Hello. My Name is Seth, and I am an Audioholic....

[Seth=L]

Hello.

My name is Seth, and I am an Audioholic.

They say the first step to correcting your problem/problems is to first recognize there is a problem. Well I am recognizing I have a problem. I have been a member of this forum for less than a year, heck, less than 6 months and I more than likely have the highest posting rate right now. I devoted a lot of time, err, maybe wasted (not to say this place is bad or a waste of time for me or anyone else that uses it) time when I should have had my priorities elsewhere.

Believe me, my priority is audio and talking about it all darn day. I have started to feel, well sick of it. I think this thread is maybe a tad self-indulgent and I am not even sure why I am putting it out there for others to read. I know that not everyone wants to read about other people's problems, and if you want to you can save yourself some time and stop reading my rant.

Warning, contains ramblings of a young confused person, please read at your own discretion......I analogize in advance for misspellings, and run-on sentences.

So, I don't know how many members follow my posts (it may be hard to do, as often as I have posted) but I was a finder of great deals. But deals come with price, they are addictive. So you find a few great deals and you think to yourself, "I bet I can find more great deals on some really great stuff", and you may be right. If you are anything like me, you should not follow up on than. It got me into some trouble that I now have to get out of (sorry, no details).

The trouble is I can't seem to get enough stuff, and now I can't stand to look at all the stuff, even though I can not stop wanting more and more, it kills me really. It is like an enormous weight of constant want. I want the greatest want of all, to stop wanting.

So my resolve.....

To release the things that pull me down and work my way back to a stable place without concern of debt and material objects that I can't use when I am dead. I am going to kick the habit, the audio addiction. I am going to sober up, as it were. I don't want to stay at home and watch movies all day, or sit in front of a computer screen rotting away. I would rather spend time with other people (which of course I can still do here and will likely continue to do so).

Point is, I am completely out of control with this whole electronics obsession, and I need to find a more productive way to spend my time. My school, and getting a job to support myself should be my concerns, and spending time with good people. My grades in College reflect this negative habit I have. I know that hardly anyone here has this as bad as I do, most of you are in control and can bring yourselves to get away from the monitor once and a while and get out of the home theater and do something productive.

Well, as much as I hate to abruptly end an otherwise worthless thread, it ends now.

If anyone has any sort of opinion on this, feel free to put it down, even if it is some type of slam against me, I really don't care. Post that you hated my thread, and you would have rather jammed your ear into a Klipsch horn blaring 120 dB rock metal. Tell me anything you want, so long as it has nothing to do with Bose, Monster, or Audioquest cables with batteries on them.

Goodnight all Audioholics,

Seth=L

 

[MDS]

Well Seth I'd say there is nothing wrong with being 'obsessed' with music or electronics. It is perfectly ok to be interested in it, learn as much as you can about it or even talk about it all day long.

Based on what you've said (and you did ask for critiques) I don't think your problem is a love of audio and audio electronics. Your problem is compulsive spending - buying stuff you don't need and can't use simply because it is a 'good deal'. It's just that you choose to spend on audio equipment.

You don't want to graduate from college with a boatload of crap that you will want to get rid of and nothing to show for it except a huge pile of debt. Debt will keep you down your whole life.

 

[Seth=L]

I understand MDS,

I was more or less making that my point, but I am tired, and I was ranting.

I understand that having an obsession with audio quality is a good thing, hence, I am not leaving this place. I do realize I have a severe compulsive buying disorder, like the Definitive Tech sub I just bought, I don't need it, and to be honest I don't even like it that much. I find my AR 8" more musical, the Definitive just goes loud, and relatively low, but the design is wimpy, the cabinet is cheaply designed, the woofer is mid-grade, and the amplifier is pretty weak (the power supply hums to high heavens, it could start its own chapel). The sad part is, it wasn't that great a deal.

But, I do spend a great deal of my time researching, and looking at electronics on the net and using them on a regular basis in my home. I get a little anxcious sometimes and move stuff around and usually end up getting frustrated with the poor acoustics of my apartment. I haven't had the patience to do treatments yet, so it sounds all echoey in my apartment.

I find myself getting frustrated with these types of things, when I shouldn't be getting frustrated, and the same goes for the computer, it gives me so much trouble that I contemplate throwing it out the window. It is not a good thing when someone becomes angry with inanimate objects, because there is no good sense for that. Hence, I have a problem that needs to be corrected.

