This is to the High end afficianados (not me) and many others. - Page 2

The defensive nature of the posts in this thread isn't surprising to me. I think people need to read the OP a few times and in more detail though because it's not the usual 'Why do you spend so much money on {X}' thread.

Spending a lot of money is one thing. Spending a lot of money on things which probably create no real sonic improvement, but only psychological improvement is another.

i agree

very well said

i think many people practice spending a lot just to satisfy their psychological needs
 

There's still an implication that spending money on audio is somehow hurting others. Further, that people who buy something nice are lesser people, cold-hearted and insensitive. Moreover, that what someone earns reflects negatively on them. That's my interpretation.

If you want to know my situation, I spent nine years in higher ed - while working 20-40 hours a week - to get a decent job. That also helps support a small business that employs three people. I don't get paid for my input to that business. Among other things, if I'd been paid for the pro bono I've given away over the years, I would be retired by now. I don't onanize over charity - it's something I do, I don't make a big deal of it and like anonymous or very quiet donations. Crowing about what a great person you are is immodest and inappropriate. Most of my life boils down to fixing problems, listening to people and building or repairing stuff. I can, so I do. I like to keep busy and rarely ask others for anything.

The homeless? It's not simply a matter of money. I spent a few years doing indigent defense. Can't say I've come across anyone on the lower rungs who didn't have a substance problem or a serious mental illness. I have compassion for them but they're rarely inclined to fix their problems even when offered advice and assistance. It's still worth offering that to everyone, but it's difficult to convince people not to be self-destructive. Try it some time.

 

Agreed ^  I save a little money every week until I have enough to afford the higher price audio. Also, a lot of people here have been into audio for a long time. How many people buy a million doller home as a starter home? They usually buy a cheap home, sell it, add some more money that they saved and add it to buy a more expensive house. Then they repeat the process again and again through there life and eventually they can buy that million dollar home. That is possible in audio too if you buy smart. Enjoy that piece of audio till you save up some cash. Sell it, add some cash to it, and buy something more expensive.

 

This is true. i used to go down to seattle every morning when I used to work graveyard and talk to many of the homeless down there and I am still involved in helping out homeless shelters occasionally. A lot of the homeless wouldnt take a job that could get them out of the situation and into a better life. It comes down to a lot of them just dont want to work and prefer to panhandle and live off the generosity of others. Yes there are some that fell into bad times and dont want to be there. They arent the ones holding up the signs begging for money.

Most 'crazy' systems around here are $1-5K, expensive to be certain, but most of it is not on the scale of expensive cars, large mansions, yachts, purchasing original art and so on... Even young professionals can manage a good system, although with those huge college debts in the US I wouldn't be sure. There is a point where I'd suggest others don't spend anymore, especially if it's really eating into the household finances and the college fund, but audio equipment, especially headphones without fancy room requirements, isn't that bad.

 

As for giving back to the community, yes that's very important but just because you're buying consumer goods for yourself doesn't mean you can't do your part, a lot it of the best service doesn't involve money (expenses, at least, opportunity cost is everywhere). Lawyers get a bad rep in the US especially but there's a lot of good they can do, I know lawyers around here who do pro bono work for refugees applying to the UN... Or back in college a friend of mine in accounting did free/cheap tax work for small businesses, the chicken and rice cart guys loved them. Then you've got all the smart ideas like microfinance, that stuff can really do long-term good. There's lot of service anyone can do in this world, it doesn't have to involve giving money to charity. 

 

I've been around the rich, not the professionals but the truly rich, people (or really, their children) with businesses, influence, and compared with some of their hobbies high-end audio... isn't that bad. There's so many ways to give back to the community, the audio equipment expenditures don't have to get in the way. 

Edited by Ypoknons - 7/18/10 at 2:42am

I've often wondered this myself, but the OP's question is pointless to ask. People are just selfish, which is neither good nor bad. All animals are selfish. The reason people appear "altruistic" is because we condition our chidlren from birth to believe in the nebulous concepts of "morals" and "ethics," which are just rules that the human race invented to keep everybody working together. The purpose ethics serve is simply to enable civilization to function by protecting things like property rights and personal safety. There is no spiritual side to ethics - these are just rules invented thousands of years ago when humans realized there was more to be gained by co-operating than by fighting. Because these rules are so fundamental to human societies, they were internalized at some point as religion or spirituality. Today we teach our children what is "right" and "wrong," but in fact the only "right" way to live is a way that allows civilization to progress. That is the original and only point of ethics.

 

So, the reason people donate their time and money to charities is because they were conditioned from birth to feel as if they should be heping others. Different people have different levels of conditioning / brainwashing in this area. This conditioning is an integral and neccessary part of human soceity, perhaps the most important part. You can't really lump all rich people together in a group. Some give a lot to charity, and some give nothing. But if you're looking for a reason WHY somebody gives or does not give to charity, look at their life history. You'll find the experiences that shaped their current attitude towards altruism. It has nothing to do with buying high-end audio products.

 

Even for those who feel the urge to be charitable, there is an inherent dilema. The OP seems to think that instead of buying something super-expensive like an Orpheus, a rich person should donate her money to charity. That money could certainly save the life of a poor person in sub-saharan Africa. But doesn't the same principal hold true for smaller purchases? With the money the OP spent on his HD650, he could also save many lives. At what level is it "morally wrong" to purchase toys for yourself? If the OP thinks that the ultra-rich are sacrificing human lives to fund their playthings, well, he is doing the exact same thing. For the price of a HD650, you could save a person's life (not a homeless American, but an African dying of a curable/preventable disease). There is no way to deny that fact. So, the OP is just as guilty as anybody else.

Edited by tvrboy - 7/18/10 at 4:01am

Some would argue that we are like kings. In terms of pure quality of life, we live at a higher standard than any 13th, 14th, or 15th century monarch with our electric lights and cars and ability to go out and have other men make us our meals.
 

I disagree. I think ethics descend from humanity's built in qualities of trust and reciprocity. I also disagree that humans "decided" to do anything. The populations that traded instead of fighting increased their power to such a point that they dominated the globe. As for religion and spirituality, I will not state my opinion at the risk of doing offense to anyone on the forums.

 

 

I've also done my part in helping the homeless.  I've gone so far as to take a seemingly mentally healthy homeless man I use to pass everyday out to a Subway restaurant, and buy him a sandwich on the condition that he gets an application and we fill it out together.  I left realizing:

 

A.  This guy is crazy.

B.  This guy is violent.

C.  This guy is manipulative.

D.  This guy does not want help.

E.  This guy actually has family he could stay with, he just wants to do drugs and stay on the street.

 

The 2 block walk back at 10pm at night (I was taking night classes) was pretty scary, as the last thing you want to hear when you're alone with someone is talk about them robbing people to get money.  Luckily, he left me alone.

 

I had another bad experience with a homeless man in Chicago about 4 years later, but thank God I was with other people as he tried to block me into a corner...

 

So - I'm done!  There's nothing romantic about helping the homeless, and now I'm one of those "stern faced drivers" who pass them by.     

Edit -

 

Actually I'm not done with the homeless just yet, since I'll be going into mental health nursing and will be seeing them daily.   

Edited by David58117 - 7/18/10 at 9:01am