[thatopampguy]

Hi,

Like a lot of people, I found headwize/head-fi when I was doing research for a new set of headphones roughly 3-4 years ago. And I've known about Headroom since 1997. I've always believed in buying the best when it comes to non-consumable items. People always calculate the short term costs but never the long term costs. I'm always amazed at people who go to Best Buy and buy thousands of dollars in disposable junk electronics that are ultimately rendered obsolete by the latest fads and trends. These are the same people who are quick to criticize those who chose to buy high quality expensive items that will last a lifetime. They refer to a few expensive pairs of headphones as "extravagant" and look at Grado's and see "junk", when in reality, their own habits are much more wasteful.

Roughly 30 years ago, my dad purchased a Marantz home audio system that was considered "outrageously expensive" at the time. 30 years later, it is the one and only audio system he has ever owned. How many boomboxes, and other junk do you think most people have purchased in 30 years? Probably enough to cover the cost of dozens of Marantz systems. He bought the best and he has never wanted for more. The system sounds light years better than anything I've seen in modern day under 10k. In the long run, that "extravagant" purchase was an incredible bargain.

Head-fi'ers should be proud of the choices they have made in spending their money. I make no apologies to my wallet for having spent any of the money I have on headphones. You see, I have a serious problem spending $7 on a poor sounding pair of sony earbuds, but I have no problem spending $200 on a pair of headphones that sound great. One of the most financially sound practices I've learned is never to make purchasing decisions based on price if the prices are on roughly the same order of magnitude. There's little long-term financial difference between spending $700 on an RS-1 and spending $400 on an HD650. Buy what you want regardless of price because it will save you money in the long run. A couple thousand dollars in audio equipment is financially meaningless for most people because the average joe probably wouldn't invest the money they didn't spend or are already fully invested in their 401k/Roth IRA anyways. Thus, there really wouldn't be any opportunity cost lost on this.

So, stop saying "Sorry about the wallet". At least you are spending your money wisely on a few quality products versus spending a lot more money on a lifetime of repetitively buying mass consumer-grade low-quality headphones that aren't worth the price.

Thanks.

 

[Lisa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatopampguy How many boomboxes, and other junk do you think most people have purchased in 30 years?

Before I discovered hi-fi and how much more pleasure it gives when listening to music I bought 2 boomboxes, 1 (dreadful) bookshelf system, 2 $15 tape walkmen (walkmans?) and 1 discman. And used the stock headphones.
This was over a period of ~17 years. And IIRC it cost me roughly:
250+150+300+30+150 = $880. 1 walkman and the first boombox broke. I would still use the rest and lets say that it will all break within the year and I would have to replace it all with same quality products I would still spend less than $1580 in 30 years. (Because I'm not replacing the walkmen or the allready broken boombox. And I've got only 13 yrs to go.)

Ever since I started caring for higher -fi I bought a modest speaker setup for ~$1800, headphones for ~$400 and amps for ~ $300. Not to mention cables batteries and chargers and that sort of stuff. Another couple of hundreds $$s.
And I have a very modest setup. MS-1s are my best phones and a Headsave classic my best amp.


Yes, Hi-fi is a rewording hobby and if you don't upgrade every three months you get excellent value for your money but to say that you spend less....gotta disagree.

 

[elnero]

I cringe every time I think of the money I've lost in reselling gear, shipping costs and customs fees. Ultimately though because my location doesn't allow for much auditioning for the most part I've had to buy to try. So while I've gone up, down and sideways with my purchases it has been a process of discovery and refining of my preferences to get to a system I thoroughly enjoy. I do agree though, if you know what you want that should be what you save for or purchase because ultimately most people who compromise won't be happy until they get what they originally wanted.

 

[timo_nyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatopampguy So, stop saying "Sorry about the wallet". At least you are spending your money wisely on a few quality products versus spending a lot more money on a lifetime of repetitively buying mass consumer-grade low-quality headphones that aren't worth the price.

I agree, but saying "sorry about the wallet" is too funny to give up.

 

[KYTGuy]

I agree that buying top models from respected manufacturers is a great policy to protect your wallet, but I am not so sure that it is really a tremendous savings...now thirty years out of college, one of the very first purchases I made after I got a job was a McIntosh Pre-amp, and some PSAudio amps, and some JBL L110 speakers.. They are still in service.

In view of the inflation rates throughout the same thirty years, and the return on investment the same moeny would have gotten me from the stock market, I am truly unsure that I am better off financially. But the amps/speakers etc., are old friends to me now, and I have not had to shop, etc...I have had to move them several times, though.

I simply bought the best I could afford.

I expect the pride and time I spend in making this set of new HeadAmps will take me to my grave...as I age, my hearing will continue to degrade, so I will not need anything better. They need only last another fifty years or so.

