Spending big bucks on HiFi Audio

[Mart68]

Page 11 and we haven't defined what 'Big bucks' actually is lol.

O/P talks about spending $75K on a car so I assume that's the sort of realm we are looking at.

My most expensive single purchase ever was $2200 on the CD transport. Big bucks to me but I think we're talking about buying components in the five figure region.

That would/could buy better speakers but pointlessly expensive for any other component - if we are only considering sound quality.

 

[rank]

How much did you spend on your system?

Turntable + arm + cartridge* + pre & amp + cassette deck* + CD player* + speakers* (diy) maybe 2500 $.
But it evolves all the time because I'm constantly buying and reselling.

* = bought new

 

[rank]

That depends on what you mean by “tons of money” and what that money would be directed at. There are instances in which spending what many people think of as tons of money would get you things you couldn’t get otherwise.

I try to buy second-hand equipment or huge discounts. For a cartridge, no more than 300$ I think it's enough, still have excellent Shures. Had a VDH in the past, well it wasn't better than an Ortofon MC 20 but just different. Same for amp & digital. Most of expensive loudspeakers are not worth their cost.
Quite recently I exchanged a pair of pro speakers that I had equipped with Celestion coaxials & piezo tweeters because they only took 100 W. Against a Teac VRDS 10. As a second machine (for CD/R/RW) because it seems very solid (he bought a second one when it came out).

 

[egellings]

That depends on what you mean by “tons of money” and what that money would be directed at. There are instances in which spending what many people think of as tons of money would get you things you couldn’t get otherwise.

I suspect that if a person believes that an expensive piece that performs similarly to a lesser cost one sounds better, than to him and maybe him alone, it will. You bite the bait and get reeled in.

 

[Basic Channel]

My most expensive single purchase ever was $2200 on the CD transport. Big bucks to me but I think we're talking about buying components in the five figure region.
.

You spent over two grand moving CDs? You must've moved a lot of CDs...

 

[kelesh]

What one spends is up to the individual family. Most people with substantial resources don't look like it. Some of them even shop at Goodwill. When you ask them why they are so frugal they respond that's how they accumulated wealth. Everyday families with over $2,000,000 in assets are more common than I remember growing up. With that level of wealth in the USA a lot of people can buy whatever they want.

Is the USA the standard to measure by?

 

[MattHooper]

I try to buy second-hand equipment or huge discounts. For a cartridge, no more than 300$ I think it's enough, still have excellent Shures. Had a VDH in the past, well it wasn't better than an Ortofon MC 20 but just different. Same for amp & digital.

Nice. I generally purchase second hand as well, paying attention to re-sale value if things don't work out. Still, even buying second hand, I've spent what "normal" people would think to be "tons of money" on audio gear. I haven't regretted any of it.

Most of expensive loudspeakers are not worth their cost.

Once again, that depends. That's a value statement. I think most of the speakers I've owned could be categorized as "expensive." But all of them were worth their cost to me.

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

Turntable + arm + cartridge* + pre & amp + cassette deck* + CD player* + speakers* (diy) maybe 2500 $.
But it evolves all the time because I'm constantly buying and reselling.

* = bought new

You can get real improvements for bigger bucks

 

[Palladium]

Who needs 18 speakers and a self-opening trunk anyway?

Because speaker drivers are dirt cheap to make.

Also I don't buy anything new anymore unless there's a good reason not to.

 

[Sokel]

Remember the guy who all he did was looking at his Van Gogh in Tom Robbins Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas?
That answers the question sometimes.

(there are more sinister reasons though,not related to audio when it comes to big bucks)

 

[rank]

Nice. I generally purchase second hand as well, paying attention to re-sale value if things don't work out. Still, even buying second hand, I've spent what "normal" people would think to be "tons of money" on audio gear. I haven't regretted any of it.



Once again, that depends. That's a value statement. I think most of the speakers I've owned could be categorized as "expensive." But all of them were worth their cost to me.

So you're happy, no problem. H

Nice. I generally purchase second hand as well, paying attention to re-sale value if things don't work out. Still, even buying second hand, I've spent what "normal" people would think to be "tons of money" on audio gear. I haven't regretted any of it.



Once again, that depends. That's a value statement. I think most of the speakers I've owned could be categorized as "expensive." But all of them were worth their cost to me.

Well you're happy so no problem. How much did you spend?