So I am going to narrow down the stuff that I don't need, and move some stuff out so I don't get so frustrated anymore, it isn't healthy to be this high strung, and I don't want to waste time worrying and being concerned about things that don't really make my life much better. I need to remove the distractions and focus on school and work.

 

[Adam]

A desperate cry for help?

Yeah, I agree with MDS. Don't worry about loving this stuff...just don't go broke on it. How much something costs doesn't define if it's a deal or not. It's whether the thing is worth more to you than the cost (either because you'll enjoy it or because you'll sell it for more). There's a couple of things that keep me from going broke buying more audio/video gear. First, I've realized that my excitement over getting new stuff, especially impulse buys, doesn't last very long. Second, and most importantly, I'm one cheap bastard.

On a relative scale, though, I think that it's better that your spending money on electronics and not expensive call girls (or worse...cheap call girls). After all, would you rather spend your Saturday tweaking your sound system or wondering if that itch will go away?

 

[MDS]

I understand the perfectionist attitude and never being quite satisified or sure of your decsions but I differ from many people in that I don't constantly buy, sell, and replace stuff.

I decided it's too much of a hassle to hang a shelf on the wall for my center channel speaker due to the fact that it has to be wide and deep to hold a substantial center and if it is wide and deep it can't be a floating shelf so it will look bad with big ugly brackets. So I decided to have a wall unit custom built to my specifications...the problem being that my 'specifications' keep changing.

I obsess over the little details. I want this much space above and to the sides of the receiver for air flow but the shelves have to be this thick and the dividers have to be that thick so the height will be too high for optimal TV viewing and if I cut this dimension here then a dimension elsewhere won't work unless I choose a specific TV or have the unit protrude too far out in front of the fireplace, etc. So you see we all have some things that drive us crazy. Once this thing is built I will then second-guess myself and say 'if only you had done this or that...'.

So welcome to the club.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Seth,

There's some good advice here. A great deal is only a great deal if you can find some way to either profit from it, or use it. If you've gotten great deals on electronics, and you don't need them, put them on ebay and make yourself a small profit.

If I happen to win a vacation house via a lottery - say worth $250,000, and I'm never going to use it, it's going to actually make my life worse off if I don't immediately sell it. At first it sounds like a great deal, but after looking closer at the deal, I realize I have to pay a 50% gift tax, then pay taxes on the property/land, heat and cool it, furnish it, etc... Before you know it, I'm in debt up to my ears because I won a $250,000 house.

I made a stupid purchase at Parts Express a few years back. I planned on building some tower speakers with some left over drivers I had sitting around. PE had some Onkyo 3/4" tweeters on clearance for $.25 each, so I bought 12. I haven't used one of them. I also bought 6 clearanced BIC Venturi dome tweeters for under $5 each, and also haven't used them. I'm not in debt, but it was a dumb purchase. And I'm not one to go selling stuff on ebay - just don't have an interest.

Opposite to you, I'm always looking for great deals - but what I do is post them in the deals section in case others can benefit rather than buy. There's been so many times that I've found deals so good I couldn't pass up, that it was hard not to. I just didn't have any use for it. I love Black Friday, and will hit the stores at 5am to get great deals on whatever. The best part about it is that I can give the stuff away at Christmas.

I think your obsession is actually spending too much time here on this site. It's a great site, but it takes a lot of valuable time away from your studies and family/friends. I quite coming here several months ago, and now only check the site a few days a week.

I bought a new Tundra pickup, and started at their forum. It's painfully boring, so no addiction with Toyota - thank goodness.

AVS is a great site for up to the minute advice on new equipment from current owners. Heck, I've already found out there are issues with the new Onkyo 805 I was seriously considering. Imagine that. I think I'm at that site more than this one, but again - probably only once a day for 15 minutes.

My advice - log off and give yourself a few days away from audio. Sell some of your stuff to friends at an even better deal than you've got. You'll feel great knowing you've helped some buddies get into the hobby with some great equipment.

 

[Nick250]

I agree with MDS in that this kind of compulsive behavior does not strike me as just an audio issue. That being said make out a budget, and it could go like this and see if you can stick to it.

Food

A place to live

Zero credit card balance

Maxing out a IRA each year. This is one of the most important age because there a hell of a lot of compounding to be had over the years. Do some research on this, you will be astonded by what you learn.

