How much to spend for audio?

[For The Love of Music]

Originally Posted by bart

That is funny

[Masterlu]

Would it help if I said that I spin it frequently.

[ps7256]

What a challenging question. I like the extra spins [emoji5]

[Still-One]

I spend too much yet never enough.

[seahug]

Wow lots of great comments. Thanks!

I'm not trying to get specific numbers - I know that's personal to everyone's situation.

I'm more trying to understand the different approaches to deciding on the number.

Spinning the wheel...

Vs buying a stupid car ...

Vs spending on wine...

Skip one or two care-of-dad vacations with all the kids...

Cheaper than getting a mistress ...

Screw it, i can afford it...

I totally agree price isn't equal to value .

Anyway, I'm trying to own less and focus on just a few things I really like and use often.

Cheers!

[mulveling]

I have at least 125 K into my main system. It delivers the meaningful, special experiences that it needs to for that cost. It is the main event, and center of planning, for almost every weekend. I'm "working class" so it takes a lot to justify that kind of expense, but it does so. I don't have any other hobbies or interests that cost a lot.

I have just around 3K into a system I built at my girlfriend's home. It was carefully constructed with good matches, used deals, and high-value pieces. That system rocks! We both enjoy it immensely, and it gets lots of use during the week. I'm already planning upgrades to take it into 6 to 7 K territory, where it will probably cap out. But though I was astonished at just how much performance I got for the 3 K (it's been many years since I started out my rig at that level), it doesn't make me question the expense on the big rig - that rig is special. That said, there's been plenty of times in flux of my system over the years, when it cost MANY multiples of that 3 K and didn't even deliver that kind of performance (in some cases, not even close!). Matching and setup is key.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by seahug

Wow lots of great comments. Thanks!

I'm not trying to get specific numbers - I know that's personal to everyone's situation.

I'm more trying to understand the different approaches to deciding on the number.

Spinning the wheel...

Vs buying a stupid car ...

Vs spending on wine...

Skip one or two care-of-dad vacations with all the kids...

Cheaper than getting a mistress ...

Screw it, i can afford it...

I totally agree price isn't equal to value .

Anyway, I'm trying to own less and focus on just a few things I really like and use often.

Cheers!

I’ve said this before; of all the toys/collections that I own. My Audio/Video Systems get used and enjoyed daily by everyone in the family.

That’s a huge return on investment.

[bodiezaffa]

Stop going to audio shows. Dont listen to a system better than yours or you will find yourself always wanting to upgrade.

[Beet Farmer]

I go with the advice to leave it alone, if you enjoy it a lot..To leave it alone for now.
There is no rush. Plenty of time to just enjoy what you have.
In the future (next year, three years), you may see something that just is great and you really want it. THEN talk it over with your wife.
I have been an audiophile since 15 years old. My first system lasted from 1965 to 1979. I sold it to travel.
When I retired in 2010 I spent a pile on some new equipment bits since I had the spare cash. Since then the only thing I bought were a few better cables... Until last year. When I had spare cash in the bank, and decided to go for the BIG speakers like the ones I already had. That purchase started a many month long journey of picking up bits here and there. And now I am finished and just listening again.
Sure I could just keep spending.. but I am HAPPY where I am. Which means a lot. The Grass in NOT greener up ahead. same as right here. So enjoy it.

[jzzmusician]

One of my earliest childhood memories was getting my very own record player for Christmas. Included was a record of Reader's Digest best classical pieces. I was thrilled and excited beyond words.

When I was in 5th grade my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told her, "The Sabre Dance by Khachaturian."

I'm now 67.

I've had a number of real musical moments, both listening and playing. Here are two;

I'm 16 or 17 years old and my parents asked me if I'd like to go hear Oscar Peterson. He was giving a solo performance at a nearby college. I said yes, even though I didn't like his music. I'd listened to a few of his records my parents owned and just didn't get it. You know, jazz. Play a lot of random notes, etc. I decided to go not because I liked his music, but because I knew he was famous, old and would probably die soon. (He may have been in his 40's.)

It's a small venue, maybe 100 people there. He played, I listened and it was okay. Until he started turning up the heat.

People that know Oscar Peterson know that he has a blindingly fast right hand. Like not human fast. People also know that his left hand is just as fast and completely independent from his right. Hard to explain, but the guy is just beyond mere mortals.

So I'm listening to him smoking the keys with his right AND his left hands and I notice he started going out of time. I give him some slack because he's an old guy. And then, then I began to realize that he had not lost time at all. What had happened was I wasn't listening hard enough. He blew my mind. At that moment jazz was my new world. Jazz took me a lot of places I didn't know existed. R&B for example. I fell deep into that too.

Which brings me to example number two and for me, addresses your conundrum.

It's an early summer evening and I'm riding around downtown Seattle with my friend Mark in my '67 VW Beetle.

It was fully equipped with the deluxe AM radio with speakers on both sides of the speedometer which was dead center to my field of vision.

This tune came on by the Pointers Sisters,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N028wgtk4gw

It was the perfect tune, at the perfect time, and the perfect place and remains one of my fondest musical moments.

What I'm trying to say is that at the end of the day it's about the music. If the music is good, the carrier device is a distant second.

Whew! Sorry for taking so long. All that being said, I think you can seriously rock with under 20k for sure and I'd bet 10k or less would have me and everybody I know say, "wow."

regards,

Bob