Are you Guys Rich or What!?


I have an old system, nothing special, Adcom, Vandersteens etc and I recently set foot for the first time in a "high end" shop, hoping to get to the next level of audio nirvana. When I saw some of the prices for monoblock amplifiers, cables, the latest speakers etc, I practically fell off my chair when I realized that I could blow $50-100K pretty easily on this stuff. I am not rich. Do you big budget system guys all work on Wall Street or something or do you eat macaroni and cheese most nights to put a few bucks away for CDs and your next upgrade?
thomashalliburton5534

Showing 6 responses by kthomas

Well, Bmpnyc did somewhat imply that the trickle down effect was at work here, but I think you're short-changing much of his point by highlighting that. To basically say that, with discretionary purchases, we each have different points at which we feel the purchase is unwarranted, and that this point varies with the person, their conditions, and the specific purchase would suffice, IMO. To bring morality into the conversation (at a specific price point no less) is certain to draw a rebuttal saying, "I'd spend that much and I'm not immoral".

Just out of curiousity, if it's not "right" to buy a $100K system (for whatever reason), is it wrong to sell somebody a $100K system for the same basic reasons? If people feel guilty for indulging in something that is clearly a luxury, is there any sense of guilt by the people who facilitated it's existence?

To answer the original post, I'm not rich, though I do work in a Wall-Street related position. I definitely spend more on A/V gear based on having more discretionary money than I did in the past. I love the hobby, but am probably not as fanatical as many who post here, and definitely haven't made as many sacrifices as have been described here. By being interested in the hobby I have, as others have suggested, put together a system I'm very pleased with for far less than a similar system would have cost had I walked into a high end shop and said, "set me up!". But to me, it's all about prioritization - a high end music system, purchased with care, is a tremendous entertainment value - you can use it 365 days a year, very little maintenance, and highly enjoyable. Many of my friends have boats, more exotic vacations, more expensive cars or clothes, whatever - I don't think they're crazy for how they spend their money and I think I've convinced most of them that I'm at least not crazy for spending mine the way I do. In any case, if you're interested in getting to that next level of audio nirvana and not spending an arm and a leg, there are many on this site who'd be happy to offer their advice!

Cogito - There is an excellent book titled "Luxury Fever" that discusses the phenomena you refer to of the constant need / push to define "the best" (of whatever) in increasingly fantastic (and expensive) terms. The author argues, much as you do, that by participating in these areas by purchasing the high-end version of whatever, you're fueling the need to move it to a higher level. Hence, the effect of buying a state-of-the-art $100K speaker system is that you're helping to push the definition of state-of-the-art to $200K. The author goes on to argue that this type of luxury should have the crap taxed out of it such that the only people who would actually pay for it are the truest of enthusiasts who are buying it for the enhanced performance.

Using the phrase "moral issue" is bound to inflame the conversation, and maybe those who have used it don't intend it as strongly as it sounds. At the very least, the subject of audio equipment and a specific price point is completely arbitrary as it relates to the moral aspects of this conversation - I just sold a rental house for the same price range as the audio equipment we're talking about even though I could have moved my family there, sold my more expensive house that we currently live in, and used the proceeds for a more noble cause. The same type of thing happens dozens of times a week to almost anyone living in a capitalist society, just at different levels.

Cogito - I wasn't trying to imply that your comments and ideas on controlling the price of high-end equipment was impractical. Actually, I was trying to point out that you have other people in the world who think along exactly the same lines, and I think your points have a great deal of merit. One of the points that the author of "Luxury Fever" makes is that the paradox we face is that it's a series of individual decisions that have consequences for the group as a whole. Nobody feels as though their making a different decision will affect the overall picture but, in fact, to actually change the overall picture a whole group has to make different decisions. The author's answer was to heavily tax things like $75K speakers as a way of getting large numbers of people who might purchase such a thing to not do so, while allowing those who REALLY want such a thing to still be able to obtain them. If this happened, the effect you suggest would quite likely occur - the high-end models would almost undoubtedly come down in price (and quite possibly performance / aesthetics), and the ultra high-end would undoubtedly go up in price, both because of the heavy tax and the need for the manufacturer to make their money on far fewer sales.

Nilthepill - only 1/2 right - if I won the lottery tomorrow I would go get that 100K system, but I would return to this site as well. I'd have to brag somewhere.....
If I had a $100K system at home today, I'd spend my time brooding about why I wasn't yet able to afford the $1M Grand Enigma speaker system. I'd be miserable that there was something better out there than what I currently had. I'd be angry at my wife for not letting me spend the money.

Other aspects of the question:

Which are you most likely to spend $100K on first - a car or an audio system?

If the notion of a $100K audio system seems excessive, does having five $20K systems seem more excessive, less excessive or equally excessive? (main room, living room, bedroom, office and vacation home).

If you had $100K you were willing to spend on either an audio system or going to see concerts, what is the likelihood you'd actually have time to go to that many concerts? I don't have the $100K for either and I'm already out of time to go to anywhere near enough concerts to burn up $100K any time soon.

Just wonderin'

I agree - stay away from the leading edge, read magazines from two years ago as though they're current, get all excited about what they're raving about and go buy it...used. Stay behind the curve and you'll have all the fun for a lot less money, missing out only on bragging rights.

I found a great way to do this is to have your world turned on it's ear for 18 months or so. Have some personal, professional and national crises all strung together, completely distracting you from whatever you think you want to buy, and come back 18 months later still thinking you want the same thing. The price will be VERY reasonable at this point. You buy the stuff, put it all together, have a fabulous system and imagine that the calendar is rolled back 2 years - you then have a state of the art system that costs mega $$$, only you didn't spend mega $$$. If you pull this off correctly, you get 99% of the thrill with about 33% of the financial pain. -Kirk