What has been your costliest mistake in this hobby?
For example :I recently learned a hard lesson- I accidentally ran voltage thru my $3000 MC cartridge (kiseki purple heart). I have a TT with 5 prong connector and a phono cable with a 5 prong connector. I accidentally swapped where they plugged into and ran electric thru the tonearm into the cartridge. It was a stupid - not thinking- hasty mistake. When I corrected the problem the cartridge was fried. An avalanche of four letter words followed!
So what has been your biggest and/or costliest mistake?
Costliest mistake was buying heavy & super expensive interconnect and speaker cables early in my hobby years....tens of thousands of dollars later I have happily settled for system cables totaling $3k and sounding much better and not pulling my components off the rack! Oh well!
When I was first starting out in the audio addiction when I was in college and turned equipment over sometimes on a weekly basis with the idea that it would sound better (and sometimes it did), I got taken advantage by a very unscrupulous dealer who always threw in something to the deal which would have been better if left out. The first thing that comes to mind is an Audiosource Equializer/Spectral analyzer. I saw something like it in a movie with all the lights dancing and thought a high end system had to have it.
I couldn't figure out why my system sounded worse until another dealer asked why I bought that and he said get rid of it, and of course when I did, the system sounded better than before that last swap. I learned that once you get an amp/electronics that works, stick with it. I think I lost 75% of my investment when I gave it back to the unscrupulous guy and traded it for store credit to buy records. Never bought another piece of equipment from him.
Speaking of records, I learned not to buy records just because they sound good. Buy the ones you like that are of the best pressing that is available, priced within reason. I really like Nautilus recordings (better than MFSL and most Japanese) and in my excitement over them, I got a few that I rarely, if ever, listen to. Quincy Jones "The Dude" and Doobie Brothers Minute by Minute come to mind. Basically, most of them that I would not have owned otherwise should not have been purchased. Don't be one of those who buy records like a stamp or coins - listen to them and if you don't like them, sell them and let someone else enjoy them. Or if they do stink, at least you'll have more space in the cabinet. I have to take one out for every new one I get, and it hasn't been a problem yet.
Other mistake was selling off some non-audiophile vinyl thinking cds would sound better. Didn't get a cd player until it became apparent that new records were not being released on vinyl. I am still trying to catch up and in many cases only able to find non-audiophile vinyl to replace the ones I sold 30+ years ago. Now paying 5 times or more what I sold them for.
Years ago: bought a brand new and very rare Supex SDX3300 boron-cantilevered HO MC cartridge, expensive for the time and a significant smack to my youthful wallet. Sweet sounds, oh my. Bumped cabinet hard, by accident. Snapped cantilever. Gave up on audiophile purchases for about 30 years. Slowly edging my way back in but will never be as silly as I once was.
'..and for some reason decided I just couldn’t be bothered with the remaining 70 to 80 of my albums still there. So I asked the teenage kid next door if he wanted them and after he looked at me like WTF?, he, of course, says - Sure!'
It's probably an all too common thing. Life changes happen and we're forced to prioritise. Sometimes we regret those decisions.
After the birth of my daughter it soon became apparent that more living space would be required. That led to the decision to jettison my LP12 and the cabinet which housed several hundred carefully collected LPs (and a hundred or so 45s).
I can't even remember all the details but most of them were exchanged for some furniture, some given away to friends and a few sold off. There were about 30 that held special memories back then and I stored them somewhere in the loft.
Regrets? Not really, not as long as I don't feel compelled to try to replace them all. Impossibly expensive if not impossible in practice as well. In any case vinyl is still there to get back into whenever the time is right. Who knows, I might even enjoy it more second time round?
@mahgister,
'Reading and believing reviewers that affirm that Hi-Fi experience and S.Q. experience being related to electronic design quality and progress only is mainly for those who can pay for it...
Totally false, but when you enter in this course to upgrade the electronic design of any part in the audio system, you forgot the essentials : any relatively good system will give to you an extraordinary experience if you embed it correctly, even at a relatively low price...
All audio magazines are market conditioning mainly... They sell ready made branded products, they dont explain the basics and the methods to embed them, this will kill the urge to upgrade.... :)
Very costly for those customers who believes the gospel...'
