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

[Frank Dernie]

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.)

I can totally relate to that.
I was brought up in a music loving household but one totally unaware that hifi existed.
We had a "stereo" radiogram with ceramic cartridge and autochanger. The speakers were in the doors and you were supposed to open them out to get them wider apart and facing towards you. My mother thought it looked untidy so I spent a lot of time listening to my favourite music listening to the back of small "full range" drivers.
At least I had started making recordings of my own by then on a mono valve tape recorder, but still listening to the teensy speaker built into it
I didn't discover quality music reproduction, or how expensive it could be, until I left home in 1968 and wanted to play my records.
I have made up for it since.
I have been married to a musician for 46 years and music has been an endless joy. Two of our four children are musicians and all four love music. Only one has a bulky hifi though, they have more space (in Wales) and the others have more important calls on their income here where property is horribly expensive.
OTOH I would still prefer listening to music I love on the Walkman/Wharfedale powered Diamond system I travelled with years ago than the sort of shite (to my taste) they play at hifi shows on mega-expensive kit.

 

[Frank Dernie]

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

My first 45 was Johnny Tillotson "Poetry in motion"
Still got it - may play it later!

 

[mhardy6647]

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.)

At the other end of the spectrum, there are those of us who just dink around with this stuff...

Perusal of the contents of the shelves will reveal, quite literally, everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. OK... more accurately, from the fairly nice to the ridiculous.

 

[Frank Dernie]

At the other end of the spectrum, there are those of us who just dink around with this stuff...

View attachment 65536
Perusal of the contents of the shelves will reveal, quite literally, everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. OK... more accurately, from the fairly nice to the ridiculous.

I'm going to show this to my wife!

BTW is this a fisheye photo rectilinearised?

 

[JimB]

...
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
...
My speakers don't look as "finished" as Revel, but the sound quality I have sought in stereo reproduction for 48 years is there. ...

Me, too! But they can look as nice as you want:

 

[Sal1950]

I think my first 45 rpm single was Johnny Horton's - The Battle Of New Orleans
Number 1 on BillBoard in 1959, I loved this song.

"We fired our cannon till the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs 'n' powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind"

 

[Sal1950]

Me, too! But they can look as nice as you want:

BTW, very nice wood work! Congrats

Perusal of the contents of the shelves will reveal, quite literally, everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. OK... more accurately, from the fairly nice to the ridiculous.

Nothing like having lots of toys to play with!

 

[Koeitje]

I am about to go over 2500 when I get my subs. I'm not including my headphones, since I don't consider them a hobby but more a need when I'm at work .

 

[F1308]

I am about to go over 2500 when I get my subs. I'm not including my headphones, since I don't consider them a hobby but more a need when I'm at work .

How nice to hear you are not including headphones...
I mean...could you help me choosing one for my keyboard..?
I am currently using Roland Fantom 8....
Thank you.

 

[Koeitje]

How nice to hear you are not including headphones...
I mean...could you help me choosing one for my keyboard..?
I am currently using Roland Fantom 8....
Thank you.

I only have HD25's, PM-3 and T51i's, nothing special.

 

[F1308]

I only have HD25's, PM-3 and T51i's, nothing special.

Thanks...

 

[mhardy6647]

I'm going to show this to my wife!

BTW is this a fisheye photo rectilinearised?

Well, sort of, I think -- this is a panorama taken by a hifi colleague with his iPhone. I think (??) it stitches together a few images; I am not an Apple kind of hominid, so I am not exactly sure. I will say, in my own defense -- that I know several guys who've got the hifi hoarding acquisition collecting monkey on their backs way more than do I.

 

[JimB]

... I will say, in my own defense -- that I know several guys who've got the hifi hoarding acquisition collecting monkey on their backs way more than do I.

@restorer-john springs to mind...

 

[mhardy6647]

Oh, I was thinkin' of some fellows here in northern New England...

 

[Sal1950]

I know several guys who've got the hifi hoarding acquisition collecting monkey

It's a fun monkey to have, only problem is it's takes up so much dang room. I loved fixing and playing with my old tube gear. It's all gone now, no room in a 800 sqft modular.

 

[mhardy6647]

It's a fun monkey to have, only problem is it's takes up so much dang room. I loved fixing and playing with my old tube gear. It's all gone now, no room in a 800 sqft modular.

Better than automobiles

 

[Helicopter]

I'm going to show this to my wife!

I'll quote mine: "Are you jealous of his stupid collection? It looks just like yours except bigger."

 

[Ken1951]

First system: Spring of 1971 the end of my Sophomore year in college. $500 - a fortune to me at the time: Kenwood Kr-4140, Dual 1209 w/Shure M91E, AR-2AX, and Koss Pro-4A headphones. My dad picked it up for me from Custom Hi-Fi at Tysons Corners during a sale while I was still at school He had to front me some of the money until I could pay him back from my summer earnings working at a grocery store. When I got home I was in heaven! Currently have a 6.1 system in our Great Room and a 5.1 system in our master bedroom. My wife put up with me dragging her around listening to speakers several times over the decades. She loves the sound of decent gear.

 

[Intamin]

I voted 5-10k as current system is just Salk Song 3 BeAT and a receiver, but sadly I’m well north of 25k if throwing in all prior systems and sins. Fortunately recouped a good chunk, but hate to think about how much I lost on resale.

 

[Weeb Labs]

That would be dependent upon whether I include the full HT system but based upon original retail prices, it should be approximately €14,000. There are quite a number of things which I need to resell.

Spoiler: The full list.

Speakers:

• XTZ 99.25 LCR: €1,000
• XTZ 99.25 LCR C: €500
• XTZ 12.17 Edge (x2): €1,200
• Adam T5V (x2): €300
• JBL LSR305 (x4): €480
• JBL LSR310S: €450
• Wharfedale Diamond 10.0: €140
• Bose SoundLink Mini: €190
• Yamaha NSIC600: €170
• Buttkicker LFE: €250

Headphones:

• HiFiMAN Sundara: €350
• Audio Technica ATH-M50X: €125
• Sennheiser RS185: €250
• Sennheiser RS180 (x2): €180
• Sony WH-H900N: €200
• Sony MH755: €8
• BLON BL-03: €40
• Moondrop Starfield: €92

Amplifiers, DACs & Interfaces:

• Denon AVR-X3500H: €624
• Hypex NC400 (x2): €1,400
• Yamaha A-S701: €320
• SMSL SU-8 V2: €250
• Emotiva XDA-1: €240
• MiniDSP DDRC-24: €500
• MiniDSP OpenDRC-DI: €450
• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (Gen 1): €230
• SMSL sAp II Pro: €75
• Sony STR-414L: €30
• Apple Lightning 3.5mm Dongle: €0

HT Equipment & Misc:

• Sony VPL-HW45ES: €1,500
• LG B7 55": €1,600
• Elite Screens 110" Motorized 1.2 Gain Standard: €300
• Motorized masking: €200
• Absorption panels (6" Rockwool, my design): €250
• Speaker source switcher (my design): €70