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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

Showing 7 responses by manitunc

manitunc
795 posts
 
Satisfaction in this hobby can come from understanding quality vs quantity. Price is rarely an indicator of the former, after a certain point. There are savings to be had from mass production, even in the high end, while one-off items or low volume will necessarily be more expensive. A PSB Synchrony One is a speaker that will compare favorable with almost anything under 20K because PSB has the use of state of the art facilities at the government anechoic chamber in Ottawa Canada and builds its speakers in China by the boatload. Same goes for B&W and probably KEF. Magico, on the other hand, builds far fewer speakers and must make a greater percentage on each one, as well as probably taking more time to build per unit, with more costly materials and labor costs. Doesnt make them better than a PSB, although they probably are, but it does make them more expensive.

Look around, read and most importantly listen, and you can put together a fine system for less than 5k, especially on the used market.
manitunc
795 posts
 
The problem in the world is that we just cannot sustain the standard of living that was enjoyed by our middle class that consisted mainly of our baby boomers. At that time, the world was our oyster, and it was easy to spread the wealth around. But now we have a world with an exploding "middle class" that would be considered poor by our standards, but much better off than they were 20 years ago. I believe that we will have to accept a different definition of what it is to be middle class, and that does not include a car for every driver, a flat screen for every room, and houses many times the size we need. When it is considered to be poor to be making less than 50k for a family of 4, something has gone off kilter.

Oh, and we could take all the money that the top 5 percent have, spread it around, and make no difference to the lifestyles of most of the rest. And dont get me started on the 50 million in America who dont pay any federal tax at all.
manitunc
795 posts
 
JDoris,

Yes both can be true if you only consider new financial wealth, rather than the distribution of existing wealth through socialistic programs and other means.
manitunc
795 posts
 
Absolutely, a countries overall wealth and financial condition is based on a strong middle class, but that is achieved by the poor rising up, not the rich being dragged down. Unfortunately, many in America have decided that they are entitled to live a middle class lifestyle, without really having to earn it. It seems that in America, the middle class is the lowest financial class we are willing to accept, almost as a birthright. It used to be that we were proud to achieve financial success. Now it seems we have to apologize for it. At the same time, we seem to have a class of doolittles that expect the government to provide them with that which they are unwilling to work for themselves, and do it by taxing the very people who have worked to achieve something for themselves and their families. Classic redistribution of wealth, which when forced, is something I just can't agree with. I wont apologize for any financial success I have achieved, and I dont expect anyone else to unless they have committed a crime to do so.
manitunc
795 posts
 
I'd be happy to discuss politics, economics and/or religion with any of my bretheren, but I doubt it can be done in this forum. So back to the original post. Yes, you can achieve most of the best for 5k, especially if you go used. Once you get the major flaws taken care of in the equipment, there is as much to be gained by setup, room treatment, etc as there is to be adding another 5k in equipment upgrades. The laws of diminishing returns always play a part, and to some extent, personal preference. I mean, what is the sound of an electric guitar ripping a riff? Depends on the amp and speaker its being played through. So for me, who enjoys classic rock, I need a system that can play loud, quick with full range and excellent dynamics. A string quartet listener might want something else, and dynamics may not be an issue. You have to get the basics right, and then start chasing the edges of what can be achieved.
manitunc
795 posts
 
Certainly, I wouldnt suggest anyone should go into debt to finance a hobby. That's a sure way to stop enjoying it. I also find that I am beginning to care more for the aesthetics and functionality of what I buy than I did in the past. I have always liked the sound of my Oracles and I think they are the best looking turntable ever. My Sotas are probably just as good, maybe even better in some respects, but they just dont have the same pizzazz, even my African Rosewood plinthed model. I guess I am moving away from my black box look in components to something that looks like it is worth what I paid for it. I doubt if I will ever get to the ultra high end stuff though.
manitunc
795 posts
 
The goal of capitalism isnt the success of the individual above all else. There is no goal per se. The principal simply states that if left alone, the markets will eventually correct themselves, and the true value of an item will be known through supply and demand, and that includes the value of labor. However, humans can never truly leave the markets alone, and we legislate to cause behaviour we prefer. The tax code is an example of trying to legislate behaviour. for instance, why have an interest rate deduction for home mortgages? Because we want people to own homes in the belief that home ownership has other desireable benefits. We could just as easily allow deductions for rent payments, as they do in Canada.
Of course, no country in the world operates in a pure economic theory. Its all a mish mash of what went before plus what we hope will work in the future, along with what some got away with.
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