Car paid for etc etc.

Only then you can consider "luxury items" like audio equipment.

One also has to remember, there is no perfect audio system so you have to put on the breaks at some point.

Nick

PS If this sounds impossible to do, have a few sessions with the college shrink to get yourself on track.

 

[Seth=L]

I agree, other things like bills, and other life expenses should be handled first, before "Luxury".

I also agree that I spend too much time here, evident by the post count/rate.

Unfortunately most of the "deals" I find I cannot pass on to others that I know, for the most part. I also don't many enthusiasts outside the forum. I have one friend that has an active interest in audio, that is pretty much it.

As far as selling for less than paid, right now is definitely a no can do, given my present situation.

Thank you for your support guys, I really need to shape up.

 

[no. 5]

(all together now) Hi Seth!

If it helps, you may set yourself limits on how much time you spend in the forums, or how much money gets spent on deals (even if it’s zero).

 

[Seth=L]

I just need to learn to not buy stuff until I am financially comfortable. The problem with me tends to be, my want for something overides my reason.

 

[no. 5]

Ah, so what you really need is someone to carry your wallet until your in the black?

“this is a great deal! wallet, please”
“no”
“this is a once in a lifetime thing!”
“no”
“what if-”
“no”
“just-”
“no”

 

[Adam]

Ah, so what you really need is someone to carry your wallet until your in the black?

Hee, hee. Or, perhaps, just don't carry any money around with you.

 

[billy p]

Seth you're still a young guy. All these complusions, are just that? In my opinion most of us at some point in our lives obsess. Then we mature, find a spouse and eventually settle down and have kids. At that point you'll realize and reflect, then conclued " wow that was the life", because now you can't afford anything or don't have the time to look.

 

[Buckle-meister]

A great deal is only a great deal if you can find some way to either profit from it, or use it.

Exactly. A bargain's only a bargain if you need it.

 

[highfihoney]

Hi Seth.

If this forum or your audio hobby is F-ing you up at school then run like he!! & never come back,your school work comes first.

Its no big secret that i flip gear for profit so i know how time consuming "the hunt" can be,if your going to flip gear you need to set a goal of where you want it to end,or atleast take a back seat,my goal was to pay for my system & vintage collection entirely from the profits,once i accomplished that goal it was easy to stop buying.

Dont feel too bad about going off the deep end with impulse buying as you are not alone,ive been to guys houses buying gear where their house & car were not worth as much as their cables & wires,ive also sold gear to guys who had to pay me on payment plans because they live paycheck to paycheck but wanted the gear so badly they were willing to pay extra,alot extra.

You need to remember that this audio hobby should be fun or business,both wont work at the same time,its like a crack dealer who smokes all his profits.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

You need to remember that this audio hobby should be fun or business,both wont work at the same time,its like a crack dealer who smokes all his profits.

Perfect analogy.

Seth,

If you don't mind, list us your equipment and what you have in it. I'm guessing the great deals you get on stuff, you probably don't owe all that much in the great scheme of things.

You can also list what you'd like to sell it for, and I bet a bunch of guys on here either know someone who would buy it, or might buy it themselves. I wouldn't be embarrassed to list your buy price either - people know it takes a long time to buy stuff online, wait on ebay auctions, or find that needle in a haystack at a local pawn shop.

I would have gladly paid you $350 for that Yamaha 5890 had it been packed well, had a remote, and didn't take forever to arrive. The $267 I spend on Dealtree from ebay was a total waste of a month, and huge aggravation.


What year are you in school? What are you studying? Are you paying for tuition with student loans, or working your way through? I know when I went, I paid for a third, my folks paid for a third, and I took out a third in student loans. I never thought about money in college, because the only credit card I had was a discover and I never used it. Heck, I didn't even have a checking account. I'd give my roommate cash, and he'd write the check. Came out of school owing no one except $11,000 in student loans. Nowadays, that's probably an average balance on most people's credit cards.

 

[Tomorrow]

Hi Seth.

I think it was pretty brave of you to make the admissions you have made. I also suspect that what you spoke about is just the tip of the iceberg with you. Your serious post deserves a serious reply. I know from other contacts that you also have difficulty setting ANY kind of profit level from your buying habits. So it seems that others are correct in their assessment of your hoarding habits.

