How careful are you

[Rare Bird]

When deciding on a new bit of kit or many of the upgrades floating about for your existing toys ( :rolleyes: ) ..are you sure that your not wasting your money or at very best have you actually sat down & thought that you could get something a lot cheaper & possibly better for your money, weither it be new or upgrading existing. Upgraded kit can sometimes become dead money if your not carefull.

Does something youve seen sometimes cloud your judgement?

I know ive made some major mistakes more than a few times that i regret & that i promise will never ever happen again :eyebrows:

[John]

I kind of think to live life you have to make mistakes every now and again
I tend these days to be a bit more careful about buying new equipment
So the last few bits of new gear has been my speakers and belive me I tried so many alternatives and have no regrets what so ever and the Salvation which I seen grown from a idea into the beast it is today
However I made far to many mistakes Jamo concerts 8 with Musical Fidelity X100 pre was not a match made in heaven; now that was harsh listening and it still ranks as my biggest mistake

[worthingpagan]

thought you were on holiday till the new year andre :scratch:

[Rare Bird]

I thought youd gone off in an huff :eyebrows:

[Joe]

When deciding on a new bit of kit or many of the upgrades floating about for your existing toys ( :rolleyes: ) ..are you sure that your not wasting your money or at very best have you actually sat down & thought that you could get something a lot cheaper & possibly better for your money, weither it be new or upgrading existing. Upgraded kit can sometimes become dead money if your not carefull.

Does something youve seen sometimes cloud your judgement?

I know ive made some major mistakes more than a few times that i regret & that i promise will never ever happen again :eyebrows:

I'm the proverbial fool and his money - I just go out and buy stuff without doing much research. OTOH I've never stepped on the Naim upgrade treadmill, and I tend to get my money's worth out of the things I do buy (eg the AR turntable I bought new in 1981).

[selfaddict]

Since I bought my first valve amplifier, not so long ago, I have known where I want to take my hifi system. Of course there will be distractions on the way, but I just have to try keep myself disiplined...

Every component except this power amp and my TT has now been changed on the way toward the 'ultimate goal'. I don't buy new hifi because if my research / purchase turned out to be wrong I can sell it with minimal loss on wards. Most box swapping I have done is to find the best preamp on the budget into my system. However all the time I knew what I needed to buy, it is just when one buys second hand stuff, waiting time gets sometimes too much :rolleyes:.

But I am nearly there now, I just need to start researching how to built room filling, in-situ built, bass horns :eyebrows: Any idea where to start :scratch:

[technobear]

But I am nearly there now, I just need to start researching how to built room filling, in-situ built, bass horns :eyebrows: Any idea where to start :scratch:

http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=plans ;)

[selfaddict]

Thanks for the great link but I was thinking something a bit bigger :eyebrows:

http://www.royaldevice.com/custom.htm


http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=plans ;)

[Reid Malenfant]

Thanks for the great link but I was thinking something a bit bigger :eyebrows:

http://www.royaldevice.com/custom.htm
:stalks: :stalks: :mental:

Seen it before & it always puts a smile on my face :D

[DSJR]

As time outside the industry moves on, I'm becoming happier to do mods to my vintage gear, but only after serious thought. I still need to bother Reid Malenfant about the Crown preamp's power supply caps for example, as I'm not able to measure what the fugg I'm doing :rolleyes:

I'm not brave enough to always follow my own path in mods, so if I was to buy a Caiman for example, I'd be all but murdering Stan and others about the best caps - for them - etc...

[technobear]

Thanks for the great link but I was thinking something a bit bigger :eyebrows:

Like this: http://vincent.brient.free.fr/bass_horn.htm

:stalks:

[Reid Malenfant]

He would probably have been better off with a Tractrix horn, it would have been shorter :) Pretty sure I have the calculations somewhere on how to design one, I'll see if I can look them out ;)

I can't help thinking that that screen may well have been moving with the bass out of those horns :rfl:

[Jonboy]

:stalks:jeepers some people go to extremes

[jazzpiano]

I've been curious about this too Andre - interesting thread... Can you expound on it a little, tell us what you've discovered vis-a-vis where $ spent are helpful/not? I believe it was you who mentioned in the past that you would not invest heavy dollars in modern hi-end gear.

Merry Christmas,
Barry

[Rare Bird]

I've spend in total around £800.00 rebuilding a vintage Ferrograph amp with the very best boutique parts, it does sound good but compare to a cheap modern amplifier i recently heard, the cheap amp sounds better to my ears,(Of course the £800.00 is now dead money).. I've heard the same thing many times before comparing high end to buget equipment, the cheap sounded better to my ears!

[Puffin]

I stated DIYing some years ago. starting with simple modifications and moving on to amplifier building, speakers, DACs, amps (Class D, Gainclones) etc etc. When you make it yourself it is always a lot cheaper and if it sounds good as well you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have something that is ok and you have saved a packet.

My PASS F2 retailed at about $2,000, DIY build £300 with some very expensive "boutique" caps and resistors etc. My BLH Horns would prob cost upwards of £2,000 if you could buy anything similar, DIY cost £450.

I have never spent more than £500 on any one item (latter years not more than £250) I have not IMO made any real clangers. If you make it your self, you can also tweak it your taste as well.

Everyone who hears it is blown away. So my fear of having cloth ears has been put to rest.

