How do you rationalize audio upgrades?

It's not really about the "how,..."  it's that you will. : )

@david_ten 

LOL. For the win.
Yes.

Another poster, on another thread says rationalizing can cost more because you spend more in the long run when you just settle for something based on cost.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

Once I start to even think of buying something, it mostly ends with me buying said something.

All the best,
Nonoise

I rationalize my upgrades with the saying, "live is too short".  At 66 years old, it couldn't be more true.

Great sounding music makes me happy. Case closed. 🖖

+1 mapman.  But really, no rationalization.  I play the game within reason and simply enjoy the discernible audible improvement.  I so consider how long I intend keeping the piece and break it into years use.

My only piece of advice is to buy the best you can once and skip the incessant small steps up.  It's certainly more cost effective.

The argument many use is "can I buy this" instead of "should I buy this". I wasted baskets of money (that I could be using now in retirement). The system I have now is everything I wanted so I can't complain. The components I have didn't exist 30 years ago so they couldn't have been assembled into a system. Must be the reason for so much trial and error.

If I could explain how I rationalize my upgrades then everyone would do it. My system would go from mind-bendingly awesome to average over night. Worse, hearing the $1.3M system at Definitive would have me crying in my beer instead of snort, chortle, if only you knew-ing.

So I'm not about to say, even if I know, which I don't. So there.

A good rationalization for spending more now is that in the long run it's cheaper. You lose money with every upgrade.

There is, gentle readers, a hierarchy of audio systems. What that means is that with careful tweaking a modest cost system can outperform a more expensive untweaked system. And if you tweak the more expensive system you can potentially outperform an untweaked very expensive system. The degree to which a tweaked system can outperform a more expensive system depends on the effectiveness of the particular tweaks involved and the number of tweaks involved. Necessity is the Mother of Invention. You only need to know where you want to go and how to go about getting there. 

@geoffkait  I thought all roads led to the Sony Walkman via the Cassette Tape byway?

You only need to know where you want to go

Already memorized. : )     

I’m looking for the tape version of this... : )

https://www.teeshirtpalace.com/products/i-am-your-father-retro-floppy-disk-usb-t-shirt?sku=IAF20526-SPORTGREY-1-AT&gclid=CjwKCAjw0vTtBRBREiwA3URt7nvghKqZJbFfEubgc1FZY44UJrr2NdomaHoCPoluZLAEcgASqHtFcxoC8rEQAvD_BwE

Here you go (or something similar):  [Never Forget]  : )

https://www.spreadshirt.com/shop/design/never+forget+floppy+disk+vhs+and+casette+tape+mens+t-shirt-D5aca13e7aa0c6d3a4b92cfd0?sellable=rAq2138LQ4cgn727Xo20-210-7&affiliateId=7555&gclid=CjwKCAjw0vTtBRBREiwA3URt7rVl1xIB9Q5YJYlwgp5U3wDkxnEYSX7v2vmHvspQI5zTgaL6m7O8VxoCKUMQAvD_BwE

To my way of thinking, an upgrade has to do one of two things in order to be rationalized/justified....add an improvement compared to what you already have or eliminate a negative that is just eating away at you.  99% of the time, these will be sonic/musical in nature...but every now and then, aesthetics may come into play.

Oh...and one final thing...whatever change is being contemplated should not result in seriously reducing other important aspects of your life.

+1, celtic66

I’m not terribly surprised at some of the responses since many audiophiles seem to be under the impression they only have 5-10% of the way to go before they achieve full Audio Nirvana.

First mountain climber: Wow! Isn’t the view spectacular from on the top of the world!

Second mountain climber: Save your strength. We’re only at Base Camp.

Correct a known well understood deficiency or a broken component, in past when something fails I consider replacing it, or upgrade ( I have done both )

on tweaks, some are so low cost that the only thing one need to do is rationalize the time you spend implementing, convincing yourself it is better, and then defending them as real... not imagined, or just crazy

there is of course the best answer, “ I have seen the future, I can afford it “

enjoy the music

For ~ 95% of the audiophiles I have met, the upgrade justification is to achieve some new level of audio nirvana that said upgrade (or tweak) is going to achieve for them. Then when they upgrade X ... well now I am going to have to upgrade Y. It’s a never ending cycle akin to many who complain about their lot in life saying well if I just had "this", or if only "this" happened :-)

The similarities are shockingly similar because in both cases, a simple change or fix is identified as the path to nirvana, when in most cases, what is really needed is hard work.