Actually, you have gotten some gentle and sound advice from the posters, here. I hope you seriously engage their ideas. The problem with habits in general, though, is that we let reason just bounce right off the behavior. To change, a habit MUST be replaced by a different habit....preferrably one that is healthful and beneficial to you. Habits are used to put us on auto-pilot. That's how we avoid other issues in our lives...the ones we don't like to confront (like the school chores we want to avoid, like human intimacy, like fear of connecting, etc).

Here's a simple new Habit Goal for you. Each day when you post one of your many posts, try to make sure one of them is helping someone else find happiness. That doesn't mean them listening to your wisdom or humor, necessarily. It means just what it says. Help someone else, here on AH, at least once a day, and you'll ultimately find yourself finding a rewarding new habit that perhaps doesn't even involve money. There is great pride that can evolve from that kind of habit. THEN, your time here will NOT be wasted, and you'll suddenly find a fanclub as a nice secondary effect.

That's just one suggested example. Can you think of other ways to improve your life? I'm sure you can think of a lot of them. The real key is making the decision TO IMPROVE yourself. Break old habits. You want to. Make good new ones.

Good cheer.

 

[Seth=L]

Buckeyefan,

I established some debt due to compulsive purchases, not just audio/video/electronics stuff either.

A list(prices paid for),

NHT 1.5s - $75 for the pair

JVC RX-DP9V - $330

Definitive Technologies Prosub 100 - $150

I already have the Prosub 100 and the JVC up for auction on Ebay. I will be sad to see the JVC go, not so much the Def. Tech.

I have 6 days left on the auctions.

Most important, I need to get a JOB!!!!

 

[stratman]

Hi Seth.

I think it was pretty brave of you to make the admissions you have made. I also suspect that what you spoke about is just the tip of the iceberg with you. Your serious post deserves a serious reply. I know from other contacts that you also have difficulty setting ANY kind of profit level from your buying habits. So it seems that others are correct in their assessment of your hoarding habits.

Actually, you have gotten some gentle and sound advice from the posters, here. I hope you seriously engage their ideas. The problem with habits in general, though, is that we let reason just bounce right off the behavior. To change, a habit MUST be replaced by a different habit....preferrably one that is healthful and beneficial to you. Habits are used to put us on auto-pilot. That's how we avoid other issues in our lives...the ones we don't like to confront (like the school chores we want to avoid, like human intimacy, like fear of connecting, etc).

Here's a simple new Habit Goal for you. Each day when you post one of your many posts, try to make sure one of them is helping someone else find happiness. That doesn't mean them listening to your wisdom or humor, necessarily. It means just what it says. Help someone else, here on AH, at least once a day, and you'll ultimately find yourself finding a rewarding new habit that perhaps doesn't even involve money. There is great pride that can evolve from that kind of habit. THEN, your time here will NOT be wasted, and you'll suddenly find a fanclub as a nice secondary effect.

That's just one suggested example. Can you think of other ways to improve your life? I'm sure you can think of a lot of them. The real key is making the decision TO IMPROVE yourself. Break old habits. You want to. Make good new ones.

Good cheer.

Excellent advise Tomorrow. Seth, you're a smart kid take it from some us that have been around the block and comitted our fair share of mistakes, prioritize, its hard now a days to make it without a diploma, it's not a guarantee, but it helps open doors, so get your education completed, this hobby will not go away, you can always collect, sell/trade or whatever you intend to do, but this is not the end all thing to do in your life and if school requires more time, don't spend it here spend it on your school work, you'll be happier in the end.

 

[mike c]

now you got me thinking if there's a problem with me as well.
I got some zero interest debts lined up I need to pay for til next year
but that's my bottom line. if it comes to a point where I need to pay interest, it stops there.

I'm an impulse buyer as well, it helps if I have to run things past my wife, though I don't need her permission (she told me I can buy whatever I want as long as I have the money. since I don't have the money, it helps a whole lot), she helps me realize how stupid some of my "wants" are.

here's my advice and what I do, I save a portion of my income EVERY month in a long term deposit (long term or not, it should be an account that you DON'T withdraw any money - things go in, nothing comes out). if the money is no longer accessible, purchases are also cut down.

EDIT:
when I say, I don't have any money, it only means I don't have money for my hobbies ... and how I determine hobby money is by:
income MINUS basic expenses MINUS required portion as savings MINUS incidentals, gifts, occasions MINUS monthly payments for my existing debts = hobby money