The cost so far...

The cost so far...

  • closer to $450,000

    Votes: 10 17.2%
  • closer to $250,000

    Votes: 6 10.3%
  • closer to $100,000

    Votes: 9 15.5%
  • closer to $85,000

    Votes: 4 6.9%
  • closer to $65,000

    Votes: 4 6.9%
  • closer to $45,000

    Votes: 9 15.5%
  • closer to $25,00

    Votes: 5 8.6%
  • closer to $15,000

    Votes: 3 5.2%
  • less than $7000

    Votes: 8 13.8%
  • I could be driving a Ferrari F40 instead

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    58

puroagave

Member Sponsor
Sep 29, 2011
1,345
45
970
What have you spent so far? by this I mean what did your 2-channel system cost you, not the list price but what you actually spent. This takes into account buying used, new, industry accommodation, etc. Include accessories like wires, racks, ac power products. For this poll I didn't want to include purpose built rooms, room treatments, house wiring/elec panel upgrades. If you own multiple systems, then just your main system. If you rotate multiple components (I.e cartridges, TTs, DAC's amps, etc) then just what you consider your primary or most listened to set-up.

what's the point? curious fascination...perspective, or just a better understanding of what WBF membership's systems are like.
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
Suggest you revise the top three - they are very widely apart; increments of $50K over $50K may be better
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
Less than $7,000

Yep....I spent a mere pittance compared to the majority here. I got very lucky though and my keen eye for value did not let me down. Don't let the piddly expenditure fool you into thinking that my system doesn't sound good, because you'd be wrong. It's no SOTA system and I don't pretend that it is, nor do I not recognize its weaknesses and where some significant improvements could be made. I just don't worry about it too much. I have other interests and I'm limited by my disposal income.
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
5,459
961
1,290
The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Of course, this does not take into consideration the amount of money spent to achieve the current status of many of the systems here. If that was added into the equation, I personally could have paid cash for the house the system resides in. I would imagine, over the years many here would be in the same boat.

Tom
 

PeterA

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2011
12,530
10,693
3,515
USA
If one dares to add it all up (eg. $50K) and calculate the hours per year of listening time (eg. 300) and multiply those hours by the age of the system (e.g. 5 years) and divide total cost by total hours (50,000/1,500 = $33.33), you get cost per hour of listening time. For analog guys, divide that number by three to get the cost per LP side. If that is not enough, consider that your expensive cartridge will need replacement or re-tipping after 2,500 hours or so.

It's pretty easy to see that once the system gets even more expensive, say $250K or $167/hr, one could hire a cellist, or chamber quartet to perform in his living room, especially if he invites over a few friends to share the cost.

The sailors I know don't do this calculation for a cost per sail, and my friends with expensive cars don't dare do this for a cost per mile.

These are sobering numbers that may have one questioning the value of all this fun. I tend to avoid these types of calculations.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
Well, by doing that math at some point the cost approaches $0/hour. Then you die. :)
 

edorr

WBF Founding Member
May 10, 2010
3,139
14
36
Smyrna, GA
Not many accountants in the house. The number to look at is operating cost per year, which is largely depreciation and the occasional asset impairment (electrical bills are a rounding error). Custom build rooms need to be depreciated over their usefulspan life of may be 10-15 years. If you buy stuff new, you probably depreciate 20% per year. If you buy stuff 2 years old for 50% of MSRP depreciation is pretty low (5% per year tops). In my case, all things analogue I buy are fully depreciated give or take a few grand here and there, but I do take depreciation on digital stuff. My ballpark annual operating cost is around $10,000 (about the same as owning a luxury car), and I listen about 10 hours a week (500 per year). So my cost per hour of listening is about $20 - very reasonable.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
Seriously....you guys actually calculate operating cost, depreciation, etc.........that's just weird IMO and beyond normal.
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
7,097
412
1,210
Northern NY
Seriously....you guys actually calculate operating cost, depreciation, etc.........that's just weird IMO and beyond normal.

I just wrote down my component (what I paid) costs and added them for a total...not too scientific lol. I could care less about the cost per hour to listen.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
rockitman;258130[B said:
]I just wrote down my component (what I paid) costs and added them for a total.[/B]..not too scientific lol. I could care less about the cost per hour to listen.

I did the same...it took like 2 seconds. LOL!
 

edorr

WBF Founding Member
May 10, 2010
3,139
14
36
Smyrna, GA
Seriously....you guys actually calculate operating cost, depreciation, etc.........that's just weird IMO and beyond normal.

I don't necessarily calculate or keep track in Quickbooks, but when I buy a piece, I estimate how long I will own it, and how much I will get for it when I offload it it. I calculate (price - resale)/years owned and decide if this is reasonable. If expected resale price is equal to purchase price, cost of ownership is zero, and I buy without hesitation - if I don't like it I resell right away. So for me, buying a $3000 digital piece that will be worth $1000 in two years, is a lot more expensive than buying a $12,000 pair of speakers that I can resell for what I have into them (cost of ownership is zero). This is not hypothetical - I have gone through 4 pairs of speakers without losing a penny on resale (I expect to lose a few grand on my current pair.....). This is how I keep this hobby affordable - don't worry about initial cask outlay, but only about depreciation.
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
31
385
NY
I wonder how often this occurs.
 

Attachments

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rbbert

Well-Known Member
Dec 12, 2010
3,820
239
1,000
Reno, NV
I'm not sure that it makes sense to not include room treatments,etc. For the most part they have absolutely no use outside the setting of an audio system; in that way they are no different than any of the other components.
 

taters

New Member
Jun 6, 2012
301
0
0
What have you spent so far? by this I mean what did your 2-channel system cost you, not the list price but what you actually spent. This takes into account buying used, new, industry accommodation, etc. Include accessories like wires, racks, ac power products. For this poll I didn't want to include purpose built rooms, room treatments, house wiring/elec panel upgrades. If you own multiple systems, then just your main system. If you rotate multiple components (I.e cartridges, TTs, DAC's amps, etc) then just what you consider your primary or most listened to set-up.

what's the point? curious fascination...perspective, or just a better understanding of what WBF membership's systems are like.

From looking at the poll it seems the majority so far have spent 450k. That to me is mind blowing! It's not enough to buy an F-40 but it would make a great down payment.
 

marin

Well-Known Member
Nov 17, 2013
12
0
53
Munich-Germany
Less than 7k here as well.
To each his own - I'd probably sink more money into the hobby if I could!
I love to see those big buck systems and dream of perfect reproduction, but rarely have I listened to such systems, and even more rarely have they impressed me with their virtues...
Attached frequency response is taken at my listening position, both speakers driven, absolute SPL not to scale.
image.jpg
Happy listening to y'all, and that's what I'm going to return to now...
 

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