It took a while but eventually I assembled a system that gives me near continual satisfaction. I now only enter the market when something breaks, obviously wears out, or when a new technology both comes of age and becomes affordable. I've even reached a shaky détente with my unquenchable lust for buying musical instruments.
members and their systems
for the short time I have been on here, I see that members will start a thread asking about a certain piece of equipment or speakers.. they will then buy that piece of equipment / speakers, start a thread about it saying how good it is and then next thing you know, they are starting another thread asking about another piece of gear as they are looking for something different. what happened to that piece of gear that was so great ?
i get the whole buying thing....but where are members getting the money to do all of this stuff ? do they not have other bills such as rent / mortgage payment, car payment, other bills to pay for also ?
i get the whole buying thing....but where are members getting the money to do all of this stuff ? do they not have other bills such as rent / mortgage payment, car payment, other bills to pay for also ?
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My senseless humour helps me.....tolerate....this....planet.....*fists clenched*gritted teeth*eeerrrrRRRR* Hearing from the PD in Atlanta that the idiot that shot those folks 'was having a bad day' made spouse and self pause... "NO, BS! The ones' he shot had the bad day, not to mention anyone that was there to see it go down! Jez.... 'I'm depressed, so I think I'll go out and off some women....' " Why not just suck the barrel and let it go, slick? Save us from yourself....;( Live it or live with it....damn....*fume* |
@mesch ....Yeah, it was an old building and the rent was cheap.*G* My spouse to become on her 1st encounter with that studio later opined that she could trust me because my bed was made and I had a healthy and friendly cat... ...and at that time the couple 'next door' had moved on....*L*;) 'Lack o toe' is doing nicely, thanks. The pain meds have an interesting side effect....'speedy', which is OK with this old hipster tyke...*G* Doesn'tseemtoeffectmytypingatalllllllllllllll...*LOL* Since the MDs' gave me 90 of them, I'm going to try to 'utilize' them to get some work in on my DIY speaker projects....along with the usual daily work..... Stand back, y'all....."Warp 20, Sulu.." *Pow*G* |
@tomic601 , @ et al.... I can't count to 20 anymore....*L* Oh, well.... Think I'll carve a wooden little toe from purpleheart to fill the gap in my shoe...start a nuevo fashion trend, barefoot w/StyleStubs...make the foot fetish fans freak 'n frenzy.... FOOT FILLERS! "With our red-hot poultry shears, we can take your ugly feet to Fashion Fab!" (Not recommended for those of low pain thresholds; high yield pain killers available for the weak of will....). Groucho was Not listening to music....*evil S* Long ago, far away, the Mz. of my affections learned that the fem of the couple in the next apt. liked to listen with a wine glass to us making 'affectionate noises'. Not long after, they returned the 'favor', squeaking bedsprings.....for about 30 seconds.... P turned to me..."That's It?! Damn, that's sad...." We both started laughing...loudly.... Acoustics are what you make of them.....*smirk* ;) |
Most people dont figure for themselves that it is MAINLY acoustic that make a system great, at any cost.... Then with a low cost system, rightfully acoustically controlled, you will listen music for the first time in your life with a really great sound, filling the room, and you will forget about costly upgrades...It is my experience... But if you cannot fix the acoustic, nothing will sound great really, and you will chase your tail... After some years and richer, you will boast here about how your 100,000 dollars system sound great and " perhaps" better than mine if the room is acceptable one... But mine is really good and i dont give a damn about 100,000 bucks system, especially in a non controlled room.... This is the only thing i learned reading audio threads and trying to create my own paradise... I dont boast about my average system, it is an average good one only, i spoke about acoustic, mechanical and electrical noise floor controls... Audiophile experience did right could cost peanuts..... Basic elementary science cost nothing, ignorance could be costly.... I am not so intelligent tough i would had taken the same road if could have take it , i just dont had the money to make the same error which is made by most: upgrading....The only thing i could do few years ago very frustrated, it is thinking about it and how to make it at no cost full time.... Never mind the sound, life is sad without music; but Gosh! how music is greater with a good sound....That was my obsession... Generally i am very patient, some problems are in my head for 40 years....Perhaps i will never solve them.... Audio was more easy.... Think acoustic...... My best to all.... «Why do you listen music through the wall Groucho?»-Chico Marx «We need ears, not speakers Chic.»-Groucho Marx |
