[Still-One]

Originally Posted by prepress

Reality has intruded on things in a big way, as it has a habit of doing. What started out as an equipment rack search and a hypothetical preamp search all but turned into an actual preamp search, and now will, perhaps, change again.

A friend of long acquaintance found herself in a deep financial quandry, and reached out to me for help (quite possibly she had nowhere else to go, based upon my knowledge of her general circumstances). I helped her with a loan of $3,000 last weekend. I know I won't get this back all at once or quickly, and there are repercussions to my audio (and perhaps other) plans.

Being $3K lighter in the wallet, my first thought was to get a C48 and be done, as it's the least expensive alternative and would give me what I want; $6000 for a C2300 makes less sense now, even if I audition and prefer it. But I could go forward with those auditions and if the C2300 really floats my boat, wait until my circumstances are more favorable and go for it (that could take a while). Or, all things considered, spending this kind of money doesn't make a lot of sense now, so I could go back to my original premise of replacing/upgrading my TV console. While this seems most sensible, there's no guarantee I'll follow through.

She is fortunate that you had not already committed to a new piece of gear. Take your time. Continue to audition gear and when the funds are available you will be ready. Upgrades in this hobby should only be made when the discretionary income is available. We can still enjoy music with whatever we have in our room.

Jim