Having been in the general neighborhood of "audiophilia" for MANY years... and being poor! I can sympathize with the plight of the 'person on a (small) budget' going into a "Hi-End" audio salon. The 'Top of the Line' costs are mind blowing. But then with a bit of searching and reading and listening, one can arrive at a compromise that leaves one aurically satisfied. In 1966 I had a system that cost under $1,200. Now, my (musical only/non video) systems' list price would be around just $10,000 (this is with speakers 17 years old that today would alone be a $5,000+ replacement cost). Over all, the rate of improvement in sound quality ALONG WITH the lower than standard rate of inflation in audio prices (IF you compare the quality of the sound, and not the absolute price of the most expensive things)leaves me with a FAR better system than the one I had as a teen... at only a bit more in real dollars???. To find this system has taken a lot of searching out 'what I really want and can afford', and bargain hunting and price haggling (and dumping horrible mistakes). Audiophilia IS a relatively "nice" affliction to have... but to be "bitten" is NOT the same as having the mature result. Good luck!
Are you Guys Rich or What!?
I have an old system, nothing special, Adcom, Vandersteens etc and I recently set foot for the first time in a "high end" shop, hoping to get to the next level of audio nirvana. When I saw some of the prices for monoblock amplifiers, cables, the latest speakers etc, I practically fell off my chair when I realized that I could blow $50-100K pretty easily on this stuff. I am not rich. Do you big budget system guys all work on Wall Street or something or do you eat macaroni and cheese most nights to put a few bucks away for CDs and your next upgrade?
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- 127 posts total
- 127 posts total