2% of your net worth is a good limit.
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH TO SPEND ON A SYSTEM? IF YOU GET THE SOUND DOES IT MATTER?
How much is too much. Does it matter as long as you get the sound that you seek. I thought I would never have an expensive system as I do now. When I started I would have never thought to put this much into audio. But I have and I’m happy with my sound. Thoughts?
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It's all relative I guess, but as long as all of one's necessities in life are not being neglected due to a financial strain that supporting your system is imposing, I guess one is okay. And I can relate to what you typed about how at one time you would have never thought you would have spent so much on a system. |
we only live one time if you love music and a great system gets you there then a great system is a wise decision.
Our guidance in working with an audio system is to understand that a great sounding system requires careful matching of components, accessories along with room matching, and system tuning. this means that components are chosen that compliment each other sonically
a huge mistake is assuming that all matching components will create sonic nirvana, while many times you can get better results by carefully mixing and matching components from different manufacturers to offset strengths and weaknesses. So if component A is very transparent maybe adding a different component which has a bit more coloration may help create a sound which is more engaging the by adding more components that sound exactly the same way.
Dave and Troy audio intellect NJ 40 year audio professionals
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@bdp24 My music library is $499 for a lifetime subscription. seems I need to spend a bit more than that.
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I cannot define “How much is too much” because it varies with our different subjective preferences, commitment to this hobby, and very different budgets and spending patterns. ”too much” insinuates dissatisfaction with the spending. Outside our hobby this spending can seem excessive, but those with the hobby I surmise most would say the journey is worth it. Often we don’t like to spend significant amounts for our components, but it’s a necessary purchase to improve sonic performance. It’s unrealistic to think one can nail down their subjective ideal Sonic’s within their budget in the first try. It often takes a lot of trial, reviews, effort. |
@larsman 😏....I'll oblige, for a nominal fee....*L* Used to be in the sign & graphics trades, and got used to telling total strangers where to go, what to do when they got there.... "...you gotta fill out this form first....and go stand in the line..." (The Afterlife: P. Simon) |
I think it depends on your budget. What can you afford without impacting what else you need money for. The story of the guy that built a million $ system and having it go bad is a cautionary tale. In my experience starting simple and lower budget and then upgrading one piece at a time as you can afford it is the way to go. Also trusting your ears and buying equipment you can try and return if it doesn’t sound good in your system is important. I love tweaking my system as part of this hobby so I’ll probably never stop. |
For networths indicated below, it is good to not exceed indicated rig costs in 2025 (to mitigate maximal diminished returns). Networth: Rig cost 10k to 50k: Walmart boombox (just kidding, get Hifiman headphones) 100k: 1k 500k: 3k 1 mill: 10k 10 mill: 50k 100 mill: 100k 500 mill: 100k 1 bill: 100k 100 bill: 100k 500 billion (Vladimirovich, Elon, etc): 100k
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People spend a lot of money on booze, vacations, etc and don't think twice about it. I bought my first pair of Von Schweikert speakers in 1997 from money I saved by giving up alcohol for 10 years (it was necessary). People spend $50k on vehicles every day. No big deal. Why is buying a nice audio system viewed differently? You could buy a used vehicle for cheap and it would get you where need to go. |
I disagree...you should spend as much as possible, or when in this forum you should at least exaggerate the cost so people respect you. I'm currently hiring groups of musicians to come over and play for me at least 8 hour a day, or using my 600 lb horn speakers with a $350k turntable and a 2 watt amp. And mapman is right...nobody cares.
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If you are well off, you would set up a few different rigs for different flavors. But, spending more than 50k, 100k on a single modern 2025 rig is quite meaningless, if you are looking at the sonics and diminishing returns aspects of things. You never went up the sonic ladder as spent your way into a million or whatever. Very recently, i saw a couple of dudes pick a 27 dollar cable for sonics over a 100k cable on a blind test, go figure....
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well, in that case @wolf_garcia I just bought an $80 speaker cable! |
If you buy high-end used components, you can end up with a good system for $10 to $20k. There are various formulas as to how to apportion the money spent to various components - 60% to speakers, 30% to amp and pre-amp, 10% to turntable is one formula. My experience has been that you will get much better value buying used components from reputable manufacturers. And Audiogon is the best place to find them. |
@hilde45 how many caps is too much CAPS! Lol 😂 To each his own! Lol 😝 |
if I were a Lotto winner, I'd be much more willing and able to spend crazy money to get a system that, in my listening room, would reliably transport my hearing mechanism to the venue in which the recording took place, meaning that there would be no "sweet spot" because the imaging would be actual and not a grand [but conditional] illusion, where the sound would sweetly and totally be free of any artifice, lacking any electronic noise/distortion, with the exact same frequency balance as the original performance and venue. as it is, I am a stickler for stereophonic imaging AND decently accurate frequency balance. the only speaker systems I'd ever heard that had a room-sized sweet spot and reasonably accurate frequency balance, were the Maggie tympani III and the Bose Cinemate SR-1, the former very VERY expensive [including the premium ancillary electronics and acoustic room treatment it required] and the latter somewhat more affordable. the Maggie sound system did its magic via brute force engineering, the Bose system did its magic via the magic of DSP. to my ears, the Maggie system sounded "sweeter" and purer, with much visceral impact, as befits its king's ransom price. that would be the system I'd get if I was rich. |
Of course, the question is relative to one's finances. However, I've always found it ironic that as we get older and have more disposable income, we can afford to purchase more expensive audio gear, while our hearing is no longer as good as it was when we were younger; back when we could have more easily heard the improvements that a better system offers. |
As I have aged (turning 64 soon), my adio hobby/passion has taken on a greater importance to me. Due to three knee surgeries, two joint replacements and a fusion in one foot, a rebuilt shoulder, and arthritis throughout, I no longer run, or play tennis. I'm extremely fortunate to be able to play golf at the level I do and we are club members, and our home backs up to a course in coastal SC. So, on most nice days I am playing golf or going to the beach. When its too hot, too cold, or too wet, I am in my "music room" spinning LP's or streaming. I'm very fortunate that my lovely wife shares these passions with me and has never batted an eyelash at what I have spent, or am spending on audio gear or golf related items. |
