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Gear vs. Music investment. What's your ratio?


So for whatever OCD-riffic reason, I have this rule...

As long as my total hardware investment doesn't go beyond what I've spent in music, I feel like the hardware costs can be justified. That's just me. And the great thing about this absurd self-imposed 1st world consumer rationalization is that I can conceivably keep going on forever.

Or can I?

I've got to believe that folks who are lucky enough to own six figure+ systems have far exceeded what they've spent on gear than music. And I'm not knocking that or judging anyone. Because I totally get the quality vs. quantity argument. I just feel like a great system deserves a great collection and vice versa. I have an audiophile friend who's TT rig is simply stunning. He owns less than 100 LPs. It makes me sick. But more in the way of thinking he could be getting so much more from his turntable. His total spend ratio is in the neighborhood of 85% gear, 15% music (at best).

II don't keep a spreadsheet, but if I'm being totally honest right now about total cost - I'm at my limit: 50% hardware and 50% software. That bugs me. So one of my New Years resolutions is not to buy any new gear unless I have too. (see how long that lasts, junkie).

Curious if anyone has thought about their investment this way and what your ratio is.
bonhamcopeland

Showing 2 responses by bonhamcopeland

bonhamcopeland OP
10 posts
 
the more i think about it, Mrtennis is right.

even though i may have spent any ratio of software vs. hardware, it doesn't matter. i have way more personal investment into the music in terms of time, appreciation, and memory. and i'm less attached to the gear in these ways, so the overall value can't be truly compared. and like Marakanetz, i have quite a few vinyl gems that you can't buy online anywhere for any price. so i'm not sure a monetary scale is relevant.

maybe a better question would have to ask if anyone has ever felt like their collection wasn't worthy of their hifi and vice versa. i know i have felt both ways at times.
bonhamcopeland OP
10 posts
 
I prefer MOG. The sound quality is better IMHO. Also 320, but without having to buy their primo subscription. They likely don't have the same breadth as Spotify and they've been bought out by Beats Audio. So who knows what'll happen to them. I use it exactly like Roscoeiii does. It's been great for exploring and shortlisting vinyl purchases.

I agree that CDs and lossy downloads as they stand today will die out for general consumers because of 'the cloud' and other streaming services. There'll be entities like HDTracks and Pono for people who want high rez files without a physical medium. And vinyl is not going away for a long time.

But I will never switch to a 100% subscription based model. It's not even a feeling of ownership as much as it's: no connection = no music. server down = no music. annoyed hacker = no music. Maybe I'm paranoid, but clouds, subscriptions, etc., bug me because ultimately somebody else can flip the switch at anytime for any reason and your sans sonics. I've switched over to Apple TV/Netflix/Hulu and cancelled cable, but that's because I don't care about it as much. It's been 75% reliable.
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