How much money do you have invested in this "hobby?"

[jfetter]

I'm in the 15-25k range. Actual working units, not too many. Most of what I have spent was on vacuum tubes, exotic op-amps, analyzers/test equipment, electronic hardware and shop tools for chassis/speaker building.

 

[Bear123]

Here's my sytem. My goals are to achieve the highest sound quality while keeping cost reasonable and have as much or more clean output capability as I can ever use, so a bit more was spent to achieve those goals vs the cheapest possible option.

L/R----------Revel F36 $1425. MSRP $2,000
Center------Revel C25 $500 MSRP $750
Surrounds--Revel W263 in walls $250 MSRP $350
Subs--------DIY BMS18N862 4ft^3 sealed subs x 2 $750 used/pair; MSRP $1500/pair. Most of you probably haven't heard of these, but arguably one of the best 18's made:
https://data-bass.com/#/systems/5c48e01911126b0004ca12ec?_k=07ckn2
Sub amp----Behringer NX6000D (1,000-1200watts x 2) $450 MSRP $600
Sub cabs: PartsExpress/DIYSG flat packs, about $200/pc; $400
AVR----------Denon X3300 $600 MSRP $1,000
Apple TV 4k-$185 I think....ish.
Cables: AVR to sub amp Monoprice RCA-->XLR....these work great and eliminated all noise/hum I was getting with RCA to 1/4 adapters.
Speaker: 12 gauge OFC with whatever banana terminals..nice twin screw binding to speaker cables..Sewell maybe?
Sub amp to subs: Speakon with 12g OFC.
HDMI cables are Monoprice I think. Probably $100 or so in all cables for the entire system.
Umik-1 mic $100
Harmony Companion Remote: $100 MSRP $149. I love, love LOVE this remote. Does not require line of sight and always works 100% of the time. Much much much better than the Harmony 650 I had previously. Flaws....keys are not backlit but keypad is very intuitive and usable in the dark once you learn it. I highly recommend it.

So grand total for audio is about $4860, or lets just say $5,000 to include miscellaneous stuff I'm not thinking of.

Display, which is really part of the system since its on even for music through whatever Im streaming:
Samsung 75" Q80R $2500

Grand Total Audio and Video: $7500

Tentative plans for the future:
1) I'd like to sell the subs to downgrade to a slightly smaller package. Current plan is a pair of PSA S3012 subs. They use B&C pro audio 15's in a dual opposed configuration and should match my current BMS in performance, or at least be *very* similar. This will actually cost quite a lot of money without any real performance benefit. The BMS are incredible. I think they are the best overall 18's made, period, cost no object. But my only system is in my living room, and a 4" narrower cab would be nice.

2) I might consider an external amp for the LCR for when I really want to let it rip. Soley for the extra power. I'm not expecting any sound quality improvement other than at very loud volumes where my Denon AVR might be hitting its limits. The two amps I have narrowed things down to would be the Monoprice Monolith 3 channel amp or the Nord 3 channel Hypex NC500. 99.9% of my listening is below -10MV so this would be a very marginal, negligible upgrade, for a rather large cost.

Other than that, I have my current end game system. Nothing else, I want, no improvements that I feel need to be made for the foreseeable future. Only thing I have left to do are to spend some more time measuring, making sure the subs and speakers are aligned optimally, and maybe experiment with higher crossovers. I'm currently at 80 Hz but my subs will play with exceptionally high fidelity as high as my AVR is capable of letting them play. I know localization will become an issue at some point, but I will probably experiment between 80 and 120 Hz.

I'd like to replace my current ottoman which is large and vinyl(fake leather), so horrible for acoustics. I might also consider an area rug to put in the room in front of the speakers to help with acoustics as well. So piddly things.

Oh, almost forgot, I'll probably be changing out all the blinds on my first floor to some type of room darkening blinds/shades for movie watching when its light out. That'll be nice.

 

[F1308]

Hi...
I am a new entry... Everything the very best to you all.

I always liked music. Very, very much indeed. Immensely. When I was a child and saw a piano in someone else's homes, I thought they did have a diamond. After many years, I have now fulfilled a dream. Yes, the latest music equipment I have bought is an outstanding Roland Fantom 8, a terrific 88 keyboard synthesizer that allows me to place my ears, my soul, my whole being exactly on the other side of music: composing, editing, playing, and hearing...not just hearing as I was committed to before the keyboard came in. I already did thank Roland for making such a masterpiece available, but I nevertheless want to say thanks to Roland again, from here, among you, who are in search for music replayed second to none...

And if I go and return to the side of those just hearing, it happens that my beloved Denon receiver died a couple of months ago due to a power conditioner malfunction...you, traitor.

