[elliot42]

Most of my friends don't know much about my head-fi hobby, let alone what gear I have (my home is one of the most painful to get to without a car, which many of my friends don't have... so they don't come here and see my audio gear

). Some do know I DIY, but don't ask too much about it or any other gear I have so I can just avoid any questions about prices. But even I don't know how much I've spent on DIY, and I don't really want to add it all up, I know it's a scary figure

My parents have raised an eyebrow when I told them the price of some purchases (they pressed for an answer), but they don't really care as it's my money I'm spending. My sister doesn't care about any of it and is quite oblivious to quality audio, but my dad did like my AD900 when he had a listen when I got them.

The people who probably do think I'm a little crazy are my colleagues at work when I had my Millet SS tube amp, diyMod Mini, LOD and MS2i (with bright yellow 414 pads) in the office for a while last year. They were a little bemused with the setup I had; maybe I should have offered them a listen. I have since downsized to my Cowon S9 with either Koss PortaPro or HeadDirect RE2, depending on what I feel like.

My GF hasn't asked what any of my gear cost, nor have I told her. But I feel I should get her listening to some of it and give her an introduction to the world of head-fi.

So I guess some think I'm crazy, but tend to ignore/accept that (true) fact.

 

[semaniaci]

Lots of my friends think im crazy for spending money to headphones. They couldnt understand that and its hobby as any other.

 

[ABathingApe]

My mom tends to think I spend too much money, but being from a musical background she can appreciate SQ. Recently, I had my GF listen to my rig, and she was very impressed. Though since I have sworn to only listen to FLAC or better, I am not sure if the clarity she is hearing is only from the file, or from my DAC/AMP/SRH840's. Coming from an iPod Nano + iBuds, anything would probably sound amazing A couple of my friends have HD650's, and 1 has Magnepans, but other than that nothing serious.

 

[Deadmeat]

Two audio components and wast difference in price. (Most expensive I could find)

Speakers: Transmission audio Extreme performance ultimate = $2'000'000

Headphones: Sennheiser HE-90 "orpheus" = $14'000

Atm I go with headphones for their lower price

 

[aaron313]

Of course people think I'm crazy, although it's not entirely because of what I spend on audio equipment. I have avoided getting into a serious argument with anyone over the validity of my hobby, or the way it makes me feel, but some people have told me it is a frivolous waste of money for somebody without a steady job. Hopefully the hypocrisy of that statement is not lost on you. If music is one of my primary reasons for living, what could possibly be frivolous about working specifically, but sporadically, to support that hobby? I'm still deciding which job to pursue full time, so I might as well have fun during the process. However, these arguments have occurred outside of my house, where it would be more unwise to criticize me.

To some extent, I understand why most audiophobes have such views. Auditory memory is not very good in humans, so audiophile leanings can be extinguished by the fleeting nature of the auditory experience's subtleties. I find that the general image of the music remains in my head, but the textures of the sounds often do not. Furthermore, it is easy not to have faith in an expensive upgrade to a new DAC, amp, or headphone. The aesthetics of a piece of audio equipment are irrelevant to its sound, so your ears are the only things that matter in making a decision. Because of this, it can take many auditions before you can firmly remember that it indeed is an upgrade. It can be difficult to even explain what you are hearing while you are hearing it!

So, I am one of few who are willing to risk costly disappointments in the name of making their music sound better. Those who don't make the effort to understand it are unqualified to call me crazy!

 

[Listen2this1]

I find it funny when someone finds out my hobby, and then learns that it is not cheap. They begin to make comments. Most of the time I am able to spin it around to them. The fast one for me is the smoking or drinking. Most of the folks drink, smoke, or both. I do not smoke and drink maybe a beer every two weeks. By the end of the discussion I am able to show how I spend less on my gear than they do on their habits. The best is I am able to sell mine in a year or two and get some money back.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deadmeat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Two audio components and wast difference in price. (Most expensive I could find) Speakers: Transmission audio Extreme performance ultimate = $2'000'000 Headphones: Sennheiser HE-90 "orpheus" = $14'000 Atm I go with headphones for their lower price

It isn't difficult to find speakers that outperform the Orpheus for a much lower price.

I still haven't heard headphones that match the Quad ESL-63, and I only paid $650 for those. If you have the room for speakers and no neighbors to annoy, used/DIY speakers can give you better performance than similarly-priced headphones.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Mother: Thinks it's fine as long because I'm not doing something illegal instead, but the recent purchase of a speaker system has her worrying over whether it will go with the rest of the house's furniture.

Father: Likes music, but not to this degree; the only adult you'll find sitting down and reading a book at Head-Fi meets. Helped me fund the speaker system though, so I think he has a secret want for speakers at least (the last speakers he had, my mom made him get rid of it).

Friends: Varies, but most of them have a slight interest in it. They also are unafraid now to ask me for recommendations of what they should buy.

My best friend bought two Koss KSC75s, one V-Moda Vibe Duo, a Denon AH-D1001, and recently M-Audio AV40 speakers.

Two other friends (who are brothers) bought some Yuin PK2s.

And I think my last girlfriend still uses the Koss KSC75 I gave her to replace the iBuds.

 

[Deadmeat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif It isn't difficult to find speakers that outperform the Orpheus for a much lower price. I still haven't heard headphones that match the Quad ESL-63, and I only paid $650 for those. If you have the room for speakers and no neighbors to annoy, used/DIY speakers can give you better performance than similarly-priced headphones.

Due to some people having trouble doing Speakers/boxes/amps or simply not knowing what terms like DAC,Bi-amplified,Bridged,Analog or digital (Even!

)
there will mostly be buying stuff instead of making it themselves. (They sometimes do not even bother to try find out how to make :0)

Also notice I said most expensive not the best

(were this is a direct response towards your qoute and not take from other peoples previous answers

 

[Elluzion]

i just bought $400 customs at 19 years of age,, yeah i would say i'm pretty crazzzy