I'll take this sickness any day over the one that commits small fortunes to an RV or a boat. I can enjoy my sickness every day of the year! Boats and RVs, not so much for most. Talk about the most enjoyment possible for the dollar? Give me my stereo, cheap in my eyes, if not in others. "Walk Between the Raindrops" and its album, a favorite too. Go Donald. |
In rereading the question...My bills are simple - my mortgage. My resource allocation for money is simple too. I save a portion of my money for 'fun money' and that is what I have used to spend on audio equipment. That fun money is purely discretionary and also the money I use for vacations, eating out and such. I have created a path to my 'goal system' that I discussed with my audio dealer. And I often buy demo gear - I've even been asked if I would be interested in gear someone was considering trading in. My advice is simple - don't let your stuff own you. I do like cars, audio equipment and other than that I don't spend significant money on other things. |
"So exactly what is "social" justice, anyway? I mean, besides virtue signaling." Hmm, might want to move into the current world, and learn about more than what net worth means... Some folks even believe in causes other than audio. I think the OP's question was fine. To me it was more of a "How does one balance all the other normal expenses to achieve the goal?" Like MC and others, I too packed my lunch every day when I did not need to. I paid off homes early (if financially wise). Cars never floated my boat so I kept the old Acura for 29 years. Luckily no kids/college to sweat. I also carefully bought a lot of good used gear over the years. Finally, as an audio cheapskate, I fortunately had three sets of mint speakers to trade (w/min. cash) to achieve my current used speakers. I totally get the question; I had it myself in my 30s and 40s when still building towards my current gear. Plan as best as you can; good luck! |
@tomic601 ...Thanks, getting sprung from Hotel Hospital today @ some point. *G* Playing my Spotify playlist on the laptop in room now to 'speed up' the process. The night shift likes my mess, the day crew doesn't seem to have an opinion... Likely is gritting teeth and remaining 'professionally diplomatic' about it. We've both have more serious matters and wretched bodies to deal with in our ways, after all....;) |
Job Optional is a good read, ( Casey Weade ) and you can use the smartphone at your optional gig..... I have three: Trustee at two not for profits, and as a technical advisor to the board of a software startup....if you want to call solving problems on a quantum computer “ software “ I was blessed, took a lot of risks in my career, 7 zipcodes, some in foreign lands. Giving back and paying forward are part of our living life and estate plan. My big passion of late is donating to causes that advance social justice, civil liberties....and clean coal ( just checking... ) and there is a lot more to a good plan than 1% ( really any % ) net worth people, but you can discover that on your own.... two hints; Liquidity and income.... tax planning goes without saying.... |
X Ray tech and cell phones. Sounds like that X-Ray tech has some sense. Less exposure, just makes sense. Not to mention the cost savings.. I still use a G3 that's how often I change phones. One is used for streaming on my 650.00 super duper on the cheap stereo system. I use another retired phone all the time for spell check, and all kinds of apps, microphone, tone generator, camera, light, maps etc.. They just don't have a remote, the G4 does.. Great camera though. Not an A7 but good.. |
"...the reason for not having cell phone..." It may be that a person just does not want one. Saving on cell phone bill will not be enough for a wealthy retirement. I have recently bought a record from Better Records and it was priced like my semi-annual cell phone bill. True, I do not have what people like to call "smartphone" (the one that makes people less so) so my monthly payment may be lower than many. |
@millercarbon You are to be congratulated for establishing and sticking to your financial plan.
