Theres plenty of cheap yet great sounding DIY equipment. T50RP, Magnums, O2, and the Crack for tube lovers. I'd rather stick to my modded T40RPs and E9 than eat ramon noodles for a month.

So for many, these high end purchases actually affect other aspects of daily life?

Quote:

xinze said:

So for many, these high end purchases actually affect other aspects of daily life?

Click to expand...

 
I would hope not. If it affects something like that then that is silly. Budgeting is key and if you are sacrificing something like food for headphones then there is definitely something wrong. 
 
I have some gear that many would consider to be pretty good. All it takes it spending your money wisely as well as saving up enough for the gear. I dont make that much money but my expenses are low and I try not to spend money when not necessary. I don't go to clubs or bars often or go to expensive restaurants and such except every once in a while. I don't smoke or any of that so that does keep costs low as well since I did use to smoke that it gets expensive once you add it up. Of course you can still have fun but everything in moderation for me.
 
One of the biggest things is cooking for myself. I do get lazy so haven't cooked for the last two weeks but around where I work lunch everyday for a work week and then snacks here and there can easily add up around $300 a month so it really is how you spend your money.
 
It does help that we have the FS forums as well
 

I'm in my early 40s, married, and semi-retired. Although I'm in good shape financially, retirement wasn't 100% my idea, but I had struggled with RA for years and then piled on MS on top of that. So, getting around quickly isn't as easy as it used to be, and on some days just leaving the house is difficult. So audio is a great hobby and keeps me out of trouble, mostly.

25, working, just below 10k$ year income. Normal for my country though.
My only dedicated audio gear is a modified Fostex T20RP, I'm looking forward for an amp and DAC eventually, surely DIY as well, and not anytime soon.

18 year old here (In my defence I'm nearly 19)
 
Been playing music since I was little and I'm deeply involved in music in my every day life (I'm doing music at university) So I think it sort of gives me permission to spend a lot of my budget on musical items (such as IEM's )
 
However, I earn £0, I need to get a job, I made $20 from my bandcamp a few weeks ago and that's it. I'm not in that for the money though, I just like creating music.
 
Although the fact that I'm buying a house and about to get a mortgage doesn't help my cause lol

Quote:

lewisthemusician said:

18 year old here (In my defence I'm nearly 19)
 
Been playing music since I was little and I'm deeply involved in music in my every day life (I'm doing music at university) So I think it sort of gives me permission to spend a lot of my budget on musical items (such as IEM's )
 
However, I earn £0, I need to get a job, I made $20 from my bandcamp a few weeks ago and that's it. I'm not in that for the money though, I just like creating music.
 
Although the fact that I'm buying a house and about to get a mortgage doesn't help my cause lol

Click to expand...

mortgage with $0 pay? How does that work lol?
 
 
Honestly, I don't think getting a house is worth it until your in the early 30s or so. It really would take too much out of the paycheck and would damage "settling down" financially. At the rate I'm going and my career goals, I probably won't get my first paycheck until I'm 29-31..

Well, I'm 16 (17 in a couple months) and only have a job when I have time for it (my dad owns a business and I typically work for him whenever I'm not busy with academic stuff, so mostly during the summer), so I make about $3k per year. But since I have no expenses whatsoever, my money goes toward my hobbies (the top 3, as far as expense goes, are aquaria, photography, and headphones [in descending order], but I have several other random hobbies, as well). So I guess I'm sort of an outcast among head-fyers.

Quote:

xinze said:

mortgage with $0 pay? How does that work lol?
 
 
Honestly, I don't think getting a house is worth it until your in the early 30s or so. It really would take too much out of the paycheck and would damage "settling down" financially. At the rate I'm going and my career goals, I probably won't get my first paycheck until I'm 29-31..

Click to expand...

There's a scheme in the UK where you can get a mortgage based on buying a house to rent out and proving that you will have people renting your house of for a year (due to uni) which you then show the banks and they will give you a loan.
 
That is also coupled with my upper-middle class background which I am very appreciative for.
 

Earn $11k after taxes, have audio gear for about $5k (counting music, instruments, cans, speakers, software, hardware -- everything).

Audiophile is a fairly wide definition, so average joe audiophile can be a lot of things.

 

Quote:

antberg said:

interesting and funny thread;
i agree with you about "super tight budget solutions" Spareribs,actually i am enjoying cheap rig cause i cant afford (or i dont want to) more!
its nice to see how many factors and variables of any of ourselves dictate whether we are able to afford or not expensive eargasmic hifi equipments...
 
in my personal case is not the money -or almost- the primary problem is between desiring an headphone (or whatever hifi rig) and get it,here in brazil there is no cheap electronic device and practically no hifi market;or at least,medium-hi quality is really ,really expensive,so just rich people can afford first class equipment (an iphone cost here about 1250 dollars,i found a m80 at 500 dollars,a gtx460 about 700 dollars).
 
i am a cook,and atm moment i am working in a highly respected restaurant where my earning are a little higher than the same average professional category ,underrated and sub-payed;i can get 800,900 dollars per month,so i can save some money as i have no kids,but definitively i refuse to buy any high quality product here,i find our cost of life and cost of hi-quality products so damn expensive,if you analyze our economic and social situation.
and anyway the most of hi-fi devices are not even commercialized around here so i cant even try anything before buy it,so blind (or deaf) deals all the time!!
i have been working in some european countries in the past and sometime i feel a little pissed off because i should have a greater setup to honor my recordings!!
salute
listening to : Gattaka,music is my blood

Click to expand...

