Hey Maril, I wish I were a psychiatrist as Audiogon has given me an obsessive compulsive disorder requiring that I check for new posts and equipment about 5 times per day. Is anyone else as addicted as I am? |
It's very interesting, that there are no doctors here, even though it's one of the professions where someone is likely to be wealthy (I gather it's a time deficit issue). I'm 43, physician (psychiatrist), married two children- just starting (again), my system, which is pretty far from being complete, is around $10K (some bought new at a discount, demoes, DIY). Two channels right now, intended to be Stereo/HT combined. Regards. |
Age: let's just say mid 40's and keep it at that. (just had a birthday and am feeling kind of old this week)
Profession: Defender of free speech in the Bush/Ashcroft era. Actually, I am a librarian/IT/Network Admin. for a public library system
Audiophile since my early teens. Solidified by seeing the infamous Grateful Dead Wall of Sound PA system in the early 70's. Dan Healy knew how to make a room sing!
Money invested in gear: A lot. Most aquired by not paying retail, and a couple of pre-owned pieces. Seems like I've spent more on tweaks and accessories though. Enormous sums invested in software. Thank God I live within 1/2 hour of Princeton Record Exchange. I also managed to take good care of some vinyl I've had since my teens. |
Profession: Respiratory Therapist, acute care...into prolonging lives. 49 years young. Amount invested, approx $20k plus...have not been content since I sold my Altec VOTT's when I went back to college years ago. It has become very expensive attempting to duplicate that sound, oh well, its fun trying. |
Age: 25
Profession: Phone Computer Tech Support for a technology services outsourcing company.
System retail: 5.5k soon to be 7.5k |
Salesman since 1975, you got it I'll sell it. Railroad equipment, eggs, ignition coils for cars, motorcycles, aircraft (magnetos, ignitors), cryogenic liquids, industrial gases, confectionary processing equipment. Built my own speakers w/cabinets in 1967, bought my first used equipment in 1968 (Bell 3030 integrated amp for $25, still have and use, sounds great). Dropped out of hi end for awhile while I purchased other toys, back into it and I'm scaring myself, spend too much time looking for 6Dj8's and ways to explain to my wife why I have to move the couch 3.4" to the left and move the grandfather clock to the other wall. Age? Luigi50. System cost...you think I'm keeping track? |
I am surprised there are no other professors. I am 64 and have been at this since 1954! I have little idea what I have in my system; probably about $50K excluding the stuff I have for sale. |
Professional engineer (civil). Licensed professional land surveyor. I opened my own business 4 years ago and work primarily as a sub-consultant to the larger firms. One of my financial goals while busting but in college was to have a cost no object sound system. Yes self actualization is a good thing!!! |
Age 43, DSP Engineer. System retails for around $18k but was substantially less through connections. Also sounds better than it should thanks to some DIY magic and a huge amount of sweat equity in building a dedicated LEDE room. |
Nasty wicked hedgie. 34. Only short really bad companies :^). System about $20k(?) retail but all bought used/demo. |
Riverside County (CA) Deputy Public Defender. 48 years old. Only represent innocent criminals. System is about 5K. |
Greetings gentle readers,
I'm a 54 year old Gemini (with Scorpio rising) and work as a technical consultant for a German car company. The real job breakdown would be that one of our dealer technicians can't fix "your" car and calls me to pass the buck. I have no-one to pass the buck to and so every phone call from the dealer is an interesting challenge. I don't always have an answer, some days a full moon is my best shot at a fix.
My current system is worth about 15K retail but my software expenditure is obscene. I love this site and the diverse personalities it harbors. |
new job and be older, so that I will have to re-post my answer every once in a while!! :) |
Insurance claims adjuster, residential fire damage. 51 yrs old. Total system (new retail) value of $16,935.00, including wires. I'm done for a while except I may replace the Creek passive pre-amp with an active. Will never give up my Air Tight 300B amp, would like to find another (used) for bi-amping. |
Financial Advisor, age 38.
Your not kidding about the market not helping.
Matty |
Good to see this thread revived! I'm a recruiter with a $+60k main system I can't afford, but enjoy. Nasdaq is NOT helping. |
I am a 47-year-old Biomedical Engineer/Manager working for a national hospital group. System cost is around $30,000 including room treatments. |
Product Manager, 34. LA, CA |
Work for the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and I am 56 |
Greetings,
I am 43. Originally trained as a field geologist. Spent years as a ski bum, carpenter and chef. Earned a Master's in Education and taught in the classroom for 10 years. Now a retired classroom teacher. When Jerry checked out I had made around 200 shows coast to coast. Currently work for a small manufacturing concern. System is around $20K retail, and my audio friends are now teaching me about the virtues of electronic crossovers and efficiently using my amplification to its greatest potential. (with an eclectic arrangement of drivers, to boot)
Cheers!
Quin |
I am an engineer in structural dynamic testing and modal analysis for a large aerospace company. Age 58. |
I am a software designer. 25 yrs of age
Stereo system costs 3.5K
Home Theatre costs about 2K |
I am a corporal in the second largest State Police agency in the U.S. and I am 45 years old. I have been an audiophile since my freshman year in college many moons ago.
