Are you rich enough for this hobby? - Page 2

Even if you can afford any headphone you want, I think there's something to be said about starting somewhere and appreciating and loving that initial gear you buy. I'm JUST getting into the headphone scene, but I can tell you that even if I go to the really high end of this hobby, my passion for audiophile stereo gear easily has the potential to drown out disposable income. Think about it... the highest end "mainstream" headphones will be ~$2k. $2k doesn't even begin to touch audiophile loudspeaker territory. You can easily spend ~$80k on Acapella Violon MKV's and that's even cheaper than many "flagship" loudspeakers. No one can ever be "rich enough" (alright, if you're a billionaire perhaps) for a hobby, since it will just naturally transition into the next related thing that involves more income. 

I think its a matter of what you want (or need) vs. what you can or are willing to put aside for the hobby. Example, a pair of $2,000 headphones are $50 more than my monthly mortgage payment. For me, I am not willing to go there at this moment. Do I want? Well at least I want to try them. Will I buy them? I really hope that in that moment, I'll be wise enough to honestly compare them to the equipment I own in that point and only get them if I really need (or want) them. It's a hobby... so as long as all the necessary stuff its taken care of, I guess all the money that is left can be used for any hobbies you want.

I've always had the approach that I can admire other's without feeling less about mine. I've bought 5 sets of audio gear over my career. Each time I upgraded to my ability. I took it a piece at a time and built a system instead of springing for the load at one purchase (one exception). I feel good with where I'm at and don't plan on upgrading again. My ability to hear isn't as accute as it used to be but my current speaker and headphone rigs are gratifying and nothing is on the horizon to make me want to upgrade. That is until the formats force me to.

 

 

 

Not rich but fortunate enough to earn a good living. I give myself blow money monthly which allows me to support this habit which can get expensive but I figure you only buy them once and I do not spend money I do not have.

Spend a lot in the last few months but I am at a point where I am enjoying my music more than looking for equipment. I will still like to try the HD 800 but beside that I am fine with my current set up. Might be moving  in a few months and might use the opportunity to upgrade to speakers since I will have room for that

 

No, I'm not rich enough for this hobby. And maybe only a few on this community are. But it all lies on where you prioritize your expenses, and how you control your spending (a common theme here).

 

Sometimes, we really don't need a T1, HD800 or a LCD-2. Sometimes, we just need a SR60 to enjoy the music.

I'm certainly not, but that doesn't stop me from doing a lot of buying and selling to support the upgrades and throwing bits of money into it at times.  There's really not much higher I could go with a dynamic headphone rig from what I have now though, so I think I'm done until the next best dynamic headphone comes out to replace the HD800.

I don't think you have to spend a lot of money to enjoy this hobby.  I'm just getting into the diy world and I get way more satisfaction actually building something than I would having simply made a purchase.  

 

Am I rich enough for the high end forum here?  No, not yet, but I'm not sure I'll ever feel the need to spend quite that much on gear.  It would be nice, though.   

I only use spare money to buy audio gears.  I would like better gears but I'm not going to live on baked beans and two minute noodles for weeks.  

I harvest and sell hobo organs to feed my audio addiction.

 

I can afford to go entry high-end, but can't comfortably go into $1500+ headphone range unless I score them used. I've been hoping that HeadphoneAddict or Skylab would adopt me, but so far it's just a dream...

Quote:

 

So YOU'RE the reason I'm missing a kidney.

 

I'll get you next time, Gadget.

If I had the money to spend on audio gear I most definitely would, but as for now its just me, my TBH and my Grados. I am extremely pleased with them though, and they always seem to amaze me and keep this () s*** eating grin on my face!

deadhead12, DIY will get you to the top end of amplification in a hurry. Even $500-$600 of parts will better a lot of commercial designs. Sadly, DIY can't (yet) replace the top tier of headphones, but you can kick a lot of butt with DIY speakers. Play your cards right and you can get to the top for a relatively small outlay.

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That's my plan in the long run but I'm still a few years away from that goal and I have a lot to learn in the mean time.  

It doesn't have to be the long term. If you have a woodworking shop or cabinet shop locally, they can build cabinets for less than you expect. Use MDF (cheap) and they'll charge you a few dollars per cut. You should be able to have cabinets built for $100-$200 a pair, including materials. You'll have to assemble and finish them, but that isn't as difficult as you might think. Glue, screws and a drill will put them together.

After that, use Bondo to smooth out the rough edges and seams. Spray a couple coats of primer, sand smooth, then follow with canned spraypaint. You really can get high quality on the cheap.