I'm 65 now but still in good shape. Still my 110 lb ayon amp is too heavy/awkward for me to move by myself. it is for sale. My decware is about 45 lbs. I'm having a new amp built. It will weigh about 120 lbs so we spit it into 2 chassis. I still like big transformers and chokes so it is hard to design those to be light.
On speakers, if you stick with box shaped speakers, it is pretty easy to move them around without actually picking them up. One of my hobbies is machining and I moved a 2500 lb lathe and 2000 lb mill into my garage by myself. Like an Egyptian. Let physics be your friend. But that is hard to do on a tube amp.
Jerry
|
I am 65 and workout, but I brought a JL Audio F110 Sub (75 pounds and bulky, I wanted the F112, but my room was too small). I almost didn't get it up a small flight of stairs, if I had gotten F112 I would had have to hire someone to bring it in the house. I have the 110 in a good spot and it's not moving again. I'll probably sell it with the house! Sounds so much better then the old, Velodyne lightweight one I had, so well worth it.
|
I'm 67 and generally have 100+ pounds of cat litter stored in the trunk of my car.
I begrudgingly bring it in as needed.
The heaviest piece of HiFi gear I own (besides Target HR speakers stands) is a Pilot SA-232 power amplifier.
DeKay
|
I had a gigantic 90lb KR Audio some years back that cured me from wanting heavy gear ever again. I max out at 50lbs these days and none of my current gear even weighs that.
|
Earlier this year sold 110lb speakers and bought kef blade 2 (80 lbs & easy to maneuver).
...........................................................................
Anyhoots, who else factors in the tonnage of the gear they buy? Any other 'lightweight' fans like me?
Same here. Went with the KEF Blade 2 Meta and monoblock Benchmark AHB2 amps. No more back stress..................or ear stress.
|
I definitely factor weight into my purchase decisions now. One of the main reasons is the greatly increased cost of shipping when you have to return things for service. I've had reliability issues with many, many brands of equipment and I tend to assume return trips to the mother ship are always in the future. At age 69 I can sure tell I'm not as strong as I once was even though I work out. The day will eventually come when heavy pieces of equipment become a near impossibility to deal with.
|
I’m 70 now. My experience has been there is a pretty direct correlation between weight and sound quality, the heavier the better they sound… one that has not recently reversed. So, I have been enjoying the best system I have ever had, and the heaviest.
The only changes I have made is I don’t lift them. I use my brain instead of my back on how to avoid it. My dealer moves them… there are other options. In my old age, the last thing I want to do is compromise the sound quality of my system.
|
SCA 3-3 here and I can't even pick up my BQII anymore.
Oh woe is me. You are on the right track.
|
Looks like you must over 65 to post on this thread, so I make the cut. I seem to be going in the opposite direction from the OP. Every piece of equipment I have purchased in the past several years has been increasing in weight. I’ve never made a purchase decision predicated on the tonnage, but it would appear the better-quality stuff just weighs more. Now I don’t own them, but compare the Focal Sopra 2 @ 125 lbs, to the Grande Utopia EM @ 584 lbs. Now that does beg the question, what the heck is inside a speaker that weighs 584 pounds?
|
+ 1, @photon46
Yes, weight matters to me, for the same reason. Getting a heavy amp boxed and to the shipper, then eventually back home, is a pia. Unfortunately, great amps are not lightweight. At least, not yet.
|
You wanna go light on amps, buy high efficiency speakers. I switched from pair of Krell Evolution Stereo amps (bi-amp setup) and Preamp to Pure Class A - 30W Integrated, couldn’t be any happier.
|
A few years ago sold my 80+ pound Modwright KWA-150se to a local file who helped me load it in his car and picked up a flyweight LTA UL that sounds better with my speakers and I can throw under my arm—no transformer! I’m ok with heavy gear but not when a piece 25% of the weight sounds 30% better.
|
Also, weight puts a damper on resale options as the cost of shipping continues to climb.
|
yes. i am moving to svelte eco friendly digital amps from full fat carnivore big Mac
|
To ship my Magtech from Oregon to Alabama: $200 via ups ground. Ouch.
|
I’m getting a bit old to handle the weight of some of the pieces I have, and ones I’d like to own, but that’s what dollies, hand trucks, and packing quilts are for.