[Rare Bird]

well if your comparing against something with badge attached to it, DIY alternative can be cheaper but DIY does in most cases work out not so cheap especially with flashy components installed.

If people feel that throwing large amounts of cash at something that has an heavy build enclosure or something with a snob badge attached fine..My motto now is: cheap as chips as long as it sounds good, if it breaks down in a few year time who cares! buy another.

Ive not been intrested in Hi-Fi like i used to be for a long time & certainly got nowhere in nearly 30 years of farting about with it all, it bores me to tears to be honest.But reciently a few very very cheap items have gotten me the furthest ive ever gotten which just shows yer dunnit! :)

The most amusing aspect of forums like this is you can mention how gobsmaked you are with a certain really cheap pair speakers for someone to come along & say they are crap :doh: nine times out of ten they wil have a pair that cost ten times that, but in all reality: they have the crap speaker out of the two ;)

Anyway i'll be down town after christmas & i bet i come away with a good amp & pair of speakers in the sales for around £200.00

[Puffin]

well if your comparing against something with badge attached to it, DIY alternative can be cheaper but DIY does in most cases work out not so cheap especially with flashy components installed.

I was careful to include the cost of wanky parts and enclosure in the cost of the DIY stuff:eyebrows:

I agree that buying expensive stuff could lead to disappointment as it is unlikely to come up to expectation. The current crop of Class D amps are a case in point.

[jazzpiano]

Yes Andre, I agree that this is sometimes the case, especially if you want more natural or balanced and not 'highlighted' sound. I remember a few years back a dealer demo'd an Arcam Alpha 9 vs a much more expensive Lfd integrated and I thought the Arcam sounded better (I felt my thoughts dismissed at that point). Funny guys when they're over-invested ego-wise. I also remember attending the CES one year and hearing a very balanced sounding Electrocompaniet room playing 'real' records and then going to the Jadis suite and, while very high resolution, bizarrely(?) skewed sonics.

Merry Christmas,
Barry

[Thing Fish]

I used to waste money like it would never stop flowing. Unfortunately it did! so now I think about every purchase very carefully, often talking myself out of it in the end.

When I do splash out it's usually for a well researched item that I eventually source second hand (I can happily wait for months in stealth mode for the right item to show up) like my Linn adikt which I got with only a few hours on for £125. I nearly bartered the poor guy to death...:eyebrows:

I look forward to the day when I can buy a new Croft pre/power without having to beat myself with birch twigs as the guilt takes hold...:lol:

[Alex_UK]

Generally, I'm very careful, and whilst this place has been a very bad influence, I've spent wisely on my main system. I've been a bit frivolous on buying old bits and pieces for fun in 2nd (3rd, 4th and 5th!) systems, but they will probably be moved on next year to make space.

[technobear]

I've been a bit frivolous on buying old bits and pieces for fun in 2nd (3rd, 4th and 5th!) systems, but they will probably be moved on next year to make space for more.

Fixt! :lol:

[MartinT]

I too am very careful and have only auditioned my most expensive components at home in my system. Trust me, if I don't like it at that point it goes back. I do a lot of research prior to arranging a home loan. No loan offered, and it comes off the list.

[Jonboy]

I went a bit mad when i first got back into it and kept buying stuff, all second hand though just to see if it sounded better than what i had, it didn't on the whole just presented things in a different way, i had a clear out in Feb at the Audiojumble of the stuff i wasn't using and took nearly 3 grand which is not far off what i laid out to start with, won on some lost on some and had a play which i enjoy doing the most, (oo err Mrs) i still buy bits and boobs for a play but tend keep my hands in my pockets more now :)

I think if you stick to the second hand market you won't loose (so) much money, get a lot of enjoyment and live to fight another day :D

[Alex_UK]

(oo err Mrs) i still buy bits and boobs for a play but tend keep my hands in my pockets more now :)

Pocket billiards? :eyebrows:

You're right though Jon - buying 2nd hand you have a very good chance of getting your money back.

[Rare Bird]

Too right When i bought the Sony CD player it had only been available on the market less than a month, i think they were about £500.00 when they came out, i bought it on auction for less than £80.00, they still fetch around that even now.

[MartinT]

I guess the best inexpensive component I have is the Caiman, although it's now heavily modified. Still a bargain, though, compared with what I might have spent.

[Jonboy]

Pocket billiards? :eyebrows:
.

my favorite and always gets me into trouble :D

[Tim]

Well my current system (apart from the headphones) has been totally changed since joining AoS and costs significantly less that the system it replaced and sounds better by a looooong country mile :)

I'm done changing stuff now and anticipate my current system may even outlast me - apart from the headphones, which will be replaced in a couple of years (unless a killer DAC appears for under 400 quid that can oust my Rega .......).

[Rare Bird]

Same here Tim, i'll never sell my Headphones so they are here to stay. Next pair of speakers i buy next week will last me forever as i hardly use them & never play speakers loud anyway. The DAC i use i expected blowing up last year considering it's origins :lol: but it stays on all day every day & is still fine, however with this & the new planned amp they will be here till they break down. File based system are easy as long as you have multiple back ups if the lappy breaks down just buy another no heartache, the SQ will be no different regardless of what Laptop you buy imho.

Hi -Fi i dont get attached to anymore