In the case of audiophiles, that hard work is learning about room acoustics, learning how to take measurements to determine deficiencies in room acoustics, and learning how to fix them. Unlike a simple equipment upgrade, it takes a serious time investment, it is not glitzy, and you can’t brag about your new purchase to your audiophile buddies.


My turntable ... I wanted that exact brand and model type since I was 20, love the look of it, and when I could not only "afford" it, but justify the disposable financial outlay, I bought it. It does not get much use ... for me it is art and that was my justification.

I think the implicit formula many audiophiles use in making choices is like this:

Different sounding + More expensive = Better

Get rid of any notion of money from your choices, and you suddenly find yourself buying less expensive gear and being happier with it.

Best,

Erik

Then there’s a formula that audiophiles fail to consider:


Very little benefit is not equal to any amount of money


That is, OK, let’s agree something is better. Is it $5 better? or $500 better?

I may hear better many times, but the price and benefit to me and my listening pleasure is often out of proportion.

Sorry, last one.

The demanding mistress.

You buy a decent bit of kit, but it requires obedience in the form of many additional expensive peripheral components to sound decent.  Like a speaker which sounds OK with most amps, but finally sounds GOOD with an amp 2x as expensive as the speakers are.


Not for me. :) I like gear that plays together well for cheap.

Akin to this is the typical audiophile question of the ratio of money to be spent on Speakers, Amplifier, Preamp, Source, Cables .... and the usually "illuminating" responses :-)

erik_squires6,937 posts11-02-2019 5:55pmSorry, last one.

The demanding mistress.

You buy a decent bit of kit, but it requires obedience in the form of many additional expensive peripheral components to sound decent. Like a speaker which sounds OK with most amps, but finally sounds GOOD with an amp 2x as expensive as the speakers are.


Not for me. :) I like gear that plays together well for cheap.

I’m similarly aligned with Erik’s thoughts on this, but go one step further.

Learn about audio and figure out how to make changes that are essentially tweaks and cheap.

Ie, beneficial changes that are for the better, sonically... cost very little... and teach one much.

To figure out how to simplify the system and have that sound better. Less (gear in the path) is more (sound quality), in audio.

No, wait! We sell cables....so buy equalizers. Yes, that's the ticket...

I don’t "rationalize" my systems upgrades... because... for me... its totally... "irrational."

Desire. It’s a thing to itself, and doesnt need rationalizations. 

I'll cast my vote in with @erik_squires ...(Hi!)...

I try to do the improbable with next to nothing.

Next goal:  The Impossible with Nothing.

(....there are those that feel I've already done so with my mental state, but they'll get theirs when I've achieved ultimate control over the physical universe...)

I'll go lie down now......;)

how to convince yourself to spend more? listen to it .see if you notice a difference and if it's worth it. 

It's pretty simple for me...can I afford it. Once you get to a certain level it cost a lot of money to get relatively minor improvements. 

Desire. It’s a thing to itself

+1 @dramatictenor

Assuming all other factors have been examined, and there is a 'real' difference,

At 71, I am very realistic regarding 'will I use it? benefit from it? resale value?

Like you, I look at the extra money over time to help decide

cameras: I look at the extra cost over 3 years for a camera, because technology, features are still progressing. I get a 3 year accidental warranty, expecting to get a new model when that is done. I also wait, stay back a generation, to save cost and let others prove reliability 

audio, a much longer, or nearly forever decision, technology changes, if any, even if real, don't often pass a blind listening test,

it will be for a long time, so I first clarify required specs and features, then exhaust myself in research, ... I don't want to learn about something I didn't know about a week after I made a decision. 

Also, is something better because of something else, or itself. Is something great dismissed because it is compromised by something else (someone messed up a camera's settings, someone left the loudness circuit on, ... so many factors ...

yes, over time.

I think it is also fair to say that in many cases, tastes, wants and desires change over time...and if/when this happens, your current audio system may no longer provide the enjoyment that you expect which then requires some "tweaking".