I have been planning to get it repaired, but suddenly I thought that having used it along a 35 years window [1985-2020] was more than enough. Thanks, Denon. Well done. Beautiful sound for many years.

Then, I started a thorough search for a replacement... without much luck. Specifications were odd. I did not understand what was going on...Those numbers simply were not fulfilling correctly a simple year 2020 to year 1985 relationship. What a surprise, how strange.

And after reading hereabouts for a while, I am ordering a Topping D90 MQA and a Benchmark AHB2.

I see many people here talking about the lack of relationship between scientific data and perceived sound quality, but I am glad to pay for higher specifications as a matter of gratitude to those pushing the limits further.

Be aware if you take into account everything spent, such as for downloaded music, CD's, LP's, cassettes and the likes...I think perhaps 50000$ is nothing but just the very starting point itself...after some 35 years, but of course.

So long...

 

[Sal1950]

And after reading hereabouts for a while, I am ordering a Topping D90 MQA and a Benchmark AHB2.

Welcome to ASR @F1308, and thanks for a enjoyable first post.
I'm sure you will be very pleased with the products you have chosen. When combined with a good pair of speakers and some quality source material, you should be able to reproduce SOTA sound quality limited only by your choice of speaker.
I'm looking forward to following your journey.
Sal

 

[F1308]

Welcome to ASR @F1308, and thanks for a enjoyable first post.
I'm sure you will be very pleased with the products you have chosen. When combined with a good pair of speakers and some quality source material, you should be able to reproduce SOTA sound quality limited only by your choice of speaker.
I'm looking forward to following your journey.
Sal

Thanks very much for the warmth of your welcome, Sal1950.

I still have my very first speakers, Vieta, a three pieces system [2.1 as they say today). It was called VIETA 5080.
2.1 systems were starting those days...the very latest improvement in sound reproduction, the very same for the new cd players.
I still remember the first time I heard that Telarc Tchaikovsky's 1812 canyons... Previously seen as nothing more than little hand held gun funny shots; then you better take cover, as very serious canyons shots were about to take place...indeed. Mind the volume, cover your ears, wait for the last one.... Lots of fun...!!!!
VIETA is the short for Virtuosismo en alta fidelidad, Spanish, which could be translated into Virtuosoship in High Fidelity.
The story behind that purchase was such a mess, a funny one for me, nor for the vendor, I cannot tell you...In short: he thought, while testing around 12 different loudspeakers that the more expensive [some good 10000$ in year 1985] was not being taken into account by me, since I said I did not like the sound at all. It turned out they mistakenly wired channel number 20 to a tiny speaker the size of a pocket of cigarettes...but he insisted the bass was second to none and that I was not appreciating it due to my lack of knowledge...just to see me walking towards it to find out no vibrations were felt since it was not operating due to the wrong wiring....pfffffff.

Let me include the brochure I still keep, helping History not to forget anything at all...not even VIETA 5080.

They give way to a pair of Mythos ST, sent from Milan, Italy. thanks to ProAudio Italia. I am still thanking Stephany Caputo for being so kind to help me by opening the shop in Milan the holiday of that Saturday, July 9th, and allowing my wife and I to audition them for nearly an hour. No Definitive Technology retailers were available in Spain at that time and you will never appreciate such a help until you are in the need for it....

Well...time passes by...and I am planning for a replacement...Golden Ear Tritons...? Mmmmm....Still thinking...

 

[Sal1950]

Well...time passes by...and I am planning for a replacement...Golden Ear Tritons...? Mmmmm....Still thinking...

Very interesting 2.1 speaker system, they were a little ahead of the times.
Never heard of them here in the states but there's a lot of product in Europe we aren't aware of here.

I just had to up my poll response to the next level with my new packages coming soon.
I also removed "The Audio Cheapskate" from my signature, it doesn't really apply any more. LOL

 

[Alexanderc]

Very interesting 2.1 speaker system, they were a little ahead of the times.
Never heard of them here in the states but there's a lot of product in Europe we aren't aware of here.

I just had to up my poll response to the next level with my new packages coming soon.
I also removed "The Audio Cheapskate" from my signature, it doesn't really apply any more. LOL

What new equipment did you get?

 

[Sal1950]

What new equipment did you get?

Speakers is all I'll say for now, you'll have to wait till the big reveal to learn more.

 

[jeffbook]

The total cost of my current audio system comes to about $5700 to $5800 I equivocate as this system is a years long development based on DIY construction for the speaker system.