My system is currently worth about 40k. after numerous upgrades with many more to come. |
I'm a 42yo distinguished engineer at one of the big three-letter computer companies. |
I am a 45 year engineering manager for a medical imaging company. I am back into high end audio after a long departure. I am working on spending around 5K for our next new system a tube and solid state hybrid of sorts. (I have found it very easy to quickly spend much more!) In my experiences with video/imaging I have also discovered alot of analogies with video and audio in terms of our perceptions. However, I still find audio much more of a mystery and music has much more of an impact on me. |
Now that we have all your careers and ages, how about downloading a current photograph of yourself so we can see what you look like. Have you ever talked to someone on the phone for years in a business relationship and then you finally meet them and your jaw drops because they didn't look, even a bit, like you had envisioned them ? I once had a business relationship with a woman who had the most seductive voice that if I weren't married, I'd take her out just to have her talk to me. When I finally met her, well, I was embarrassed, needless to say, when I was trying to decide which was prettier, her or my dog's rear end... |
Age 39, and will be 40 next April (and pretty damn proud of it too). I am Computer Support Specialist. I currently make about $50K a year, and I am not married, nor do I have any children. I guess when you don't have a spouse or any kids to deal with, then you can probably afford this hobby.
I've been a Computer Support Specialist for six years, and have been an audiophile for almost twenty-five years.
And last (if not least), I don't have an $80K system either. Cannot afford it. I have rent (and saving up for a mortgage), an automobile, auto insurance, credit cards, food, and utilities to deal with. So, that pretty much precludes me from getting an $80K to $100K audio setup.
So then, my audio setup retails for $7K, and my home theater retails for another $3K.
I guess that puts me lower on the totem pole, right (LOL)???
--Charles-- |
I work in the cirulation and classified department for our daily newspaper. I'm ##@%# yrs. old(can you tell I'm a female?) My system isn't finished yet, but so far I have spent about $8,000. I will probably have about $12-15,000 in it when done. It takes me forever to decide on a product to buy, so I'll probably be 100 yrs. old by the time I get everything bought and won't have any hearing left. |
Retired - 48. Did thirty years in the USN.
I'm now an assistant football coach and spend the rest of my time golfing. |
I am 34, a hi-end product sales specialist/consultant wannabe. That would be my dream job but reality dictates that I am a purchaser of computer and electronic parts. |
I am in sales, selling to financial institutions. Age 45. My current system retails for $25K. Most of it was purchased slightly pre-owned for around 30-50% off. This does not include the $10K or so that is laying around and not being used. |
I am a 28 yr old Computer Engineer for Walt Disney Feature Animation. I am just getting into this game, and stuggling with my first purchases. I have narrowed my speaker choice down the the JM Labs Cobalt line. I recently listened to them run from a reciever, and even with that, they sounded wonderful to me. Now if I can just pick some components...
I tend to reseach this stuff to death before I decide, but to me that is half the fun.
Cheers,
Z |
I have been spending most of my extra income on gear lately...and buy and sell some gear on the side..
I do some audio system consulting and other than that...
bonus money typically goes to upgrades...
It is hard to stop...
but I love it.. |
|
Pharmacist and 43. Up to about 17K retail but I just started last August. If I buy a new house because I want a dedicated listning room, do I count that in the cost? |
29, Audio Visual Engineer. System about $12K with wife and one infant. Moving more toward home theater but still have the music system in the basement where no one can get to me... |
Sporting Goods distributor/43 |
21, I am a College student in Canada at University of Waterloo. I love this hobby and have about 10K of mostly new gear bought off Audiogon. |
I am a letter carrier for the United States Postal service. My system retails for about 28K. MY wife gets the new car and I get upgrades. |
I am the manager of the Biomedical Engineering department for a group of hospitals in central Texas. I am 45 years young.
My system is comprised of all Melos tube components, and Vienna Acoustics Mahler speakers (soon to arrive). I would estimate the list cost of my system at $22,000. However, this is not an accurate number strictly speaking. Many of the upgrades done to my system over the years have been bartered. I also build furniture a hobby, and have traded those services in making speaker enclosures for several acquaintances that were designers, in return for components that they either designed as well or had on hand. Given the cost of running two very expensive hobbies without over stretching my wife’s patience, this was the best solution to both issues so to speak. So strictly speaking, I have likely spent 1/2 of the above amount. I suspect that trading other talents for equipment is not an uncommon practice with other members of this group. |
I'm 49.have loved music all my life.I am a musician,having played the trumpet since 12 yrs.old.I make a modest living selling chemicals and servicing injection systems in hospital and nursing home laundries.Got bit by the audio-phile bug in 1978 working at a high end dealer while attending college.Got out of audio for about 15 yrs.Picked it up again recently and this time will never let it go,praying the whole time for my wife to be tolerant. |
I'm 50 and unemployed. I used to have a $120,000 megabuck system and have since downsized to a small system that cost under $10,000 retail (I bought everything used) consisting of smaller floor-standing speakers, an integrated tube amp, a cd player and Purist cables. It's funny because I enjoy this small system more than my megabuck system. |
Well Im 43 a Field Technician for the City of Chicago , I have spent some bucks since I came to Audiogon, 8k living room system ,2 k bedroom , lots of cd's too many there everywhere. |
Well lets see I work for the airlines ground crew 30 years and still have good hearing 49 years old and 3 stereo systems in house 30k in one 13k in one and 4k in the bedroom. |
21, College student, and my system is about $1.8k retail, $1.4k purchased new on deals...
It is scary how much you guys spend on systems!!! :) |
31, Chemical Engineer, 13k and climbing...too fast!! |
26 years old IS/IT consultant (Telecom industry). I just got my first real system... worth around $28K CDN (around $17K US). |
37, unemployed artist, looking for job as a janitor or laborer somewhere in southwest US, or LA area. Thanks! |
39 yo Validation Engineer in a Large Biotechnology Firm. |
Well Will, I can readily understand independent catholic minister, with some difficulty, priest, maybe, but how does one become an independent catholic bishop?
You can email me if you don't want to go into it here, but since you've mentioned it more than once and it's part of your name, maybe you want to talk about it.
Paul, an irregular RC, not independent just not very observant. |