Yes, my experience too.
Certain reviewers are at their most dangerous once they start to wax lyrical about products that cost more than your car, or even your house.
Give them a few months and they'll have revised their opinions and be singing the praises of the new upgraded, MK2 version etc etc etc
The previous models will never be mentioned again.
I have a little more trust in reviewers like StereoNETS David Price who's still regularly refers to classic vintage gear that he owns for comparison purposes.
I have burned two units while connecting a pre-amplifier output to the power amplifier input . Unfortunately the pre was in standby mode but the amp was actually on. There was a short on the chassis of the amp. Of course with the best outcome none of them could have been damaged, or just one of them could have been damaged, but in my case the worst scenario has happened. Be careful while connecting cables - assure that everything is shut down before starting.
I have a little more trust in reviewers like StereoNETS David Price who’s still regularly refers to classic vintage gear that he owns for comparison purposes.
First cd318 thanks for your interest in my post...
Second, i vouch for your impression and i concur...Reviewers who listen to mythical vintage are more believable and gives us tag and beacons... And a very good amplifier of 1978 like mine is good this year...
The evolution of electronic design has made progress,yes, in the last 60 years, tremendous one sometimes...But the electronic progress in design can in no way explain by itself the enormous disparate audio sound experience different for all of us with comparable products on the same rung of the 3 scales ladder of Quality/ Price....
Other conditions more impactful for the audible experience than only electronic generic design, is the always particular complex embeddings of these designs, in an audio system, in a room, in a house , mechanically, electrically and acoustically...
Many reviewers dont want to kill their product marketing and adding to the price paid the necessary advice and methods linked to a rightful embeddings of their product, these embeddings which alone by themselves can make any electronical device to reach his peak...
The customer: --Do you said the amplifier i want to pay 10,000 dollars dont sound at his peak connected to the system right out of the box ?
The vendor: --Yes, you must embed it... It takes some materials, some thinking and working and much time...
The customer: -- I want a perfect ready made product, your own is not it seems, sorry... The reviewer wrote that it was perfect the first day, only connected to his audio system without necessitating any complex workings at all tough...
The Vendor: -- Yes but his house , his room, his other audio elements are different than yours.... And the vibrations/resonance problems must be controlled by you and you must treat your house and room electrical grid for controlling the noise floor and the acoustic passive treatment and even active controls is mandatory to listen to this amplifier at his peak S.Q. rightly embed with the other parts of the system also acoustically mechanically and electrically...
The Customer: -- i only want to listen to music....Audiophiles like you are complete fools sorry.... For me it is simple, i always buy the perfect product, if not, i upgrade it....My favorite reviewer did it and i will did it my way....
« If you want an audiophile experience, you must pay big money, only big money can give you that, everything else is an illusion»- a reviewer to Groucho Marx in an Audio Fiesta showroom or in an audio thread....
@cd318 Thanks for sharing your somewhat similar experience. Yes, we tend to do what we feel is right at the time. Sometimes regrets follow but, as you wisely pointed out, life is all about making priorities (whether we are aware of it or not). In my case with impulsively giving a bunch of good records away, I long ago decided that the lucky kid that got them probably enjoyed them at least as much as I would have AND had a great story to share with his buds. So, as they say...it’s all good!
But I do still wonder sometimes when I hear a particular song... ;-)
Bought a pair of Vandersteen Treo's, 7 yrs old, and paid 75% of the original MSRP. When I sold them only a year later I lost $900. I didn't research the price, and compared only to the cost of a new pair of Treo CTs. By the time I found a buyer, all the resales had dried up, and the dealer wanted $3k more for an improved tweeter (Treo CTs). I bought a pair of Monitor Auto Gold 300s 5G and never looked back. I discovered what BASS sounded like again.
