I am retired now, but while I was working - I had probably a dozen or more coworkers within different departments reach out to me about system building.
The enthusiasm was certainly there - but what’s missing is their commitment to actually building a system; or a decent one at that.
These so-called gentlemen were the same people who pulled up to corporate dinners in their semi-high end luxury cars (i have a Bentley so I’m not picking on anyone) but it seems the best most of them could afford was BMW or Mercedes Benz. I sold my Maybach last year and acquired a Bentley; and I’m never going back!
With that said - the point I’m trying to get across is - they have the MEANS to spend, (doesn’t have to be excessive) but cheap out on everything. You find out later that they’ve been leasing their vehicles, don’t own any or very basic real estate, etc.
Sometimes they complain when a steak dinner is about 50 dollars or a pasta dish is just over 30 dollars. This is not even expensive. I told some of them to get with the program, and they apologized to me in person and over email.
And with rising gas prices, they’ve been complaining even more, and trying to save money at every turn.
These guys don’t really live their lives. They just live to exist and impress their wives - You know, happy wife - happy life. And they are miserable.
Before I retired, one such fellow was annoying the daylights out of me.
Showed me an all plastic low-fi system from the 1990s that he had inherited from his deceased brother. Told me he had 100 dollars to spend to make it sound better. I told him that was not good enough considering the amplifier was just so lousy.
Well guess what? He passed away a month ago. He died in his sleep. He was going through a very turbulent marriage and his daughter wanted to move to Nigeria to live with some guy she met online.
The one thing he told me that he had was - alone time, because his wife would barely talk to him. It’s sad and unfortunate that he never got to enjoy his money.
He was earning about 150k a year, which is kind of okay.
What’s not okay was trying to save money at every turn. You can’t take any of the things you acquire with you; and we only have this one life...
He was the perfect example of a lamp cord and speaker hanger audiophile.
At one point, he tried using bent coat hangers on speaker terminals. I am actually serious. he found an article that was linked to Audio Science Review.
Godspeed.