 

[jerb]

think about it too, when people (students ) break their hadphones they usually replace the entinre walkman, thats $20-$40! this happens every few months. plus the price of cds and batteries!

 

[Jahn]

Sadly, this whole hobby of almost a year of just headphone-oriented acquisition pales in comparison to buying just one guitar back in my disposable income heyday - a day long gone, a day called "before I was married." also a day called "i still lived with my folks and got magic laundry and magic meals and magic car insurance and magic i had no life."

therefore, i think this hobby is pretty reasonable compared to past hobbies, but it's still pricey, let's not fool ourselves.

 

[radicaltothemax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Sadly, this whole hobby of almost a year of just headphone-oriented acquisition pales in comparison to buying just one guitar back in my disposable income heyday - a day long gone, a day called "before I was married." also a day called "i still lived with my folks and got magic laundry and magic meals and magic car insurance and magic i had no life." therefore, i think this hobby is pretty reasonable compared to past hobbies, but it's still pricey, let's not fool ourselves.

Hell
I ride an $8000 (retail..pffft who pays retail) bike.
There are days when I have more value in bikes in my truck than my truck itself.
As compared to about $1000s invested in audio-gear (soon to be more, but whatcha gonna do)

Headphones really arn't that bad.

 

[Aman]

I have Ohm speakers, and they are known for some of the best build quality, and best overall quality out of ANY united states manufacturer. They sell some incredibly high-end models, but mine are mid-priced models from the seventies. The Ohm Model B.

Do you know how satisfied I am? What do I crave for now? Music. LOTS and LOTS of music.

However, I think headfi-ers say "sorry about your wallet" because it can become an addicting "hobby" (I hardly call this a "hobby" even if people say it is - I think the "hobby" part of this is actually PLAYING music - listening for leisure isn't much of a hobby).

Some people have multiple headphones - why, I don't know. Some people have six or more pairs of headphones that they can somehow justify. I think that you only have one set of ears, and only so much time to listen to music - how many different "characters" can you actually need for sound quality?

This is why I think it's better to spend 500 dollars on one headphone that will sound great with all music, instead of spending 150 dollars on two or three headphones that will sound good for some music, or for some situations.

I think that the whole "collecting and selling/switching" thing goes on with Headphones much more than with speakers. Headphones can be easily brought back, sold, shipped, whatever - a 10,000 dollar pair of stereo speakers will not be willingly sold as used days after one buys them - 10,000 dollars is not pocket change, as it appears that to many 400-500 dollars is pocket change... this is certainly not the case for me

 

[Bill Ward]

Headphone listening is "comparatively" economical I would say, and the enjoyment return on dollar invested is certainly high.

The real killer is the music collection. My headphone gear represents a relatively small investment compared to my CD collection. I never thought about it until I applied for an insurance rider for the music. The agent said the company wanted a list of the items. I mentioned that the catalog printed to about 300 pages with indexes. They settled for photographs instead. No problems insuring the headphone rig.

BW

 

[Kirosia]

We say the "Sorry 'bout your wallet" thing for liability reasons. People are going lawsuit crazy over the stupidest things, so. =)

 

[zachary80]

I agree with you to an extent, and logic it in nearly the same way. It may not exactly save money, but factor in the added enjoyment and time and you have yourself one heck of a deal...

 

[Leto Atreides II]

Talk about rationalization.

That said, I've had the same pair of headphones for three years while many people I know keep having to buy one every few months. However, the chances of me upgrading from my 199$ headphones to anything like what some of the headfiers have are about zero.

 

[blip]

To me, head-fidelity is a decently expensive hobby with a small decadence factor but in comparison to most hobbies that we lucky few with disposable income indulge in, it is both relatively cheap (esp. if you are smart about it) and (IMHO) fairly meaningful. I say it is relatively cheap (in comparison to say, exotic sports cars, off-roading, boats etc.) because if you shop wisely you can get a decent set-up for as little as $1000-2000 and fairly meaningful because it helps us sharpen our appreciation of an art form (music).

I think that the sorry about your wallet thing comes from the fact that we are quite a ways out of the mainstream. Think about it... Everyone knows that there are people out there spending tens of thousands on speaker equipment (Especially home theater rigs) but few people know about $1000 or even $300 headphones. Thus if you go to a HT forum and wind up spending 10-20k on a set-up, it doesn't shock you that much.... but if you wind up spending $1000 because of head-fi... that comes as much more of a shock. So, I guess, we figure it is good to give them fair warning!

 

[Cmoyamphelp]

it's like my tools,im 16 and i plan on doing tons with my hands and use tools,junk tools don't last and you go and buy a wrench and it breaks 6 months later well you have too go buy a new one,but if you own MAC or SNAP-ON or Craftsman you just bring it in and you get a new one for the cost of what i payed for my wrench sets and other tools i see point,i tell my friends how much they laught at me and say are you stupid.