Admit when you could have quit hi-fi

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by iDesign, Mar 2, 2019.

  1. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    I will say that I've gotten to the point where my current setup (CD/BNC/Gungnir Multibit/maxxedT3/HD800/650M) is so good I could be accused of having a legit mental Illness for wanting more. But there's always more....more... MOOAAAR!!!

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    For headphones I’m there. HD580 and a Lyr 3 for desktop, james modded JVCs with a ZX300 for portable. My two channel setup is nowhere near quitting time, and I don’t see the point in investing more in headphones when I’ll gain so much more upgrading my two channel system.
     
  3. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Question does not compute. Even if I had a system I thought was good enough, I'd still be having too much fun buying and modding cheap IEMs and headphones, salivating over electronics I shouldn't spend the money on, and thinking I should try a DIY project, to want to stop...
     
  4. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Shortly after I got my HE-6 (one of the rare 4-screw blah blah), I should have stopped. I was powering it with a NuForce Icon2 amp, this little class D thingy with both usb and analog input, no bigger than a paperback book. Then I upgraded the power supply, then a dedicated dac, then upped to a Bryston amp, then a whole crapton of different higher end dacs, then back to a Bryston integrated, then finally a Benchmark AHB2 and Prism Lyra dac. Looking back though, I was happiest with the NuForce. Objectively not as good as my current rig, but honestly it's not that far off (compared to the gains of moving up to a good transducer in the first place), and for the amount of money spent and desk real estate given up and mental floss surrendered to audiophile nervosa... eh, I might have been more content living in ignorance.
     
  5. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    After getting my Andros + ZX2, it's like 85% of my home setup that I can carry with me. Makes me wonder why I have four plus pair of cans to begin with......
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2019
  6. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    5 or 6 years ago with Denon D7000 and a headroom ultra desktop amp/dac and separate power supply. That was an awesome sounding setup.

    Definitely now. RPi to OG Gungnir MB to Freya to Liquid Crimson with Ether C’s and HD800S. Course I’m kinda fishing around for new headphones.............
     
  7. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    I'm happy with my HD600 and the O2 (or whatever other random amplifier).

    I kind of quit a long time ago.

    I just did not quit hanging out with my friends here and sometimes at meets.
     
  8. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    I maxed out my HP rig 3y ago.
    This meant I had only procrastinated.
    Speakers. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, either.
    Because it's blocked by a wall of IB woofers.
     
  9. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    [​IMG]
     
  10. Collusion

    Collusion Friend

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    Literally could have stopped when I bought my first HiFi speakers (Magnat Quantum 503's) and a Marantz receiver back in 2007. But then a good friend of mine got a job in a HiFi boutique and suddenly there was an abundance of competitively priced upgrade options...

    [​IMG]
     
  11. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Basically the same. 3 years ago when I bought the famous best headphone in the world in that time ( Focal Utp) and discovered I didn't like it much. After that I tried a RME ADI 2 pro with its 5 band parametric EQ and discovered EQ could solve a lot of issues i was encountering with my favorite headphones . I also finally admitted I didn"t hear much difference between my Yggdrasil and the RME. So I sold my Yggdrasil. After that , I thought to other hobbies which make me happy in life and I sold my DNA Stratus to fund a bike ( Honda VFR800 ) .

    I'm now out of the hobby and I'm enjoying music with :

    - RME ADI2 Pro + HD800SDR
    - RME ADI2 pro / SRX+ Electrostatic amplifier / Sennheiser HE60 Baby Orpheus. ( most of my listening time )
     
  12. kevnin

    kevnin #facetweeting - Friend

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    I almost quit with Gungnir Multibit->Kenzie->HD800(SDR). That is one hell of a synergistic setup. But then Utopia came along, I got offered a really good deal on it, then I wanted an amp upgrade, then I said screw it I'm going to keep going and see how far I can push it.
     
  13. saint.panda

    saint.panda Friend

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    Dumbest audio decision I ever made: found HE90 cheap in 2007 and sold it to arbitrage on the resale value (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sold-he90.243443/). Poor student back then (sale profits paid for 4 months of rent) but should have kept them anyway and call it quits.
     
  14. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Haha, I never got so many likes... for getting deaf! At least I admit it, which is more than many ageing audiophiles do. i wish one could get hearing aids with IEM quality. That would tempt me... And probably is possible but very expensive.
     
  15. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    I turned my headphone hobby into a day job. Which means that I don't spend too much time salivating over headphones these days.

    Speakers are another thing. I will salivate over them every day.
     
  16. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    I wish someone had told me to go 2.1 + room EQ for music years ago. That would have saved me a lot of money. A lot.
     
  17. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    I think I'm at "Good Enough". And I haven't spent a lot of time and money wandering convoluted paths to get here, so I guess in some sense I don't really know what I've got. All I know is it sounds good to me, and people I respect think highly enough of what I have that I don't suffer much envy. Pretty much what I have still fits my use-case so well after over 3 years that I haven't found a compelling enough reason to upgrade.

    I will venture further in 2 channel when I get a dedicated listening space, and I'm sure I'll be tempted to upgrade dacs and so on, but I kinda think if I work on basic acoustic treatments and good speakers first, I'll get a nice incremental bump in performance without a heart-attack price tag and stay there.

    That said, I love the tech, and am happy to stay current with what's developing out of pure interest. And if I had stupid money, weeeelll....
     
  18. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    For me, I think any future major purchases (aside from upcoming Aegir) are going to be limited to "better, only if it's considerably cheaper". In other words, wake me when we find something that bests Andro+ZX2 for $400-600, all-in. Even better if it's a $250 IEM, and a $99 DAP. Same thing for the HD800SDR; wake me when there's a $500 open back that does better across the board. Used HD650 (plus mods to taste) has completely blown up the $400+ open back value proposition. Elex? Maybe, but only at sub-$300. Just my opinion, though.
     
  19. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    No. It would have cost you a lot more. Speaker upgrades can be infinitely more expensive than headphones. Just saying that... your modus (if I may get personal!) would have been the same.
     
  20. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Username checks out.
     

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