Guilty Pleasures....

I hear you Dewald. I've spent 20 years building up my main system and it sounds superb now (but wait till I get the last few tweaks done)! Yet 92% of the people who hear it don't realize how good it actually is and how much work went into it. And on top of that, it sits there dark and silent whenever the family TV is on. If I had the money it is reasonably worth, I could travel, buy new clothes or maybe a car...

I would think all that were a good reason to feel guilty if I could be sure that my hobby was compulsive, a way of fleeing reality rather than a way of taking pleasure in reality. As long as it is not a compulsion, an obsession or an addiction I need not feel guilty... IMHO.

What is it that your guilt tells you you should do? Would it be realistic and healthy?

No & yes, perhaps should have devoted more time & money to other important things. It all depends on what you regard as important ie: savings for the future, helping a friend in need, contributing to society, learning new things....etc. IMO, it's about striking the balance & I 'm sure most of us who are reading this will know when it becomes an excessive indulgence in this hobby.

Tobias,

I am 23 years old - my passion lies with music.
I am busy developing a radical turntable and tonearm - not for my personal pleasures but for the fellow music-lover.

It is my mother that don't understand! I wish I could fly away if you know what I mean...

I am not compulsive - all the gear I have is 'recycled' vintage stuff that I saved from the rubbish-bin.

Dewald

I sometimes feel guilty (especially after dropping $18K on amps) but I have a very understanding wife. I make sure I pay all the bills, put money away for retirement, and provide everything my family needs first. I have been lucky in that I have the means to devote resources I have into this whacky hobby. Overall, this is my chosen hobby and make me happy which in turns helps make me a better husband and father...hey that sounds pretty good. I need to make sure I remember that so I can use it on my wife the next time I want to buy something big....:)

i don't feel guilty at all. this hobby is about a challenge to create a presentation that i enjoy, and having attained that would not find it necessary to search for other components. the sound i am looking for is not the sound most people want.

i realize that in terms of life's priorities, there are many others which are more important and i try to keep this fact in perspective.

i don't obsess about my audio interests in the presence of other people. it is a very private hobby. fortunately, i don't listen for hours and ignore evrything else that is going on around me.