[fewtch]

Just sold my main cans (HD600's)... I figure since my HD580s have been lying mostly unused in a box the last 9 months and they sound almost as good, they will suffice (maybe will get the HD600 grilles). Also sold off my maxed Meta42 for one of Norm/Headsave's Home-Vibes.

Financial troubles suck, guys. I have no right to complain at all (NONE) and am fully aware of this, because I've definitively chosen free time over money... it was a very conscious choice and now I get to live with the consequences. I'm not in any danger of starving, but almost all luxuries are on the outs at this point in my life. Maybe I should change my sig to read "Team Ultra-Budget-Hi-Fi-and-I-beg-you-to-believe-it-still-sounds-pretty-good"

.

What I really need is to get something small going on the side, maybe over the Net, even just an extra $50-$100/month would help a lot. Got this idea about selling test/burn-in CD-R's, responses welcome on that thread. For all its frustrations sometimes (particularly in 'Outside'), I love you guys and this community with all my heart and am grateful to have found it. As long as the ops continue to put up with me and my occasional quirks (

) I'm here and loving every minute of it.

 

[DevilDog]

Hey, now you have time to listen to music. At least you've got that going for 'ya. That's worth a WHOLE bunch.
I have a job that gives me about as much time off as anyone, I'm a teacher. I get to spend time with my kids when they're out of school. I don't make a ton of money but I get by ok.
Free time is important. Everybody needs time off. All work and no play...
Congratulations on selling your 600s. They went quick. 5 hours. I was tempted to pick them up for my son for college. Oh well. Someone will enjoy them.
Enjoy your time off!

 

[elrod-tom]

I get as much utility out of my work rig as my home rig lately. I wish that I had more time to use my home rig...or even my work rig for that matter.

You're right though...financial troubles suck. Good luck with that...

 

[ServinginEcuador]

If I had the time and energy I would start looking at trends with tubes and scarf a bunch up for future sales. I bought a bunch recently, and the profits I'm making on them is pretty awesome. Some tubes I got for $4 each I sold for $10. Others I got for $35 I sold for $75. If you can find stuff that is in demand and/or rare, and find it at a good price, you'll make your money with minimal risk and a quick turnaround. Wayne calls it a, "price arbitage situation". I call it a calculated risk.

 

[fewtch]

Thanks for the suggestion, Doug... unfortunately (being a solid state guy) my tube knowledge is weak, to say the least. I'll come up with something soon, opportunities abound for the persistent. In a way it's good this has happened, because I've really gotten too complacent. Time to trim down on material goods (aka "junk") while I figure something out.

 

[gpalmer]

The music is the important thing. Hell, I'm listening to my NJB3 with the stock headphones right now and the music is still wonderful and still has the same emotional zing even if it isn't hi-fi!

 

[pbirkett]

Hey Fewtch, I bet you wont miss your more "expensive" rig. Strange though it is, I've never really missed my CD3000... in fact I am almost tempted to sell the Perreaux as well and get a Rega Ear or something cheaper, owing to the fact I dont really feel like I need such an expensive amp to run these DT531's, and have some more money. I have come to the conclusion that for me at least, high end stuff is VERY overrated, and more importantly, overpriced.

Good luck for your money making quests of the future

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett Hey Fewtch, I bet you wont miss your more "expensive" rig. Strange though it is, I've never really missed my CD3000... in fact I am almost tempted to sell the Perreaux as well and get a Rega Ear or something cheaper, owing to the fact I dont really feel like I need such an expensive amp to run these DT531's, and have some more money. I have come to the conclusion that for me at least, high end stuff is VERY overrated, and more importantly, overpriced.

I'll miss the HD600s, I really like 'em a lot. However, it's kind of useless to have those and with the HD580s just sitting in a box doing nothing. Since the 580s are really the better value (with almost the same sound) and the 600s have better resale value, it only made sense to sell the 600s. Maybe I'll pick up another used pair somewhere down the line.
Quote:

Good luck for your money making quests of the future

Thanks

.