My costliest mistake was going down the VPI rabbit hole. Based on reviews and specs, the VPI Classic (with the SoundSmith cartridge specifically designed for it) was my dream analog rig but it became a money pit and a source of endless frustration. After a year of back-and-forth with VPI, SoundSmith, two local shops, and a setup specialist all attempting to dial out problems, I just gave up. Even at its best, the once-simple act of putting on a record and blissing out became convoluted to the point that I simply listened to my records less often. In the end, I was able to sell it for close-enough to what I paid and replace it with a beautiful sounding—and looking—new table (PearAudio Blue) that was simpler, smaller, less prone to falling out of adjustment, less prone to skipping, and generally a joy to use. The simple pleasure of putting on a record and losing myself in it returned instantly. An added bonus was that my family, who were afraid to touch the VPI, have no problem with the new 'table and have been listening to more records as well.
Bought a Krell HTS 7.1 for $8000 MSRP. Dropped in value like an anvil out the window. Sold for only $800. OUCH! Technology sensitive products drop way faster than the market for High End stuff.
1) not listening before buying 2) not properly packing before shipping 3) not figuring out synergy between amplifiers/speakers 4) not considering room’s impact on sound
Bought a pair of Wilson WATT3/Puppy2 new in the mid-nineties that I thought was the last word, but eventually took an 80% loss at resale for a better speaker at less than half the price. Ouch!
Biggest?- easy: Had Old Wurlitzer 78 rpm jukebox, noise & static, reached in, wiggled the plug where it went in the amp to get better connection, got my finger & thumb around the speaker field coil output, most definitely got my attention. Lived, so not most costly.
I haven't had any fires or explosions, My worst mistake was more an error of judgement.
I had a large Vandersteen speaker w/integrated subs (dual/opposed 12" woofers per speaker) & required an external speaker amp. I was using my first serious SS speaker amp, an Adcom 555 that I had modified, greatly improving the depth & impact of the bass. The Adcom was an astounding bass amp.
But I read somewhere that Perreaux amps were the very best for subwoofers--even better than Brystons. So I paid ~600 for a used 200 WPC Perreaux. I was so certain it would work that I sold the Adcom to a pal (for not much $$). The Perreaux proved a distinct step down, audibly inferior to the Adcom. That was 32 years ago. My friend still uses the Adcom every day.
Mounting a brand new cartridge. Had a small screw driver laying on the platter. Moved the arm over to see the cart alignment. Screw driver slammed into cartridge and knocked the stylus off! Stupid mistake. I now have a small tool box for mounting carts and everything has been checked for magnetization.
Had a pair of B&W 805D that then diamond tweeter had shattered.
bought the replacement for $900.00 decided to change out myself. After taking the damaged one out, I set it on the work bench. I opened the box with the new one took it out and set it on the work bench. The magnets pulled them both together and smashed the now one.costing me $900.00
I purchased a pair of Von Schweikert VR33 speakers used for the retail price of new because there was a 6-9 month build time and I had to have them. After I received them I realized they sounded terrible in my room. I tried all the usual fixes like moving them, putting pillows in spots where I thought things sounded better, etc.
A year + later, my wife mentioned I hadn’t listened to the stereo in many months and only a few times since I got the VS speakers. I Vacillated another 6 months before I admitted to myself that I hated the speakers. I then bought into the Golden Ear line and I am extremely happy. To finish my story, I sold the Von Schweikert speakers for 66% less than what I paid for them, and also lost my shirt on shipping.
Bought a pair of Higher Fidelity 138 monoblocks for a sweet deal. Very very powerful. But needed some love. Postponed that. Bought my first biamp cable, a vd hul Revelation. It had the most thick spades ever made. The cables were also very heavy so it tugged on the speaker terminal, and there wasn't any good connection with it too begin with due to thick spade
1 day before Christmas 2018 I was blasting music, cables came loose and a ball of smoke erupted from my amps. I really loved those van de Hull wires so kept them, happened again to the other monoblock 😭
Maybe 8 months later both amps worked better then ever: rebiased, new lv matched transistors. Didn't like the highs coming out the speakers sold them. But in hindsight it was a system mismatch
The guy who bought them couldn't believe his luck.
I was adament to play it in 220v. I had it modified to 220v (was original 120v) cost €550, - Totall unnecessary...
I quickly sold the unit because I didn't like the sound compared to the old Gen V-a I had.
