members and their systems

All the money I make from my gigs has a drummer in a few bands I put either towards musical instruments, tickets for concerts, or audio stuff

I'm not sure why I would ever buy anything new except for a phono cartridge. Having said that, for my office system, I bought a Schitt Mani new, but that was $107. Not exactly hi-fi prices. Everything else - speakers, amps, tonearms, turntables, cables - I can buy used or demo and not worry about depreciation.

@glupson -- I see your point. People see cars as much more of a necessity, more of a personal extension, and more of a public avatar for themselves than anything in audio.

Hi-end audio is, in the end, intensely personal. The sweet spot can usually accommodate one person.

Oh, and OP, ignore anything MC says not related to audio. He gets paid by the  snarkiness factor of his posts, so its in his economic interests to be as abrasive as possible without contributing much. 

When she gets overwhelmed by my constant buying and selling of audio, my wife says that being a teacher (like me) is not conducive to being in hi-end audio. And no, I can never and would never drop five figures on a piece of equipment, but I do spend more on audio than I should.


However, it's really the only hobby I have that costs money. And I occasionally take too much advantage of credit.


A few years ago I was at another audiophile's house for a listening session. His CD player cost more than my entire system at the time. And like you, I was incredulous but not jealous or judgmental. In these conversations, my wife often points out that none of our friends have any high end audio equipment - to which my rejoinder is that very few people care enough to do so.

@glupson. Thank you  I teach high school English and collegiate education.

Also, several people have really identified how many of us do manage to afford it. Well, those of us who don't have as much income as arrest. When I was first starting out in this hobby some 10 or 15 years ago, I could never have afforded what I have now. But the whole idea of trade up really works out over time.


For example, a component I buy for $1,000 I might sell for close to that and then buy another component for maybe $1,500. I might sell that for as close to that as I can, then buy another component worth $2,000, and so on.  Overtime you start getting components built on the financial fossilized remains of your previous ones

@inna "Very expensive audiophile stuff is one thing but something modest worth, say, $50k is another. "
I think this corroborates the OP's initial incredulity. Saying a $50K system is "modest" is like saying a $500K house is modest. For the vast majority of Americans, neither are. Spending $50K on an audio system is well within reach of some people on this forum, but doing so further separates them from the rest and adds to the alienation and dismissal from the non-audiophile community.


Yes, I'm aware that there are others who spend $50K in other singular hobbies - boating, RVing, musical instruments -- but to say that amount is "modest" is somewhat myopic to the economic realities of many.

@re Seriously. Live a little, MC!