How I solved my dilemma...

[Krist]

I'm more or less a audio newby.
The last system I had was a compact Yamaha system, which I didn't take with me when I moved countries. Since then most of my music has been from portables... Computer speakers. A cheap boombox. My TV. I wanted something better however.
My dilemma was however always the same. Whatever I listened to in the shops sounded great, blew me away even, as I had nothing to really compare it with. So what do I buy, and what do I spend. 1000$ 2000$ or more.
Somewhere in the back of my mind however I kept hearing "the best alternative to an expensive hifi is a cheap hifi". Do I really need to spend that much money?

In the end a friend helped me out of my misery, and solved my problem. He solved it by selling me a pair of second hand Quadral Rubin floorstanders for 100$. I added a Denon stereo amplifier, and this way managed to get sound a lot better than what I had been used to up to that time for a relatively low investment.

And I now have a baseline, something to compare too. If I listen to other speakers I can always aks myself "do these speakers sound so much better than mine to justify the price".
So maybe that's what a newby should do. Get some gear at a garage sale or on ebay. Something that is going to be better than anything he's had experience with, but that doesn't (yet) require a huge investment.
Than you can really think hard if you really need those 3000$ a piece speakers...
Just my 0.02$...

 

[R-Carpenter]

If money is an issue, go DIY. You can build a very nice system at fraction of the price in the store. As far as $=quality, it is not always true and at a certain price point it becomes a simple preference for you as a listener. How much distortion and where can you tolerate? What kind of music do you like? How big is your room?

 

[xrodney]

Its all about your preferences. I did spent last 8 years listening to cheap HT speakers and its just not enough for me. I think our life is too short to make too much compromises and if i can afford something better (finally) i will go for it.
At all movies and music is what makes me relax (even better if you can enjoy it with some friends) and i will be using it several hours a day so i can excuse little higher price for it.

 

[Krist]

If money is an issue, go DIY. You can build a very nice system at fraction of the price in the store. As far as $=quality, it is not always true and at a certain price point it becomes a simple preference for you as a listener. How much distortion and where can you tolerate? What kind of music do you like? How big is your room?

The issue wasn't money. I could easily afford to spend 8000$ on speakers. The issue was that I lacked sufficient experience to really find out when the "return on investment" would become to small for me to justify investing more money.

Buying second hand allowed me to do a "no regrets" investment, that allows me to get more familiar with how my favorite music sounds on a good system.

 

[Davemcc]

i will be using it several hours a day so i can excuse little higher price for it.

This is the way I look at it too. My HT is worth more than my everyday car but I use the HT more every day than I do the car so I'm good with that.

 

[mudrummer99]

This is the way I look at it too. My HT is worth more than my everyday car but I use the HT more every day than I do the car so I'm good with that.

Could you have a discussion to this extent with my wife? I will of course supply beer.

Mike

 

[Davemcc]

Could you have a discussion to this extent with my wife? I will of course supply beer.

Mike

Bring her along gradually. Show her how small tweaks can lead to big improvements in her entertainment pleasure. Explain how stuff works and what she can expect from each upgrade. If you get her involved in the experience, she will unwittingly gain some knowledge and hopefully some tolerance or excitement over time. We might just be in love with our gear, but I think some women think experiencially and they don't really care how that comes about. If you relate your upgrades to an improved experience, you may see better luck with upgrade approval. YMMV.

 

[cfrizz]

Yup, my system is my main source of entertainment. It is well worth it.

This is the way I look at it too. My HT is worth more than my everyday car but I use the HT more every day than I do the car so I'm good with that.