But the ease the unit worked Best volume control ever!!! No big jumps when pushing a button. When you want to hear music in the background you can still up it at least 5 steps volume wise. So you can hear everything, plus a little bass. Best audiophile background preamp ever Dead quiet Jitterjail 3 used on internerradio is a Revelation. What sounds crappy will sound stellar
Sold this gem for €550, - loss. But the loss is greater. My system is too complex, gf doesn't know how to use it. And spend thousands for better sound when I should have looked at function as well.
Shorted out all of my Audire electronics! Two amps and two preamps (used to keep subs in phase while being able to separately control bass), and my CD player were fried. The battery powered head amp had been my mainstay. When an old college roommate reversed the batteries in this POCO, it killed it, just as it had in college when the same idiot did this. I was without, so I traded it and one of my Diffet 3's for a Diffet 2 with the POCO built in. About a year later, the Diffet 2 started taking longer and longer to come on. I posted a photo of its innards, and a nice person on the internet pointed out two little caps that powered up a pair of reed switches. If I had left it on, there would have been no issues, at least for a while I ordered the caps and arranged to get them soldered in, but first, I had to get involved and decided to test the transformer. Putting the test leads on the terminals, to check output power, I shorted a lead against the silver wire that provided power to a row of 120 volt outlets, thereby sending 120 volts through the entire system output interconnects, and apparently through the CD inputs, somehow missing the KT-917 tuner and XM radio, which must have been switched out. I was at least grateful the tuner was not damaged.
...Not really a mistake I made with purchasing equipment (or damaging a component,) but about 15 years ago, at the launch of the CD format, I sold a perfectly-working Lenco L78 TT for about $75! Today, I see on various Vintage equipment forums that they fetch some $550...Silly me...
My biggest mistake?...I'll call it experience that led me to spending money. Went to a local home / dealer to audition a Parasound Halo Integrated amp. It was right in my 'wheelhouse'.for price point and has excellent reviews. It sounded good. We listened for a bit then he swapped in an Esoteric DAC / and I don't know what else and I was blown away. I stated it sounds like a 'completely different pair of speakers'. First I really learned about the quality and impact of the electronics..not just the speakers. So there I went, not Esoteric, but down the road of several upgrades and trade ins and now have arrived at music that mesmerizes me and is my escape.
toug27: "I decide to install a secondary system in my basement to let my wife sleep better while I could listen to live music level downstairs thinking that I could be happy with a basic system...read limited budget...God how naive"
This was also for a basement 'second system' It is now better than my main system upstairs!
Buying and selling some equipment did cost some, but it was the price of learning.
Also blew out one channel of a nice Yamaha Receiver in the 80's.....disconnected the speaker to paint, the wires shorted and the unit was on. Learned that lesson....
Maybe spending inordinate amounts of time on line trying to decipher what will catapult my system into nirvana. Champagne tastes on a beer budget is difficult. Democracy (read as spouse) can be a limiting factor.
Maybe spending inordinate amounts of time on line trying to decipher what will catapult my system into nirvana. Champagne tastes on a beer budget is difficult. Democracy (read as spouse) can be a limiting factor.
Dont be discouraged.... All is possible, i made it, champagne taste on a glass of water soda budget.... :)
Maybe spending inordinate amounts of time on line trying to decipher what will catapult my system into nirvana. Champagne tastes on a beer budget is difficult. Democracy (read as spouse) can be a limiting factor.
Dont be discouraged my friend...
All is possible , champagne taste with a glass of soda budget, i made it for myself, it only need creativity and time, Dont be discouraged and read and think....
1) Selling good gear for more expensive gear that was no better in the end or worse. 2)Trusting dealers opinions. 3) Buying unproven designs that sound great then break down... 4) (Just recently) buying from 2 designers that went bankrupt (or died, Roy Johnson Green Mountain Audio) while they have my money and gear under repair or upgrade and I never get it back. This alone has cost me 20K. Several other members here got the same treatment.
My costliest mistake, not buying a copy of Donald Fagen’s, ‘Nightfly’ vinyl album (Mobile Fidelity’s, 1step Process). At the time that it was available, it cost $125. Now, it’s out of circulation. You can still get a copy, but they’re going for $400. Ugh, I could kick myself for not getting it when it was available! What the hell was I thinking???
