...For instance by far my biggest hobby is skeet, and I run into all kinds of fellow shooters with the nuttiest ideas, for instance does shotgun brand make you a better shooter? Obviously not, but to some if you're not shooting an $12,000 Krieghoff or a Perazzi you'll never reach the top, that's bull.
I don't shoot much skeet, but I do shoot trap. Used to be very good, and have always used a Remington auto. First one was an old model 58 that was my great-grandfathers, then my grandfather bought me a 1100 trap grade when I went to nationals for the second year in high school.
A lot of the things you see in audio are similar to shotguns, and probably similar to a lot of other hobbies as well. For example, many people talk about the differences between $1000 and $5000 speakers. This is probably a good comparison to the differences between a Remington trap grade gun and a Perazzi. Is there a difference? Sure, the perazzi looks a lot nicer. Shoots a BIT better too, most likely. 5x better? No.
Take it to the next level though. Is there a difference between $100 and $1000 speakers? Or between a field grade mossberg and a trap grade Remington? Yes, there is a difference. A pretty big one. 10x difference? No, but bigger than the Rem trap grade to Perazzi difference.
My high school team had a pretty big mix of guns, from field grade pumps to fairly nice Brownings to Perazzis. Nobody really cared what kind of gun you shot, especially after hitting the pattern board a few times and seeing that one guys camo painted pump had a better group than anything else.
BTW, I love Krieghoffs and Perazzis. I would prefer a Remington 90-T, but i've shot a few Krieghoffs and Perazzis and would not turn one down. At Grand in Ohio in 1993 I held a customized Krieghoff K-80 that was carved and engraved to look like a dragon. The stock was all scales going to the head at the end of the barrel with the mouth opening up at the tip. $80K. Was that gun worth it? To the right person it was, I am sure. Did it shoot better than any other K-80? Probably not, but it was still worth a lot more.
I do the same thing with my audio gear that I did with my shotguns.
1) Start simple.
2) Learn about how to make it work well for you.
3) Buy the best you can afford.
4) Keep learning, but try to be content for a while.
I won't ever be able to get the $80K speakers or the $80K Krieghoff, but I will try my best to match their overall performance with the gear that I have.
schiesz