Am still kicking myself for balking at a Nakamichi PA-7, 9.5 condition and a sweet price, because it’s 70-odd pounds, big mistake, now the price is double.
There are numerous speakers that can - for the most part - only be gotten locally because no one wants to ship them, i.e., IMF RSPM MK IV, 105 pounds each.
|
Oh nice were those days, when i first got my N1 power amp i could lift alone even though it weighs more than 154lb, today at age of 62 it is nearly impossible.
I am afraid that i belong to the camp of weight matters, but if unable to move anything in the future a pocket radio will do.
|
The total weight of my stereo setup is about 450 kg (1000 lbs). I just dragged it to a room on the 3rd floor without an elevator with my friends once, I don't need to run around with it any further, and I don't need to change it at all because of the weight.
|
I parted with my beloved 87lb stereo tube amp for two 42lb mono tube amps partly for this reason. Speakers get disassembled just to move them myself. Argh.
|
I’m all about lighter weight gear, I’ve had 120lb Sonic Frontier tube amp, big heavy Brystons, Odyssey... Then I found Channel Islands Audio, my current setup is a
E-200 stereo amp that weighs about 15-20 pounds and it’s great I changed all the fuses to those Synergistic Orange fuses, have a Acoustic Zen Krakatoa power cord on it and Golden Sound cones under it and it's the best sounding amp I've ever had with the tweaks, my Schiit Yggdrasil DAC weighs way more like close to 30 pounds and is bigger.
I doubt I’ll ever go back to heavy big power amps again. Also the Channel Islands doesn’t heat the whole room, it does run pretty warm but nothing like a huge tube amp. My next amp might be those Atma Sphere class D mono blocks which are like 15 pounds each.
|
I will be 65 soon. I have back and heart problems. My speakers are B&W 803-D that my (now defunct) dealer delivered and placed in my upstairs listening room almost 20 years ago. It took two strong guys then. I want new speakers but we are also contemplating moving, hopefully to a single level, so no point in doing it until that happens.
|
Yet another reason to explore the excellent offerings from AGD and Atmasphere. Now you can have your cake and lift it.
|
This is a trend recognized by a few manufacturers who are as a result putting effort into engineering speakers and components that have a smaller footprint and lighter weight while still offering premium sound. Borresen / Aavik, Raidho, and T+A (not the HV Series) are falling into this camp.
With speakers particularly, there’s the ability to use 3D machining to more accurately sculpt the cabinet and design for bracing such that it enables better airflow and less cabinet resonance. As an example, look at the T+A Talis S 300, whose cabinet is machined out of solid aluminum. It has a very narrow footprint and weighs 72lbs, but it goes down to 25Hz and sounds huge. Borresen speakers, similarly can fill huge rooms. I know at Axpona this past year they demonstrated how their monitors could fill a 60x30 space.
Class D amps are advancing this way as well, though I haven’t hopped on that bandwagon yet. I do have the T+A A 200 on my floor, and I found it outperforms the Primaluna Evo 400 amp at 1/3rd of the weight and similar price point.
As it becomes harder to make gear that sounds better, focus will be placed on its form factor and space requirements to make them better integrate into your home/room. So many manufacturers are behind on this, though.
|
Use a floor dolly. That’s what I’ve done with my 114lb McIntosh amp. Works great.
|
I have a Devialet Expert 250 Pro that weighs in at 21 lbs. That’s it for my electronics. No additional pre, DAC, streamer, etc. The sound to weight ratio is phenomenal. My speakers at 120lb each are a different story.
|
|
@zufan yeah, I get it. Earlier this year I went to FL from WA to pack up my deceased pop's rig that he left me...
