[tanfenton]

Quote:

Originally posted by Z-Tab I'm about 10 to 1 in favor of music. Jesus Christ.

Ditto.

NGF

 

[Old Pa]

Such a ratio (and, obviously, it's calculation) is fundimentally flawed as a representational concept. I've got @ 1000 CDs and half that many more LPs, but I can only think in terms of getting my mind around any one piece of music through listening at any one time. Furthermore, if I only had one piece of recorded music, I would still want to hear it reproduced in the best way possible.

Conversely, an individual can get the hardware to listen to a piece of recorded music in what anyone would objectively consider "High Fidelity" for under $1,000USD in a headphone system or under $1,500USD is a speaker based system in the U.S. today (much less if good pre-owned equipment was obtained). With such a hardware system, the listener could enjoy that self same library of 1500 musical recordings to 93% of their capability until the cows come home.

Two very different ratios (and pictures) emerge; audio hardware and software can be related in vastly different ways without successfully reducing their relation for any individual to such a ratio.

Consequently, I would conclude that you are going to need another metric to make the type of measurement you apparently want.

For what it's worth, I'm presently at about 2.5 favoring hardware, but my software is in a constant state of churn and storage space for it has some limits.

 

[john_jcb]

I would say that in total it is about 50-50 for me. The music is spread out over many years but the hardware purchases are cyclic. I will spend money on hardware for a year or so then listen to the music for 4-5 then more hardware.

 

[DesBen]

5:1 music:gear

You guys with only $200 spent on music or a ratio the opposite of mine make me sick. But at the same time, I understand: I was there at one point. When you start out, you have a portable CD player and some cheap V-series Sony headphones. You think it's great sound and you own about 10 CDs. Then you visit a hifi shop, hear Grado, buy Grado and soon enough, you own 50 CDs. Now you're really starting to enjoy music. A couple of years later, you become officially crazy and buy a headphone amp (the truly insane will opt for a tube model). By now, you've been buying about 10 CDs per month and don't spend a day without listening. You know your few hundred discs really well and you have developed an intricate filing system that only makes sense to you. You own pricey wires too. Then you write a post about how people should own more music than equipment.

 

[aeberbach]

About 3:1 in favor of music here.

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by genetic But, enough about me. During all that time, one question was always coming back to me: in the final analysis do they love music or the technical part of it? I dont intend to find out by asking a single question but I’m realy curious to know, and this has no scientific validity since the MP3 «outbreak», what is the respective percentage you can give to your investment in music vs hardware?

Probably more in music: about 700 CDs.

 

[aerius]

I have maybe $700 in equipment, and I'm almost at 200 CDs right now. At an average of $15/CD that's about $3000 right there. I've also been to a fair number of concerts over the last few years, I know I've spent at least $1000 on concert tickets in my lifetime. It's all about the music for me.

 

[Tyson]

2000 cd's, but I've also got 3 seperate headphone/amp setups, plus a dedicated 2 channel speaker setup in the living room, plus a dedicated HT setup, so I'm probably close to 1:1 at the moment.

 

[Chinchy]

I agree with Old Pa that this is not a good metric. I will just say that I've spent more than $2500 on hardware, yet I own about 10 cd's.

I guess that amount doesn't include the cost of 10, 15, 40, and 80 gb hard disks. Oh and 50pk CD-R spindles. and a CDR/RW burner.

So in the end, it's still all about the music, in whatever format I can get it. The hardware is just a means to an end.

 

[the terabyte]

in terms of what i've actually spent on music, it is grossly disproportionate. however, i'm just fine with my 200 classical LPs and ~600 LAME-encoded albums. perhaps if i felt that there was that great of a difference for me between the MP3s and CD/High res formats, i'd spend more on music. personally, it doesn't matter so much if the sound that i hear is "real," merely because i internalize it and am immersed not in what comes out of the phones, but the patterns of notes created. i use my headphones when i want this feeling, and my speaker rig (with the LPs) when i want to feel like i'm watching a show.

 

[Mallow005]

I'm at about 3:1 in favor of music. I'm down to tweaking my stuff and doing cheap mods, but will most likely upgrade my source and amp at least once more after I get a job. The difference will probably be about 200-300 dollars, and by then I'm sure I'd have bought more than that in CDs fi I have a job! After that I'll probably buy one more headphone for variety and hope things work out.

Time to organize the collection in biographical order!

 

[Earwax]

Quote:

Originally posted by lindrone . you're old!!.. I'm turning 25 next year!

No kidding. I have a reciever, turntable and speakers that are older than you!

And I changed my post up above because I forgot to figure in all the cassette tapes I have. It's more like 2 to 1 music to hardware overall.

And 3 to 1 hardware to music this year since I forgot about a few CDs.

 

[ph0rk]

I spent most of my dough while in college either on cd's or music production gear (Guitars, basses, synths, etc). Music reproduction was moderately important, but frankly the best rig in the world won't make crap sound like anything other than well-reproduced crap

recently I have aquired more of my music freely (no more $30 bootlegs for me). The typical increase in funds after college allowed me to spend more on music reproduction gear.

To me now though, time and effort are now worth at least as much as money, and to that end, I'd say 80% of my time, money and effort goes towards aquiring new music.

 

[Carbonman]

Over the last 35 years I've spent a lot of money on equipment, almost none of which I still own. I have most of my original record collection, plus what I've accumulated over the years. My wife has a decent music collection, mostly second-hand purchases in quite good shape.
Between us, we have about 700 lps and 350 CDs. Our stereo as it currently exists cost about $7500 USD. At full retail it would have run about $11,000 if I had bought everything new.
The real point is that we have lots of great music and a really nice sounding system to listen to it with. I'll probably always plan some little upgrade or improvement to the components eventually, and I'll always be on the lookout for more interesting music to listen to.
Both are fun addictions!

Graham

 

[Music Fanatic]

This is an eye opening thread! One of the more interesting ones. Thanks to genetic for starting it.