How close was your starting budget to the final bu

I missed this thread was in the home theater forum. My budget for that was blown when we moved four years ago and I bought a $4500 50" Pioneer plasma to replace a perfectly good $2000 36" Sony XBR4 CRT HDTV (that I now can't seem to give away).

I have spent about $9K, but have over $25K worth of equipment. I still have plenty of equipment I haven't auditioned as well. I guess this hobby can become expensive well before we realize what we have spent. Then the thoughts of what we would like to have available to spend makes us think of second mortgages. I have had a lot of fun along the way as well.

I don't know when I will ever be finished, but to this point the project kind of grew on me...
1. Started by comparing Tivo to the cable company DVR. So a few hundred or a monthly fee.
2. Moved to new TV only, thinking would be $2-3,000.
3. Decided to add new surround system and expected would go as high as $10,000.
4. After installation, and including a few minor upgrades in the year since, MSRP on the stuff was about $50,000. Out of pocket more like $35,000 due to taking advantage of specific equipment opportunities.

And worth every penny

This is what happens when you really get passionate about something.

Amen to the comment about Audiogon - my $14.7k (list) stereo cost me $7.7k and most of my electronics were demo units from authorized retailers or new and highly discounted. I could never have afforded my system at list prices.

And as for the OP's question - my $5k budget was blown long ago.

My budget was $5000 for new equipment (integrated amp,cdp,speakers,ic and speaker cables) After researching on the web for months I decided to buy used.Finding Audiogon was my "ace in the hole".I now have over $9000 worth of equipment that I paid $3800 for!!!! Everything I bought was in excellent condition. I am,as the saying goes,a happy camper.

Off by at least 1 decimal place, but also includes 2-channel.

I have always "budgeted" (a VERY relative word) in relation to individual components as opposed to "system". Warning - this method can easily lead to "money-pit-itis", the more costly cousin of "audio nervosa" and for which there is no known cure.

People who know me also think I'm crazy for what I've put into my system, until they hear it. Then they think I'm only 1/2 crazy. My non-audiophile friends reluctantly admit my system is "better than Bose"; the audiophiles just smile....

Well the last system I put together was for my home office... started from a forum post about a deal for a $400 speaker... cost so far? About $10k.

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I thought I'd be able to to do it for about $2k. I was wrong but I was satisfied with the end result.
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Markphd, I hear ya! It makes me ill too, to focus on my total expenditures, so I quit doing that a while ago. And people who know me would say I'm sick for spending that kind of money too.

Adding everything up makes me feel a bit ill. I'd rather not think about it. I now think of budgets in relation to individual components rather than the total system.

like the mbta's job budgeting the the big dig

Budget was $10,000. Spent $12,500.