Zanth
SHAman who knew of Head-Fi ten years prior to its existence
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2001
- Posts
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...you are told that you MUST sell your gear. You must downsize just as you are settling into a life-time of sonic bliss. In downsizing, can you match your $$$$ rig?
Some assumptions: "High-end" unfortunately means pricey, so the reason for having to sell off could range from monetary emergency or a raging significant other who can't stand the site of all that bling cluttering up the living space. The best you are left with is the option of selling it off but keeping some cash aside for a meager rig (back to the bottom of the mountain you go!)
Rules: You must set your priority in terms of enjoying not just the music but the hobby. For instance, if I was in true dire straights, I could live with a radio. Anything that can pump out music would at least keep me sane (life without music is insanity in my mind). But I certainly wouldn't be happy and I certainly wouldn't be involved in this hobby. No gear = no hobby. What I want to read about is what is the lowest one could go down the mountain while retaining the level of gear enjoyment and approximate sonic enjoyment one experiences now at the top of the rock.
I'll start with my own example of the hypothetical:
My wife, after all these years of supporting my insanity, has finally put her foot down. It all has to go to fund some "home project." I'm not happy but I will figure something out. The minimum I could go while being remotely happy on the gear end of things would be a Tivoli Model 2 + iPod + Westone UM2's and Grado SR60's. On the digital side of things, I would have a decent sounding speaker setup, a great tuner, a DAP with a LOT of music stored on it and the two very transportable and quite portable headphones. The versatility of IEM's, their size, shape, sound and ergonomics (I can sleep with them) means I would maximize my listening time and have good sound. These SR60's are close in sound signature to the RS-1's which I enjoy immensely so I wouldn't be completely out of the "good sonics" game. They don't scale all that well but my Tivoli doesn't have gobs of power anyway.
But... I've tasted the good stuff, sniffed the glue...er...vinyl and I gotta have my fix. There is no way this deal is going through without me owning some type of TT. My choice? A vintage Thorens, Alphason HR100 arm, Grado Gold and a Little Rat. This will keep me on the mountain, certainly more than half way up the hill and I get to keep my LPs. I don't believe I would be happy owning anything less than this level of TT after my experience with a nice rig.
When all is said and done my gear is still a bit pricey for most people:
Tivoli Model 2: $250
iPod: $350
UM2's: $250
Grado SR60's: $69
Thorens TD 160: $150
Alphason HR100S: $200
Grado Prestige Gold: $150
Radioshack Phono: $50
Grand Total: about $1500
Not bad to stay firmly footed in the hobby and enjoying my music collection, but a far cry from "dirt cheap" yet just as far a cry from my current setup. Anything less than this and I would want to just pack it in and look for another hobby.
So how low can you go?
Some assumptions: "High-end" unfortunately means pricey, so the reason for having to sell off could range from monetary emergency or a raging significant other who can't stand the site of all that bling cluttering up the living space. The best you are left with is the option of selling it off but keeping some cash aside for a meager rig (back to the bottom of the mountain you go!)
Rules: You must set your priority in terms of enjoying not just the music but the hobby. For instance, if I was in true dire straights, I could live with a radio. Anything that can pump out music would at least keep me sane (life without music is insanity in my mind). But I certainly wouldn't be happy and I certainly wouldn't be involved in this hobby. No gear = no hobby. What I want to read about is what is the lowest one could go down the mountain while retaining the level of gear enjoyment and approximate sonic enjoyment one experiences now at the top of the rock.
I'll start with my own example of the hypothetical:
My wife, after all these years of supporting my insanity, has finally put her foot down. It all has to go to fund some "home project." I'm not happy but I will figure something out. The minimum I could go while being remotely happy on the gear end of things would be a Tivoli Model 2 + iPod + Westone UM2's and Grado SR60's. On the digital side of things, I would have a decent sounding speaker setup, a great tuner, a DAP with a LOT of music stored on it and the two very transportable and quite portable headphones. The versatility of IEM's, their size, shape, sound and ergonomics (I can sleep with them) means I would maximize my listening time and have good sound. These SR60's are close in sound signature to the RS-1's which I enjoy immensely so I wouldn't be completely out of the "good sonics" game. They don't scale all that well but my Tivoli doesn't have gobs of power anyway.
But... I've tasted the good stuff, sniffed the glue...er...vinyl and I gotta have my fix. There is no way this deal is going through without me owning some type of TT. My choice? A vintage Thorens, Alphason HR100 arm, Grado Gold and a Little Rat. This will keep me on the mountain, certainly more than half way up the hill and I get to keep my LPs. I don't believe I would be happy owning anything less than this level of TT after my experience with a nice rig.
When all is said and done my gear is still a bit pricey for most people:
Tivoli Model 2: $250
iPod: $350
UM2's: $250
Grado SR60's: $69
Thorens TD 160: $150
Alphason HR100S: $200
Grado Prestige Gold: $150
Radioshack Phono: $50
Grand Total: about $1500
Not bad to stay firmly footed in the hobby and enjoying my music collection, but a far cry from "dirt cheap" yet just as far a cry from my current setup. Anything less than this and I would want to just pack it in and look for another hobby.
So how low can you go?