LunA Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 (edited) Have you counted how much money you have already spent on your hobby and if you have the chance to do it over again, what you could have done better? OK, for me, I would have started off by buying some 2nd hand but highly regarded items rather than brand new stuffs every time. Save up and invest rather than upgrading every time when cash is available! Buy better software and go to live concerts instead of switching cables. Lastly, I should have limited myself to upgrade my whole systems 3 times in my lifetime! I guess this would have saved me millions and could have ended up with an even better system! Edited February 19, 2014 by LunA
davewantsmoore Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 RRP = 58K .... Spent = 32K .... Value (either what I did sell it for, or what I think I could sell it for if I still own it) = 28K I think I've done pretty well. Theoretically only 4K down. With DIY it is easy to make and lose money pretty quickly though. What I would have done different is to have a 'dedicated room' (or at least a room with good acoustics) much earlier on.
Guest Hensa Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) If I only upgraded my hi-fi equipment 3 times in my life, then I wouldn't be calling it a "hobby". My brother is like this. He appreciates good sound but rarely changes his gear - but he also doesn't consider himself to be into hi-fi as a hobby. To me, the fun is in trying new gear and enjoying the experience of the different sounds. Of course, I could have saved many dollars if I just stuck with one system, but the beautiful thing with this hobby is that excellent sound can be had for relatively small sums. Edited February 20, 2014 by Hensa
Telecine Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 I would have bought more music and lived with a lesser system if I had my time over. 2
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted February 20, 2014 Volunteer Posted February 20, 2014 I'm too scared to do the maths! 2
Full Range Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 My system is on its 3 rd incarnation now However I am in a revival stage where I am sourcing equipment from my yesteryear and I can see the finish line Better stop before before it becomes incarnation number 4
ArthurDent Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Too obvious to mention, journey, destination.
djb Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Ain't hindsight wonderful! Bid have been braver in my upgrade steps Rather tan gingerly moving up throught tts in tiny increments I'd behave moved through maybe 3 (in)affordable tts
soundfan Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) If I had to start from scratch again I'd buy: 300B mono blocks, Valve pre amp Full Range speakers (Coral, Richard Allan etc etc) Subwoofers to supplement above Like a lot of folk here I've turned over a lot of gear over the years, none of it big dollar items, but have fondest memories of playing my music (mostly vinyl) through a system made up of the above type of gear. There are compromises we all make with our systems, I'd happily go there again. Edited February 20, 2014 by soundfan 3
ellrotts Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I would buy commonwealth bank shares..... 1
Guest Karl Rand Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) I would buy commonwealth bank shares..... I wouldn't have wasted decades on buying audioporn magazines. As to what I wouldn't have done with the gear itself I now know I was wasting my time trying to get anything musical out of early CD players, they were all crap. If I had to start again? I'd start exactly where I did. AR turntable, Shure V15, QUAD 22/202 amps and Tannoy 15" Dual Concentric 'Gold' in home made corner horn cabinets. I wasn't a smart arse teenager making an informed choice though, I inherited that lot from my Uncle. That set-up was the beggining of a steep learning curve I'm still on. And if I knew what I know now I'd have paid attention to room acoustics. Edited February 21, 2014 by Karl Rand
emesbee Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I reckon my spending has been relatively modest over the years. I've tended to add on to my system, replacing items that have started to fail, or retiring gear that has become redundant or obsolete. I've never done a complete replacement of my system, although the end effect has probably been similar. (Like owning an axe that has had 4 new handles and 5 new heads!) If I had my time over, I'm not sure I'd do things much differently though.
DAMO 1147 Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 I would have made it a priority to get back into audio a lot sooner, the years I put up with nothing due to life getting the way I don't want to think about. I'm off to put on some tunes now.
peacewise Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 About $25k I spent, the first $5k of which I just wouldn't do again. The last $20k has been all good! So, with that first $5k, I'd buy, ooooo, I like that question. Likely a higher quality amp, Modright kW 200 catches my eye, or Audio gd mono blocks, or luxman, or sgr, redgum or or.... Would still buy the vafi66, the platform2 sub n shelves, the ca650 avr (though now it be ca751 avr), probably would go for an oppo 105 rather than the ca751 bluray. Would definitely consider one of those fancy computer audiophile pc's, mines close to it, but hey one can dream again hey.
CryptiK Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Good thread. Only thing I'd do different if i had my time again is not buy a 5.1 receiver when I really only had the intention of using it with music for 2channel. I quickly realised I wasn't going to use it for movies either so that was wasted money. Think I only lost $100 on it though as I turned it around pretty quick. Everything else I'm happy with my choices, they have been the best I could do at the time. I'm only early 30's though so I'm trying to learn as much as I can from the mistakes of others!! 1
Whites Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 I would have thought more about the speakers I bought. Really happy with the Osborn Epitome Towers that I now have, will keep these for a long time.
naggots Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 I would just stick to 2ch and missed out the 5.1 phase around 10-12 yrs ago. Other than that I've done OK. Upgraded as I went but always selling to buy when I could afford it.
elcamry Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 Then again if I could have changed my choices, I would not have learned as much or have enjoyed the journey and gained new skills
Kaynin Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 Yeah, would have jumped in deeper sooner, go a higher end sooner. I have one system sorted which I'll keep for a long time, then do second system, and sit back and enjoy...could have been enjoying for last 20 years though...but wouldn't have changed the total dollar amount spend.
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