Buying excellent components in the first place based on the recommendations of others before I had developed the expertise to really evaluate it, then selling it for better (?) stuff to 'improve' my system. I knew nothing (to speak of) about synergy or set up. There is quite a bit of stuff I wish I still had which is now considered quality vintage, is hard to find, and is quite expensive. Go figure.....:-)
Buying a power amp on reputation alone. Bought an Audio Research GS150 thinking it had to be great. It was ok but hated the non responding power meters. I'd sell it in a heart beat if I could.
My biggest mistake was trading in my tube McIntosh C-22 preamp for a solid state McIntosh C-28 preamp. I got $140 trade-in. My wife said I could not keep both. The dealer promptly sold the C-22 to a person in Japan for $800. This was long ago. I see the C-22 is still highly regarded. The good news is, I was given a C-20 later and I still have that. I still have the C-28, also.I also blew up several power amps in the basement with a Yamaha PS190 keyboard. Lately my solid state McIntosh 2300 power amp (128 lbs.) seems to be working so far with the keyboard. The blown power amps were fixed at a reasonable price by an audio genius in St. Louis.
Linn CD-12, I bought it new in 1999 for I think it was $12,000, maybe $20,00; not sure. I loved it, but when it died less than 5 years later. Linn said that they couldn't get the parts to repair it. I still have my 1981 LP-12, but never again will I buy a Linn product. No support on a top dollar component,
A Psvane KT88 with a lint short brought down my beloved VAC Phi 300.1, requiring that it be shipped to Sarasota, Fla. for repair. This happened prior to a national show, so VAC couldn't get to it for 3 months. No music for 3 months. One of the most depressing periods in my life. Psvane no more and the VAC now has circuit protection.
Taking this hobby too far. Believing your satisfaction will come with buying the best of the best. Trying to reach the holy grail of sound with each purchase. Not focusing more on the music than the equipment.
In my early days of diy modding fried out CJ MV-55 after upgrading all caps, still have the fried thing, someday... Another early modding attempt building a mm only phono preamp, adding tubes and many circuit changes, adding step up transformers to the design, couldn't get it to fire up, still have this one as well. This one wasn't a great financial loss, but lots of labor time. Think I know what's wrong here, so have future plans for resurrecting.
Diy modding can be expensive early on, hopefully one learns. Haven't damaged any thing in the past ten years or so. I suppose I could rationalize these aren't losses as they've taught me what not to do. Still, I'd like to get both units up and operating just to see how they sound.
If this is a true story, and I doubt it. I don't know how you can smile every evening at 6:30. I honestly don't understand it. You admit in a public forum that you are a liar and in this case also a cheat. It is one thing to say well I don't know if and how well they work, bad tubes, and the cost of any repair etc, I'll offer you $250 for the pair. He can accept or reject. Only looker or not, you knew what the were, $30,000 + monoblocks (new) and you told the kid they were “organ amps” from an old Hammond electronic organ... not worth much." Now he should have done his homework there is no excusing that but you lied and therefor cheated him. I and most other "real" men who know who and what they are, including their flaws, work on their flaws to improve themselves and have character consider what you did disgusting! A "real" man has character, honesty and integrity. They can be trusted. You have none of those qualifications. Maybe your wife is mad at herself for marrying someone who has no character.Karma has a way.....maybe some day you'll get home early and find your wife blo...g that 23 yr old kid.Have a nice day.
Bought a Signature 9 SE CD(and DVD) player for nearly $4,000 25 years ago. Used it for about 50 hours. Just sold it for $500 on Audiogon. It had much worse sound than my Kyocera 300 and 400 CD players from 1984 (sound like a Mac 30 amp, gorgeous mids, light bass, not overally detailed). It sounded sluggish and mediocre at the frequency ends. It had a difficult dual function remote, tough to use. Another big mistake was selling my Acoustat 2+2s and replacing them with Martin Logan Monolith IIIs. For the little money I got for the Acoustats, I should have kept them and just upgraded my system more (this was back in the 1990s).
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