B&W Matrix 800s (~250lbs ea)
VPI TNT V Hotrod (~150lbs)
Jadis JP80 MC (~70lbs)
Jadis Defy 7 (~80lbs)
Accuphase DP90 and DC 91 (~70lbs)
Cabling for all that I'm guessing 80lbs
And best of all the 1,300lbs of LPs...
I'm simultaneously eager and terrified the day I decide to set it all back up!!
Happy listening. (And lift with your back!)😨
|
I came across a pair of Legacy Focus SE and a pair of Vandersteen 3A at very good condition and affordable prices. Each speaker weighs 185 lb and 90 lb, respectively, however. Very tempting but decide to pass them on just because of weight factor. I do not believe I need weighty gears to build a quality system. The heaviest single component gear I own now is 35 lb and I plan to stick with that limit so I could swap/reposition them as I want any time.
|
@musicfan2349 , this is why some have 'children'. But....
One hopes they have sharp minds in lieu of strong backs.... ;)
"Hey, Dad! Lets' hire some 'day labor' to move all this...." *L*
|
Light speakers tend to be flexible which can have negative effects on sound, especially in the lower registers. A lot of my gear is pretty heavy (100 lb amps, 450 lb. speakers etc). I didn't buy for weight, I bought for sound and the weight just happened to be there.
|
All digital gear should be bought by weight - the heavier the better.
|
@asvjerry yeah, I was pop's "strong back" for many a year and odd job. 🤣
It took me about a week to disassemble and pack everything into their crates and boxes. (Interesting factoid: Those B&W's are shipped in Danish wood crates!) Thank goodness pop kept all of them. The LPs went into moving boxes of course. I hired day labor and a truck to help me get it all into storage in FL. Then I flew down later with my wife to rent a Sprinter type truck to drive it all up here to WA. Great trip! The day labor I'd hired to help me load the truck ghosted us so she and I loaded the truck in 95F heat and who knows what humidity. Love that girl! What a trooper.
I'm going to be 66 in January and after a career behind a keyboard, while I'm not as fit as I should be, nor am I as stupid as I could be. LOL Got here and hired some bodies to help me unload...
Happy listening.
|
I was struggling moving my Coda CSiB around so opted for some much lighter SPL separates. Lighter was the case, not just in weight but sound too. Then, after the 2-week-old pre-amp started turning on and off by itself and then the power amp went POP, started smoking and lost the left channel, Now, I'm going back to the heavyweight Coda (now separates). Maybe harder on my back but much easier on my ears.
|
Dang, there sure are a lot of old farts on this thread! JK I'm 65 and I am also at the point where I consider the weight of a component before I would purchase it. My most heavy piece right now is a Pass INT60, at 90+ lbs. Once that piece goes, I may have to replace it with God forbid, class D!
|
@musicfan2349 *L* I'm 71, and have a 'cut-off' of 1/3rd of my weight (135ish)....beyond that, a couple of younger emoloyees, hand trucks, dollies, and a Bobcat with forks and a boom if it calls for that....
If I needed the latter for, say, an amp...I'd obviously be planning to throw some wild-az party and it would be very loud....but exquisite, of course.... ;)
My main amp is the heavy at 45ish, and no real plan or interest in moving it..
Great that you and the spouse got to make a journey out of the trip home, hope y'all made some fun stops on the way. There's a lot of roadside distractions along the way, and a number of ways to travel by them. *S*
|
I go by sound not weight.
|
@ebm
Me too. That’s why all my equipment weighs so much.
|
Believing heavier = better is flat earth thinking.
|
Stop the insanity. 65 is the new 40. They way half of us are talking I'm surprised we haven't started a thread about the best way to get out of a recliner. 🤣
|
Getting out of the recliner is still pretty easy....it's that first 'sit-up' in the a.m.that poses challenges....
From *blink* "Coffee....stat..." to "...oh, no...not again...." *L*
|
Well, sold 23lb TT and bought 35Lb TT. I been buying heavier gear.
|
