Equipment Costs

[DYohn]

The cost of a component has very little to do with how it sounds. Usually.

[steelworker]

I think a lot has to do with age and current living situation (kids, wife, etc)

I'm 33 with two Young children, my wife and I make an above average income but life can get expensive, sports (I just spent over $1000 on lacrosse equipment for my son and now a new bike)

I don't use credit so it tends to keep things in check for the most part.

I read an earlier post about your audio equipment being worth more then your car, since mine is now a 4year old car if I had to buy everything over again it would be close.

[macromicroman]

I guess as long as the equipment cost less than your house it should be okay. ;D ;D

[ottaone]

Also, according to some stats, Americans and Canadians now have debt-to-income ratio of about 150 percent!

That's another way of affording some of life's pleasures.

YOLO?

[Dark Ranger]

Interesting thread.

While I believe there is correlation between one's income and how much one spends, it's not always that way. Some of the wealthiest people I know are surprisingly frugal. You'd never know it by looking at their spending habits.

On the other hand, plastic money allows one to obtain instantly what might take 3 years to save for. I know some folks who make very little (nowhere near the average income stated earlier), but still have very nice stuff. I don't want to see their credit card bills. In Yoda's final words to Luke Skywalker, he remarks: "once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." Credit can be useful, but it can also be dangerous without proper discipline.

On a lighter note, I can say most assuredly that my audio gear exceeds the worth of my truck. In fact, it exceeds the sale price I bought it for 14 years ago. ;D

[monkumonku]

Jul 25, 2012 21:52:02 GMT -5 Dark Ranger said:

Interesting thread.

While I believe there is correlation between one's income and how much one spends, it's not always that way. Some of the wealthiest people I know are surprisingly frugal. You'd never know it by looking at their spending habits.

On the other hand, plastic money allows one to obtain instantly what might take 3 years to save for. I know some folks who make very little (nowhere near the average income stated earlier), but still have very nice stuff. I don't want to see their credit card bills. In Yoda's final words to Luke Skywalker, he remarks: "once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." Credit can be useful, but it can also be dangerous without proper discipline.

On a lighter note, I can say most assuredly that my audio gear exceeds the worth of my truck. In fact, it exceeds the sale price I bought it for 14 years ago. ;D

Yes, sometimes we can get carried away with this hobby! ;D

[Pauly]

Ranger, you still have the truck you bought 14 years ago? Good for you! A lot of people can't say that lol. "Don't crush it...restore it."

[Dark Ranger]

Jul 25, 2012 22:17:18 GMT -5 Pauly said:

Ranger, you still have the truck you bought 14 years ago? Good for you! A lot of people can't say that lol. "Don't crush it...restore it."

Yup, purchased in '98 and still have it! It's a black 1993 Dodge Dakota 4x2. Single cab, 6-foot bed, 3.9L V6 Magnum with a 5-speed manual transmission. I love it. Other than tint, over-sized tires, and an upgraded audio system, it's pretty much stock. I intend to run 'er as long as she'll hold together or until it costs me too much to repair.

Manufacture date: August 1992.

I just went out to check the odometer. It reads 207,301.

[harri009]

you could combine both of our cars and not equal what I have in gear prices. But I could sell the audio gear for about what I paid for it where as the cars are worth about half as much as what I paid, and thats used cars. My truck is a 95 chevy Z71 odo 64,000. Wife's is a 2007 Mitsubushi Outlander 65,000. But we also paid for the cars with cash, if we don't have the cash no matter what it is we don't buy it. Excluding home.

[roadrunner]

I tend to be an exceptionally patient buyer and once I buy I tend to keep equipment for a very long time. My three automobiles are from 1970, 1996 and 2003. I don't buy new equipment as long as the old still performs well. ;D ;D I expect my Emotiva gear may well still be in service 20 years from now. In case you may not have noticed, I like to get my money's worth. Oh, during this year's Emofest I will be celebrating my 41st Wedding Anniversary.

[DYohn]

Jul 25, 2012 14:40:18 GMT -5 macromicroman said:

I guess as long as the equipment cost less than your house it should be okay. ;D ;D

Four years ago I sold my 6-figure 2-channel system to make my balloon mortgage payment.

[Deleted]

Congratulation, RR, on making it to 41 years in your marriage!! Good on ya! I'm *sure* your wife will be pleased to hear that you keep things until you wear them out.

My wife cut the knot after only 27 years, stupid b!tch. And I mean that in the nicest possible way <g>.

-RW- Not that I'm bitter...

[TLC510]

Well now that I've installed my 2 XPR-5's in my mini cooper to bi-amp all my speakers... Isn't the car and sound systems values combined?
(just kidding btw, I don't think the shocks could take it )

[spork]

Knowing the average annual income alone won't really tell you anything.

Everyone has different economic obligations and costs of living.

A single person making $47,000 a year in NYC would barely allow for renting a single bedroom apartment while in other areas you'd be able to afford a mortgage on a fairly large home.

I would also agree that some of the wealthiest people I know keep most of it out of sight.

[Bonzo]

Jun 30, 2012 18:32:17 GMT -5 @wowflutter said:

What would you guess the average annual income of a person that spends $800-$1000 on an amplifier?

Not trying to derail your thread, but I think this question might miss the point right from the beginning.

$800 - $1000 for a high quality separate amp is CHEAP!!!!! Most separate amps cost way more than that. The next level up from Emotiva that I know of is Outlaw, and they cost twice as much as Emotiva. After that, spending $3000+ is almost all there is. You can easily spend $5000 - $10,000.

That's where receivers come in, and basically dominate the sub $1500 market. And with receivers, sub $500 models far outsell the rest I'd bet. But this is getting even farther off track.

I'm basically saying that not many people are buying $800-$1000 amps, period. $500 - $1000 receivers, yes.

To directly answer your question, I think there are too many variables to answer it with any real meaning.