[kboe]

Hello Head-Fi,
I have come to you seeking guidance, support, and perhaps a little wisdom. I got bad news today, my income went up into a new bracket and thus my tax returns will not be as high as I had hoped. I planned to use this money to basically pay for school. My returns are rather abysmal and would not even pay half my rent for a month, (which being in school is already low). I have therefor decided its time to make some decisions about my rig and if I can afford what I already have.

My rig as it stands now is the ALO Amphora, iPod, LOD cable, RS1i and SR325i. If I could sell all of this I would hope to get about $1400.00, sold separately of course. The majority of this would pay for my schooling for a semester, but some I would re-spend to build a much cheaper, economical, not to mention much more appropriate rig for a college student.

So after selling all of this, I would buy the Musical Paradise 301, leather headband and wooden cups for my SR80. This would be fed a signal from my HD-DVD player, (retired for obvious reasons). This would be my new system. Is it as neutral, transparent, dynamic, and lifelike as my current rig, my God no! But I do believe it would keep me happy and appreciative and still loving all my music, my only real goal in this hobby.

I should also add that I am a HUGE believer in no debt, and not depending on my parents to foot the bill for MY education.

So my query to you is this. Do I go ahead and sell my rig, buy a cheaper one, and then save the money for school. My gut tells me yes, and I do believe we were given guts for a reason. Any advise, insight, or responses would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Ynoskire]

Yup, the best investment one can make is staying out of debt. If you sell this rig and graduate, there's a big chance that your next rig will be a lot better since you have more money to spend that would otherwise be spent on dept payment.

 

[wantmyf1]

Stay out of debt and get your education. It'll be painful for a few years but you'll be able to afford better when you finish.

 

[LingLing1337]

Here's an idea: Sansa Fuze or other portable player + RE0. I feel like this rig can be fairly compared to my home rig which would MSRP for around $900.

 

[kboe]

Thanks for the responses guys! I do think this may be the right decision for me right now.

 

[appophylite]

School now means that you will have the money in the future to buy back the same/equivalent/better rig. If the money is tight and this can help achieve your current goals, I'd say sell the current rig, and utilize a cheaper rig to meet your audio cravings now.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Kudos to you for your maturity.

If I didn't have zero interest student loans, I'd be doing the same thing as you.

 

[unl3a5h3d]

I think you have the exact idea. Definitely woodie the SR80's. If you are usually listening via laptop or CD's. You should downgrade the DAP. It might save some money that you could spend on something else.

 

[apatN]

School is more important but there must be another way to fund it, right? Being a student I can borrow money very attractively from the government.

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LingLing1337 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's an idea: Sansa Fuze or other portable player + RE0. I feel like this rig can be fairly compared to my home rig which would MSRP for around $900.

++ Or Etymotic ER4p depending on preference. But hey, why does it say Sansa Fuze --> ??? in your sig? Let me guess - you are upgrading to RE252.

 

[aamefford]

Sell your rig, spend $150 on a Sansa, or used ipod, or whatever, and a used pair of IEM's and be good with it unil school gets out.

 

[Drag0n]

Run the ipod into the SR80....save the money on the wood cups for now, and be happy.
Especially sell the 325, because its way overkill because you already have the RS1i and SR80.
The SR80 doesnt really have to have an amp. Im not saying it doesnt help, but you can enjoy it without one.

 

[koven]

I also say downsize, and I second the Fuze + RE0 setup, that is really cheap (~$100) and it delivers incredible value/bang-for-buck.

I've moved away from 'phones and into speakers, but the one thing remaining from my "portable" days is my Fuze + RE0, which I still listen to and enjoy.

 

[rawrster]

this is all very good advice. sacrifice now and get the reward now. it's much better to spend your money wisely when you are a student and then when you graduate and get a job you can spend money on better stuff. i would sell your rig and get something cheap like the fuze+RE0 or similar and enjoy that for now. the key thing in this hobby imo is knowing your budget and sticking with it.

going into debt is definitely not a good thing and can be very stressful and dangerous.

 

[Currawong]

If I had to down-size, I'd probably just stick with something that works well with an iPod and basic amp as well. Some minimalist rigs I want to try with Grados:

Nuforce uDAC and Bravo or similar amp (ultra-cheap!)
iPhone (+ Pico Slim, because I have it on order).
Audio-gd Fun (I could live with this if I had to).

For something different:
Fun or uDAC and Stax SR-003, SR5-NB or old Lambdas + modified portable Stax amp or eXStatA (best bang-for-the-buck).