Front End:
Oppo BDP-105 Digital Player - SACD, HDCD, and CD playback. (also Blu-Ray and DVD, but that is video, so.... not going there!) $1300
Topping D10 - used as a USB bridge to convert USB to TOSlink $80
Generic powered TOSlink splitter - needed to feed the next units.... $30
miniDSP 2x4HD (two required) with remote - active crossover and EQ for speaker system $420

Power Amp:
Nord Acoustics 8 channel nCore power amp $2260 including customs and shipping to the US from over the pond in the UK.

Speakers System:
Linkwitz Lab construction plans - Linkwitz Orion, LXmini and LXSub systems that make up the entirety of my DIY speaker system $260
Linkwitz LXmini speakers - Speaker drivers, enclosure materials and miscellaneous parts and finish materials. remember... DIY... $900
Linkwitz Orion dual woofers - 4 individual drivers to cover 20-60 Hz. and construction materials - $335

Miscellaneous:
System interconnects and speaker wire - A veritable plethora of USB, Toslink, RCA, and XLR cables - all garden variety.... $160

The Oppo is there as window dressing as I usually use an Acer laptop to feed the system these days. All of my music, including SACD, has been ripped and is stored on SSD in the laptop and is connected to the Topping D10 via USB. If I ever subscribe to a streaming service, it will be through the laptop or its successor.

The speaker total cost is about $1495, which is insanely cheap given the performance. Note that I paid Siegfried Linkwitz about $260 for design and construction plans. Actually, I paid him significantly more as I have bought plans for speaker systems I never built. This is likely the cheapest engineering design service costs ever. It did help him finance his ongoing research into home speaker design up until his passing in September 2018. I am also sure that the old version of Hewlett-Packard may have unknowingly helped in this area too.

Note how much money one can save by going the DIY route. My speakers don't look as "finished" as Revel, but the sound quality I have sought in stereo reproduction for 48 years is there. Sorry Amir, I an NOT shipping these to the Puget Sound area for testing....

 

[Ron Texas]

About $3 trillion, mostly since March. Whoops, that's a different hobby.

 

[Blumlein 88]

About $3 trillion, mostly since March. Whoops, that's a different hobby.

So brings up a thought. Of your $1200 stimulus check, assuming you got one, how much went to audio?

 

[Ron Texas]

So brings up a thought. Of your $1200 stimulus check, assuming you got one, how much went to audio?

I used it to buy whiskey, that is if I got one, and I'm not saying.

 

[Alexanderc]

I used it to buy whiskey, that is if I got one, and I'm not saying.

Sounds about right.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Well I admit I received a stimulus check. It looks like it might go toward a couple or three subwoofers. Although if I find a great deal on a pair of F208's it might partially pay for those.

 

[Archsam]

Harbeth P3esr - £1500 new
Yamaha A-S3000 integrated amp - £2500 ex-deno
Matrix Audio Element X DAC and streamer - £2650 (small discount)
Cambridge CXU universal player - £850 new
REL T5i subwoofer - £500 new
Various cables and interconnects - can't exactly recall but say roughly £200
Focal Clear headphones - £1400 new

Total - £9600

Jesus I didn't realized it was this much until I did the math.......

All this I purchased since I turned 40. Before that I had a system, all components purchased second hand from Ebay, costing less than £1000 total....

 

[Kal Rubinson]

My is answer is that I have no idea. I bought my first system in 1957, so you might say that I have invested most of my life in this hobby. (The word "hobby" trivializes the efforts but music and audio have enhanced my life.)

 

[Sal1950]

So brings up a thought. Of your $1200 stimulus check, assuming you got one, how much went to audio?

Every penny, and then some.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

My is answer is that I have no idea. I bought my first system in 1957, so you might say that I have invested most of my life in this hobby. (The word "hobby" trivializes the efforts but music and audio have enhanced my life.)

You are 13 years ahead of me. I went whole hog for Dynaco. Kit pre-amp and power amp. Not plug and play gaming computers. I needed to solder. I loved the A50 speakers. Big rectangle with soft dome and two 10 Inch woofers. I bet spinorama would be ugly. Back then 0.5 THD was considered audiophile. Added a Garrad zero track turntable and reel tape recorder. Green Eyed Lady really sounded good.




and two 10 inch woofers.

 

[Blumlein 88]

You are 13 years ahead of me. I went whole hog for Dynaco. Kit pre-amp and power amp. Not plug and play gaming computers. I needed to solder. I loved the A50 speakers. Big rectangle with soft dome and two 10 Inch woofers. I bet spinorama would be ugly. Back then 0.5 THD was considered audiophile. Added a Garrad zero track turntable and reel tape recorder. Green Eyed Lady really sounded good.




and two 10 inch woofers.

My first copy of Green Eye Lady was on a 45 rpm single.

 

[raistlin65]

My first copy of Green Eye Lady was on a 45 rpm single.

I think my first 45 RPM single was Puff the Magic Dragon.