Remember everyone, for the other 99% just have some fun and be responsible within your own means. I will never make it to $10.75 million in income producing assets...it has never been my goal. I am happy though that my ratio of charitable giving will mainly prevent that from ever happening (oh, and while I have a good job, most of us who work for a living won’t get there). My main charitable focus these days though is to contribute to causes that support voting rights for all citizens. |
First system bought in '76. I'm now on only my 2nd pair of speakers and my 3rd turntable/arm and preamp/amp set-up. Before I bought, I spent a lot of time reading the experts' thoughts on various components and taking records to audio shops to listen to the characteristics of the components. I came to trust certain reviewers who I felt were good at listening to music and were able to express what they were hearing, and I knew what was important to me. I guess it was "trust but verify." I trusted the guidance of certain reviewers and verified by extensive auditioning of gear. What I'm getting at is that I'm not a flipper, and the stuff I bought was somewhat expensive at the time, but thoughtful buying makes for years of satisfaction. So I haven't really dropped much of what I've earned over the years on audio gear, in a relative sense. |
Miller, you failed to mention the reason for not having cell phone, so I can't process that. Relax. You're not the only one who can't process much. We got one listing 2021 net worth. Nobody knows what 2021 net worth is, for the simple fact it just started. Nobody ever knows what anything was for a year until the year is done. Duh. Yet a whole bunch seem unable to process that one basic fact. Net worth is the value of what you have net of debt. Has nothing to do with "income producing assets". People, the first step in being able to process is to understand the freaking terms! This is exactly what I meant before about you want to understand, first learn to look at things from a different perspective. Instead of the perspective of, "Ow! You meanie!" try the perspective of reason and rational thought. For starters. Otherwise, well, it is starting to feel like this may have been a documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP2tUW0HDHA |
@inna "Very expensive audiophile stuff is one thing but something modest worth, say, $50k is another. " I think this corroborates the OP's initial incredulity. Saying a $50K system is "modest" is like saying a $500K house is modest. For the vast majority of Americans, neither are. Spending $50K on an audio system is well within reach of some people on this forum, but doing so further separates them from the rest and adds to the alienation and dismissal from the non-audiophile community. Yes, I'm aware that there are others who spend $50K in other singular hobbies - boating, RVing, musical instruments -- but to say that amount is "modest" is somewhat myopic to the economic realities of many. |
riley804, You certainly don't need my permission to do anything, that is quite a logical leap. I did not say in any manner that any of the replies contained a question about income. What I did say is the OP in an off-handed way did ask that very question. " ...but where are members getting the money to do all of this stuff ?" I guess I'm the odd man out then, I really couldn't care less what people have or how they got it. One last thing, please don't put me and MC in bed together. I have agreed and disagreed with him just as I have with quite a few people on this forum. Regards, barts |
Miller, you failed to mention the reason for not having cell phone, so I can't process that. However, millions of Americans don't have it. And millions of Americans are actually doing quite well financially. Very expensive audiophile stuff is one thing but something modest worth, say, $50k is another. Again, millions can afford it if they really want it. |
A good thread, y'all.....'educational' to state a least,...*s* It can be a pricey hobby, pursuit, endeavor....that 'music thing' we chase, each in our own..... I quit chasing the peaks when the cost of the climb grew too steep to attain, at least for me. The spec'd numbers grew or shrank, adding zeros or numbers before or behind the decimal point that I couldn't hear..... "Fine wine", expensive cars, the trappings or traps of habit....fun to sample, easy to avoid... I've not spent a fortune on the new, used, and vintage of my stuff. It pleases my ears for the most part, allows for the esoteric part.... Semi-retired....until CEO/spouse finds a stand-in, no need to hold breath there...*s* Meanwhile, logged in on a laptop in the hospital after having the little toe of my right foot amputated..... I have no short stories....;) |
@ghasley should be a t shirt dude, so erudite. Ya commercial property asset values are due for turbulence....I see conversion to condo happening bigtime in constrained growth markets.like Boston. i liked your thinking on 1% also @whart we need to chat again soon brother.. to the OP, your first question is deserving of a lot of focus. i know a lot of gear churners, i draft behind them....big king salmon eat the bait that wild Coho salmon wound...too busy slasshing and moving to eat.... so there is a lot of super gear out there.... have fun |
A friend of mine told me yesterday that he wants/needs to buy a new car. He is puzzled how people can afford all those cars you see on the street. A year, or two, ago he went to buy, or maybe it was a lease, a car for his wife (Fiat 500X) and, after whatever paperwork he needed to submit, the dealer asked him if he had added a zero to his income by accident. The salesperson had never seen anyone with such an income buying such a car. To put it in perspective, my friend was worried that the car may be too expensive for his financial situation. Sure, people buy cars more often than D’Agostino amplifiers so maybe it is not a great illustration of the way people acquire expensive things. |
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glupson "In polite society it is taboo to ask how much a person earns..." Why is that so? Well, not being a sociologist I find this a difficult question...save for the fact that (as I'm sure you know) we all grow up in a geography that has its own norms. If you feel as though you would like to continue this discussion PM me. Warm Regards, barts |
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