What Possessed Me to Do This?

Hopefully, you're not moving the refrigerator and stove, chests of drawers and stuff.

Rent an appliance cart.

Just use your phone and ear buds from now on. Next time hire a professional mover. 

What possessed me to get equipment that weighs so much?

Glossy ads. And reviews with glossy photos.

You must always remember the first move is by the delivery company, the next move is up to you.  Good Luck and I hope you get to listen to your system again soon.

Make sure your "climate controlled" space really is, especially humidity. You can buy a digital thermometer which displays humidity as well to verify for yourself.

I pondered the same question when I moved away. Taking extremely heavy equipment by truck over 2000 miles wasn't a pleasant adventure.

     Sell everything except the speakers and subs and buy some high quality class D amps that are about 20% the size and weight of your current amps and enjoy at least equal or better system performance.  Plus they'll pay for themselves over a number of years with significantly smaller electricity costs, even if you leave them on 24/7.  Let the buyers carry them out.

You're welcome,
       Tim

Satan is an audiophile.

Because, very often, heavy sounds better....

Remember, you were younger and stronger when you bought the heavy stuff.  Fortunately you have your son and his friends to help now, and for the mere price of a dinner!

Because good stuff often weighs more.

My problem is that I lack storage space in the house and all these big boxes for amps, speakers, preamps, etc take up a heck of a lot of valuable real estate.  I have some in the attic, but some boxes can't fit through the little hole in the ceiling to get up there.

Next time around the block get five subwoofers!

Class D subwoofers! With Class D woofers installed.

Class D tube mono blocks. 

Easy peasy!!

Hello wolfie62,

     C'mon, get the rhythm, get the rhythm.
     Okay, now you've got the rhythm, now you've got the friggin rhythm.
     Good job!

Thanks,
   Tim

Yes if it weighs alot its usually good. Now if I can just convince my wife of that

*L* Consider this move a required high-intensity low interval required jaunt to the local gym.  Unfortunately, all the exercises are with weights.  Remember to bend the knees, please.  'Squat is hot.' ;)
And don't try to 'clean and jerk' Anything....

...and blankets are your friends....*S*

My departed Father, who was first a pragmatist, second an economist, and third a philosopher always told me that unless your buying hangliders, airplanes, or hot air balloons, buy the heaviest version, it’s probably the highest quality. I haven’t found exceptions to his wisdom yet.. 

Make sure to inform your insurance company and supply the address/location of the storage facility to them. 

Insurers generally allow the extension of your home insurance to the storage facility. Check on this. Specifically. Get it in writing.

The storage facility has no safety nets. Your home insurance applied to the storage space -- is the safety net.

So, like a Christmas Club, we should all start a savings plan to pay a professional packer/mover.

@birdfan, there is an audiophile cult leader who is pushing the idea of "low mass" components having inherently better sound than high mass ones. On the other hand you have Tim de Paravicini, designer of the EAR-Yoshino tube electronics (as well as those of Luxman, modern Quad, and Musical Fidelity), who says he can predict the bass quality of an amp by looking at it's transformers. Tim prefers high mass.

I'm all "boxed up" with my son and his friend's help.  I'll be taking my boxed up system to a local "climate controlled" storage unit, so the room is empty enough for the painters to come in and do their magic.

I'm confident that we'll have the house ready and "staged" to list it in early April.  Our agent says he thinks it'll sell quickly, two houses on my street sold in a few days, both above the listing price.

We'll be having the movers take our stuff down to a "climate controlled" storage place down in Asheville, NC, as our new house probably won't be ready until the end of the year.  A long time to go without my beloved audio system!

Asheville rocks! You'll find plenty of things to occupy your time there until your audio system is back up and running.

@ejr1953 ...*G*  Well....

Welcome to Asheville, although this greeting is a bit early.  Since you're moving here, I'll assume you're already somewhat familiar with the locale and the locals....

The fact that I'm one of 'them' shouldn't dismay you.  There's certainly no houses under construction (or even will be) now or ever near me. ;)

Relative safety in anonymity....*G*

Celebrate your new 'digs' @ Dish....*Yum*  (Make reservations)...

....and my back hurts looking @ your equipment pics...*L*

Catch some great live music at The Orange Peel and Jack of  The Wood tavern

About the only low mass stuff I dig, besides surfer chicks are pistonic cones and speaker spades so I can crank down and get a gas tight fit...

@birdfan your Dad gave good advice as an economist trusted with an airplane , rocket, missile, etc factory or three, ya man I can agree !!!!

