy does it Millercarbon, I never said it WAS overwhelming, just potentially so for a young kid with a life outside of audio.  When I was his age was a long time ago and very different.  There were a lot fewer distractions. I am (was) an engineer by trade and fully capable of assembling this kit with him and have done similar projects across many different hobbies countless times in the past.  My relationship with him is currently very good and I don’t want to impose myself or my enthusiasm on him.  He doesn’t need another old man nor am I qualified to be one.  My intent is to let him steer the ship and to explore this hobby with him as he sees fit.  Spending a few evenings in my garage putting together a kit may sound good to him or maybe not.  It may be the best audio component he’ll own for a while or it may not.  Those are all decisions I respect him enough to make on his own.  Right now it’s just a kid listening to records on an old Dual in his basement with his ‘not girlfriend’ and enjoying every moment of it.  How many of us would love to be back then or there when life was so damn simple? 

Too funny, I’m certain there will be a sudden uptick in Bottlehead phono stage sales based off of this thread.  I also had never been exposed to them until recently.

No news yet.  I promise I’ll keep everyone posted.  School just started up in full force again and while I’m certain it wasn’t a summer/COVID-19 hobby for him but it might not have the same focus as it did a few months ago.  Sometimes a month will go and I don’t see him at all and sometimes it’s every few days.