Erik- love the post.
As an engineer, we talk about having a design that is “efficient” - getting the most performance out of something without wasting anything. Squeezing the most out of something. So part of designing an efficient widget includes making the item low in cost without compromising its ability to do the task at hand. Notice I say low in cost, not lowest in cost. To do this sort of engineering, requires creativity, and most other engineers (not necessarily end users or consumers) can look at an efficient design and appreciate it. These days, engineers often call such a design “elegant”, as a compliment to how well it does what it is supposed to do.
i suspect your definition of frugal in the audio context is quite similar to an elegant or efficient engineering design.
Having said that, I have to include that I continue to shop the used CD stores for the $4 CDs, and even frequent a Goodwill that has $1 CDs. Granted these are always hit or miss, but there are many hidden gems . And if there is a CD that I must have, I go to eBay. I suspect three quarters of my CD collection was purchased used. (No vinyl or streaming insults please)
As an engineer, we talk about having a design that is “efficient” - getting the most performance out of something without wasting anything. Squeezing the most out of something. So part of designing an efficient widget includes making the item low in cost without compromising its ability to do the task at hand. Notice I say low in cost, not lowest in cost. To do this sort of engineering, requires creativity, and most other engineers (not necessarily end users or consumers) can look at an efficient design and appreciate it. These days, engineers often call such a design “elegant”, as a compliment to how well it does what it is supposed to do.
i suspect your definition of frugal in the audio context is quite similar to an elegant or efficient engineering design.
Having said that, I have to include that I continue to shop the used CD stores for the $4 CDs, and even frequent a Goodwill that has $1 CDs. Granted these are always hit or miss, but there are many hidden gems . And if there is a CD that I must have, I go to eBay. I suspect three quarters of my CD collection was purchased used. (No vinyl or streaming insults please)