@tomic601 ...*L*  Caught the Smashing Pumpkins @ the Peel, and found out 1st hand why their name...🎶👀..."NO, IT'S NOT TOO LOUD! WHY?! OH! BATHROOM OVER THERE!" *L*

....had to go outside to reconnect with the rest of my body....talk about a 'sonic massage'....with a concrete vibrator....;)

Ever been to Sovereign Remedies?  Comfy place to escape...*S*

Sounds like you've mixed with the crowds 'ere. *G*

@birdfan....*G* Please include:
-Certain varieties of motorcycles (not an H/D fan, sorry....)..."Life Begins @ 100"...(when you're young and not afraid of death. ;)...)
-Lotus cars esp.; small, nimble cars in general....
-'Svelte' women in general...(I'm allowed to look, but no touch or drool..)

...there's other items that could fit the list, but become either illegal or distracting....much like my last entry...;)

aewarren & asvjerry,

We are having a house built in the Biltmore Lake community, one with a "bonus room" above the garage.

When we sell our house in Maryland, we'll move in with our daughter, who has lived in Asheville over 10 years now.  We've visited several times over those years, love that town.

Do not worry if it sounds good thats whats important.My Audia flight Stremento #8 amp  is 205 pounds but sounds great.

Like myself, I assume you are 60+ years of age. I just sold my Snell TypeA V5 speaker system, not because it didn't sound good but because the idea of moving it again was daunting. After boxing it up, I felt like a went a few rounds with Hulk Hogan. Everything has to be more physically manageable at this point. 
Joe

ejr1953:   I cant think of a few good reasons why you bought such heavy equipment:

1. (And most importantly) . . we are guys, and guys like over-sized and heavy stuff.  Why buy a zippy car with a 2.0 liter engine and fuel injection that putts around when we can get a screaming/snarling car with 427 ci and a 4 barrel carb?   Why use a shovel and wheelbarrow to dig a hole when we can rent/buy a Bobcat or a backhoe?  Cause we’re men!  And we can!

2.  If the stuff is heavy for you to lift/move at your leisure, it’s not hard to imagine that it might be too heavy for burglars to want to lift and carry while they are wanting to get in and out as fast as possible.  Better than insurance!

3.  Then there is the aforementioned quality of construction and sound implied by something that can give you a hernia when moving it.  That has to count for something!

PS.  When I recently purchased a Parasound A21 amp from a fellow, it was just he and I — a couple of old guys — struggling to move this thing in its box up the stairs from his basement.  It wasn’t just the weight, but it was hard to get a grip on this box and lift while trying to protect our backs.  We slid the thing up a step at a time.  I asked him why he was selling it — he said he wanted to get something smaller.  Smart guy!

@ejr1953 ....*G*  I'm on the 'wrong side of the tracks' from the Biltmore House....*L*  Long story....
'Bout time the daughter gets to put y'all up and 'put up' with you. *L*
Empty the fridge....(put it into coolers)  and go  "But, we were hungry!  Such a long drive, all that energy....what's on TV?  Anything to drink 'round here?..."
She might recognize something about that....;) *L*

@bob540, I own a Bobcat....;)...with attachments...  Not easy to drive inside a house, but I can put things through windows....

And as for cars.....Small can be not only quick, but nimble...and make just as glorious a noise.

Turn up the volume and enjoy. *S*

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a10022304/lotus-elise-hillclimb-car-uses-v8-formed-from-two-hayabusa-engines/

...been enjoying "Formula One: Drive to Survive" on Netflix....*S*  Been an F1 fan since high school....('69 was The Year to graduate).

Spouse and I used to ride motorcycles back in S.F. in the '80s'; best way to get around, and a snap to park....*G*

bob540,
Good ideas.  In my case, after upgrading this, changing that, for a few years, I have components that have a great "synergy".  I love the way my system sounds on all the types of music I enjoy!
Yes, I am "60-something".

bob540,
...and yes, I have a car from a company headquartered in Munich, with a six cylinder engine, with twin turbos...though I mostly drive it in "eco mode".

In short, BMW....perhaps an Audi, but I don’t follow vehicle 'details' all that  much.....*G*

So....when do you go ’non-eco’? ;)

Just a follow-up question, was it necessary to pack up the gear? Could you have moved it to the center of the room or the next room and sealed it with plastic tarp? Too big or too risky? Can VOCs of paint damage audio equipment, or is it the risk of painters bumping into the gear?  Asking because i will be renovating a bathroom just off my audio space, and wondering if I need to pack everything up myself as well. 

Good luck!

Paul.

paulburnett,

I'm fastidious about my equipment, save all the original cartons.  IMO, yes, it was 100% necessary to pack up my equipment.  We are selling our house, listing it in April and the real estate agent has told us what we need to do to "stage" the house (i.e. "de-clutter"), including removing the system and a lot of furniture, books, etc. which are all being moved to a "climate controlled" storage unit.

paulburnett,

The paints that are available now don't seem to give off fumes.  Having said that, if I were you, I'd just keep the door to the audio room closed for a bit, if you are concerned about voc, sounds reasonable to me.