I never left my house to get Hi-Fi equipment. I got my first headphone a RS1 here for 550, and it is being sold 900 new, here in Canada.
 
You use the for sale forum. It's the main Head-Fi advantage for me... people see me with a HP-2 on my head and they end up asking me from which planet I come (for paying 1000$ for a headphone and for not buying Beats like they all do)... I tell them Head-Fi.
 
 
Quote:

spareribs said:

I also want to comment that while it is nice having an expensive rig and I do love the expensive stuff, not every audiophile needs to invest thousands of dollars. A mid fi or entry level rig is still worthy and respectable. If you have a $300 headphone, a $300 amp and a maybe a $300 CD player or DAC, it can still give you pleasure.

Click to expand...

Totally! Do not always compare you with the people who have more than you, try to look at those who struggles even more.

 
Quote:

draygonn said:

Theres plenty of cheap yet great sounding DIY equipment. T50RP, Magnums, O2, and the Crack for tube lovers. I'd rather stick to my modded T40RPs and E9 than eat ramon noodles for a month.

Click to expand...

You go at Innerfidelity and look at his wall of fame, there are GREAT headphones for everyone's taste and budget, no need to DIY, and Magnums are still quite costly, when you buy them new (700$). If a young Head-Fier wants a flagship headphone without having to pay too much you give him a AKG K701 until he starts earning money for more.
 
 
Quote:

xinze said:

So for many, these high end purchases actually affect other aspects of daily life?

Click to expand...

Me yes, I broke up into my savings account and spent all my scholarships. I don't have enough money to pursue university anymore, I'll need to find a job and find money.
 
And I have no regrets. I've never felt so fulfilled and not wanting to buy anything. Maybe it's just the fact that I have no money to buy anything.
 
But I love my music, and I've built my temple for it, so I'm good to go fight with real life now.
 
 
Quote:

lewisthemusician said:

18 year old here (In my defence I'm nearly 19)
 
Been playing music since I was little and I'm deeply involved in music in my every day life (I'm doing music at university) So I think it sort of gives me permission to spend a lot of my budget on musical items (such as IEM's )
 
However, I earn £0, I need to get a job, I made $20 from my bandcamp a few weeks ago and that's it. I'm not in that for the money though, I just like creating music.
 
Although the fact that I'm buying a house and about to get a mortgage doesn't help my cause lol

Click to expand...

 
I don't consider headphones a musical item, lol. I think musicians have a lot more to care for than headphones.
 
Apple computers cost twice as much as other computers of the same specs. I got a HP1000 for the money I saved from buying a Dell instead of a Macbook at your age.
 
 
 
Cellphones are also big money drain for some people.

lewisthemusician said:

Quote:

xinze said:

mortgage with $0 pay? How does that work lol?
 
 
Honestly, I don't think getting a house is worth it until your in the early 30s or so. It really would take too much out of the paycheck and would damage "settling down" financially. At the rate I'm going and my career goals, I probably won't get my first paycheck until I'm 29-31..

Click to expand...

There's a scheme in the UK where you can get a mortgage based on buying a house to rent out and proving that you will have people renting your house of for a year (due to uni) which you then show the banks and they will give you a loan.
 
That is also coupled with my upper-middle class background which I am very appreciative for.
 

Click to expand...

No offense to you but this sounds like one of the most irresponsible bank scheme I've ever heard. I can envision this becoming like the subprime disaster.

Maybe you are responsible and will be fine. But the bank should never have offered this and the government should already have cracked down on this. I fear even if you are responsible, you will be dragged down. My advice, don't do it.

Quote:

nabwong said:

No offense to you but this sounds like one of the most irresponsible bank scheme I've ever heard. I can envision this becoming like the subprime disaster.
Maybe you are responsible and will be fine. But the bank should never have offered this and the government should already have cracked down on this. I fear even if you are responsible, you will be dragged down. My advice, don't do it.

Click to expand...

lol, it's quite good, i haven't gone into all the details really which is a mistake on my behalf but you don't need to worry, they have to take into account my parents assets too so don't you worry about the government lol

I wish you well. Additional advice. Read on the hidden costs of home ownership and renting. Interests, property taxes, owners insurance, renters insurance, transfer taxes (when buying and selling), maintenance (roof, plumbing, etc), agent's commission, inflation, local rate of appreciation over 5, 10 years, etc.

I am 20, called uncle by my relatives (mainly because of my clothes, got them from my dad), side income of few hundreds per year (my country's currency has been falling lately). I am not yet mature, still need to learn a lot of things, mainly on my patience. My rigs... It is not even a rig, just something simple. My N9 (they used wolfson dac, so not too bad) and the goldring DR150/FAD Adagio II and later, UM tf10x4 is all I have. Maybe an amp/dac later, since they cost another arm and leg here.
Essentially, I am the "also-run". People have it, I want it. Lately, things changed because this audio world is too vast. Rather than competing with friends, I started to enjoy the music more proper.
 
Owning property is good, actually, or at least that's how I was brought up, though having a huge debt before your career even started is not a way to invest. Sure, you may not be able to buy properties when your career started, at least you do not have a large debt tied to you.