 

[warubozu]

Fewtch, sorry to hear that you are in a bit of a financial slump. Hope it won't last long for you and that you will get over it on the plus side. I myself also need to be aware of my spending habits when it come to audio. I'm currently doing fine but can easily slip into the red if I'm not careful about my spending habits. The last two months my spending habits have been out of control racking up a sizable debt, nothing severe though. Just need to sit down and think a bit before jumping the gun on my next purchase. As it gpalmer has stated it's the music that counts. If I had to sell most of my gear to get out of a financial bind and be stuck with a cheap pair of cans and decent source, I'd still be happy as long as I can get my music fix even though it may not be stellar.

 

[Edwood]

That's OK. You are saving money to put it towards the HD650's.

Man, they do sound sweet with the Blockhead. With the Blockhead's price, it damn well better.

Heheh, I still like my R10's better, but oh man, the bass with the HD650's is fantastic.

-Ed

 

[bangraman]

The recurring pattern to 'I'm happy with downgrading' seems to be a low-end source combined with a mid-fi headamp and a great phone. Having installed the RME and briefly re-confirmed my previous impressions of it, I'd say anyone using an RME-like, or lesser PC source without a decent DAC would probably be best served by the ATH-A900 / HD580 depending on your tastes. Anything beyond that is probably a waste, although this depends on your disposable income of course.


High-end amps / phones only make real sense if everything else is high-end, IMO. I moved from a £500 source to a £3,000 source and it was quite an eye opener.

 

[pbirkett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman The recurring pattern to 'I'm happy with downgrading' seems to be a low-end source combined with a mid-fi headamp and a great phone. Having installed the RME and briefly re-confirmed my previous impressions of it, I'd say anyone using an RME-like, or lesser PC source without a decent DAC would probably be best served by the ATH-A900 / HD580 depending on your tastes. Anything beyond that is probably a waste, although this depends on your disposable income of course.

You are quite correct in this assumption I feel, but I dont think its as entirely simplistic as that. For one thing, speaking personally there are a lot of recordings out there that just seem to sound worse on better kit, as better kit seems to just expose imperfections even more. If you are listening to the very highest quality recordings then there is a lot to be gained by having a high quality setup. However, IME & IMO, these highest quality recordings seem to be exclusive to genres like jazz, classical and the like. It seems that the more popular music, like pop, dance, electronica, rock etc seems by and large to be far poorer quality on average. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, but by and large what I say is true. A high-end rig is no use to me when it means I have to change my taste in music to appreciate it (and believe me, I have SEEN this happen to people).

The other factor which you brushed upon was the cost. I wanted to like the CD3000 and I did like it, a lot but ultimately I can never afford to get the best out of it at this time. And even if I thought I got the best out of it, a new fad would come along next month and suddenly it would not be "the best" any more. This would just lead to more frustration and more cost. Not only can I not afford it, but I can also do without the stress, to be quite honest.

Honestly, life is so much easier at the budget end - I find myself not worrying about any of the above things. Ultimately though, yes you are correct in your assumption that there is little point in having a high end headphone without a high end amp and source. And even then, the quality might be great, but for me, the higher the cost of the components, the more difficult it is to combine that quality, and get the basic musical message across, IMO. Too many systems sound like overly smooth, refined, boring collections of sound effects rather than music.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman The recurring pattern to 'I'm happy with downgrading' seems to be a low-end source combined with a mid-fi headamp and a great phone.

Perhaps. In my case, it's merely a matter of my savings account being way too low for comfort. I had no urge to downgrade at all before this, and really cannot pretend to enjoy the process. To put it plainly it sucks, but thanks to way above average price/performance from Headsave and Sennheiser it's substantially less painful than it could have been.

 

[mbriant]

For much of my life, I've worked more than one job to make ends meet. ( I spend a lot) Of course, free time is better than working, but if you need a few extra bucks, I've found the most enjoyable part time work for me, involved driving. I've delivered pizzas and I've worked as a part time chauffeur. What I like about these type of jobs is the freedom it provides. Sure, like any job, it bites into your free time, but at least with driving, you are off on your own, often in the vehicle all by yourself where you can at least listen to the radio and lose yourself. It's not like real work. Driving limo can also be somewhat exciting when celebrities are involved. The great thing about part time jobs is that you can always quit if you hate it, and not only are you earning money while your doing it, you are not spending money....so there's a double financial benefit.