When I remodeled my house I did it a room at a time.  So the living room ended up in the family room for a period of time.  It was a pain but made more sense to me than hauling it to storage for two weeks and then back.  Seems like a similar situation to me.
Of course I am a do it yourself type of person.  (can't afford to pay someone to do the work for me and not like how it was completed).

   So, the general consensus on this thread is that weight is a good indicator of quality in home audio amplifiers?  Do those numerous posters agreeing with this maxim also believe that price is a good indicator of home audio amp quality?  
     Or that age is a good indicator of wisdom?
     Or its implication, that youth is a good indication of a lack of wisdom?
     As a 60 something individual and based on my personal 40+ years of home audio/video experience, I just wanted to chime in and definitively state that all the above mentioned maxims are demonstrably false.  
     My opinion is that individuals believing in, or propagating, these falsehoods are very good indicators of a lack of knowledge, awareness and experience with the home audio amplifier technology advancements made over the past 70 years in terms of amplifier SNR (signal to noise ratio), distortion, dynamic range, accuracy, optimum operating temperature, electrical efficiency, affordability as well as their physical size and weight.
     Of course, aversion to change, lack of open mindedness, blind faith and stubbornness are not rare traits in the annals of human history.  Apparently, however, these traits are effective in perpetuating false information on this particular audio subject.


Tim

bob540: "we are guys, and guys like over-sized and heavy stuff. Why buy a zippy car with a 2.0 liter engine and fuel injection that putts around when we can get a screaming/snarling car with 427 ci and a 4 barrel carb? Why use a shovel and wheelbarrow to dig a hole when we can rent/buy a Bobcat or a backhoe? Cause we’re men! And we can!"

Hello Bob,

Similar to other posters on this thread not keeping up to date on audio amp technology, you apparently have the same deficiency with regards to auto technology.
I coincidently drive a VW Golf R that is exactly what you describe as not preferring in comparison to a large V8 with 4 barrel natural aspiration: "Why buy a zippy car with a 2.0 liter engine and fuel injection that putts around when we can get a screaming/snarling car with 427 ci and a 4 barrel carb?"
My intention of this post is to help you keep up to date on what my 2017 Golf R, with a 2.0 liter 4cyl fuel injected engine and about a $15K full "Gonzo" level series of modifications by APR is capable of. Here’s a review of my car, less the body wrap and full lowering springs, that gives a good demonstration of my car’s capabilities from only a 2.0 liter engine with intake, intercooler, turbo, ECU tuning, drivetrain, stabilizer bar and exhaust mods performed: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwdGrSWJHdM


As you can see, a car capable of much more than puttering around and it also has 4-wheel drive and is capable of getting over 30 mpg in ECO mode. My wife and I call it the Grocery Grabber.

Tim

When I remodeled my house I did it a room at a time. So the living room ended up in the family room for a period of time. It was a pain but made more sense to me than hauling it to storage for two weeks and then back.

When I remodeled my house we moved everything into the listening room. Of course it wasn't at that point a listening room. It was a space with plywood and 2X4's with not even sheetrock but 3M housewrap on the walls and ceiling. We added the room, and roof, and moved everything in there. Everything. Dining table, furniture, everything. Then ripped up the whole rest of the house.

They can take my house when they pry my cold dead fingers from my ZeroStat. But as for staging, if it ever does need to be sold, I hope it will be like the guy with the Raven Reflection amp, and they say we'll take the house- as long as the amp comes with it.

noble100,

I know I'll get killed for saying this, but I am smitten with my Focal Sopra No2 speakers, have heard them driven by a few different amplifiers, but for my hearing, the McIntosh MC452 I own seems to drive them best.  That puppy is 110# out of the box.  I don't think I'll have the hots to replace it anytime soon, so once it's delivered to our new home, it should stay for quite a while!  The Sopra's are 122# out of the box and the JL Audio F113V2 sub woofers (yes, plural) are 133# each, out of the box.

     I believe we're all well aware that weight is obviously the single most important indicator of quality in audio equipment, just as it absolutely is in selecting our wives and how doctors determine the quality level of our health. 
     Extensive scientific research has empirically established that physical size, color, smell and taste are the other main determinants of audio equipment quality.  Please utilize and prioritize this vital information wisely to determine all of your present and future audio acquisitions.

Tim

Tim,

My wife of 40 years is the same weight she was when I first met her...I've become "more robust" since.

Its all about great sound not weight.