Few Questions to ask fellow Home Theater aficionados.

[P@t_Mtl]

It doesn't matter if they ask, sometimes I might tell them, most time I just go whatever!!!

Money does not have much meaning to me, I have my TV and DVD's cause I enjoy that, its my only hobby beside collecting Star Wars statues. Most people look at my setup with the wall full of DVD's and the TV and the statues and they go "are you nuts? that is so expensive, when will you grow up?" If growing up mean's I got to be miserable like most of them are sometimes, why would I want too?

I say, enjoy you HT and have fun with it and dont worry too much what other's might have to say about it.

[Uniquely]

I think that as long as you are buying things that are within your budget; don't worry about it. However, I think that people who have compulsively updated their systems to the latest and greatest thing; and have done so by getting deep into credit card debt will be very sorry very soon. The cost of living is about to go sky high, and incomes will likely drop; which will impact people's ability to pay their cards off in a timely fashion. Also I would not be surprised at all to see many credit card companies adjust their rates; even on pre-existing balances.

I spent a lot of years learning not to use credit the hard way. I'd start off buying something on credit, telling myself I'd pay it off when my tax returns came; but end up spending more through the course of the year than my returns could pay off. It's easy to spend more than you think you are and get yourself pretty deep in debt. I ended up with almost $30,000 in CC debt at one point.

My personal rule of thumb now is to ALWAYS keep at least 3 months of total household income in savings. Then beyond that, I save for the extras I want. When I have saved up TWICE as much as what I want to buy costs, THEN I go shopping. In other words, if I want to buy a new $1000 tv, I'm not going to do it until I have $2,000 in my savings account above and beyond my normal 3 months of income. Why twice as much? Because strangely when I buy something I don't HAVE to have, something I do need breaks.

However, with the way the economy is heading; I am now putting as much as I possibly can into savings and not buying a thing. If the sky doesn't fall after all...... I'm upgrading a lot of stuff! LOL

[gandytime]

As stated in one of my other post, I am a firefighters wife and mother of two girls,you should hear the comments that get thrown my way from both sides male and female, I have the sharp 52d92u lcd,ps3,onkyo 705,def tech 3000 with def tech towers and surround,we had people over and they started with the "all the other things you could have bought" conversation.One of the husbands comes in sits down and says "Yeah now this is a man's spot,what do you do man tell her she cant come in here" My husband laughed and said "Man I barely know how to turn this stuff on, this is her thing! and if she's happy I'm happy" Nuff said

[Leef DaLucky]

I agree robin..
be afraid of credit.

it is the HT lover's achilles tendon.
Got myself into LARGE trouble deciding I needed Paradigm Studio V3's.
*Laughs*
I love my 'digms, but at that time I should have been smarter.
and you'll see a lot of people very quickly who need to be smart.
(offside thought: I wonder how this will affect prices in our hobby? Will manufacturers "get it?" that we're not blowing cash on their latest-greatest-blah-blah".
I think retirement is slightly more important

P.S. i have the double rule as well! Why? the SECOND i go out and buy a BR player, my front ball joints need replacing. It's just murphy's. plain and simple.

[JJ]

Ironically enough, right after I completed my set-up, Murphy's kicked in! I was stricken with a severe cold right after, then when I recovered from that, my eye doctor found a cut on my right eye so I can't wear contacts on that eye anymore, I severely sprained my knee last Friday so I can barely walk, and my back started acting up. I've yet to be completely healthy and be able to fully enjoy the new gear!

Curse that Murphy and his laws.

[matthewrounds]

All good advice in the thread. I especially like the double rule. In fact, I may have to add this to my envelope system. Basically, I divide up new purchases into envelopes and allocate a certain percentage of my "fun money" to each envelope when I get paid. If I have enough money in the envelope, I can buy it. Having double though is a good strategy because there are always extra costs associated with a new purchase that are unforseen.

Maybe we need a Financial Planning Forum!

[Bean79]

All of these posts have some great points. My setup is no where near the price of some of yours. If you want to get ahead in life you need to pay for your toys with cash. Enjoy what you have and to hell with everyone else. I can't stand going to the movie theater. It is over priced and full of annoying people. For the price I can wait for the Blu of what I want to see or just rent it.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I spent about $6,000 on my set-up over a 2-year period. All of it was bought with cold-hard-cash. The only time I use a credit-card for my HT hobby is when ordering BD's or Vinyl online and then I immediately transfer the money into a special CC account (so in essence it's paid for).

I have no shame about my hobby in terms of its investment and I plan on continually upgrading over time. In fact, I've decided to go ahead and plan out for a brand-spanking new 2-Channel Analog System. I figure this will take me about 2-3 years to complete (again...cash only). But it's what I want, so I'm doing it.

My friends and family have had nothing but positive things to say about my hobby. They think it's wonderful to have a hobby which provides so much satisfaction.

So to all of the naysayers out there who think this hobby is a waste of time and money, I say....Bah Humbug!

[prerich]

Most people don't understand this hobby. Boats are popular where I live...I don't want a boat. Nice cars/SUV's are very popular too...As long as a vehicle can get me from point A to point B safely...I'm good. I like HT!!!! I like used vintage HT even more!!! With the exception of my computer and prepro (which is really a receiver) I rarely buy new when it comes down to HT. I can't afford it like I used to when I worked in the industry. But hey I don't know of anyone that can choose what three speakers they want for a front speaker array ! For all of you Klipsch fans - I'm running 3 Heresey's up front now, the Snells have been put up to await their future Audio Note upgrades (that will be a slow process). I also have an array of Infinity RS6b's - I'm either going to sell them or if its on my heart - I may give them away to someone to help them out on their journey! I just gave a way a Klipsch Quinttet system (5 sats) and an Atlantic Technology Subwoofer.

I find treasures at yard sales, pawn shops, ebay, craigslist, and thrift stores. I get them - test them - fix them with the proper parts if need be. It looks like I've spent a lot of cash - but its really pennies!

P.S. even though I generally don't buy new - it must be in great condition! Check out www.audioclassics.com sometimes - you can find lots of treasure there also!!!

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by prerich

I also have an array of Infinity RS6b's - I'm either going to sell them or if its on my heart - I may give them away to someone to help them out on their journey! I just gave a way a Klipsch Quinttet system (5 sats) and an Atlantic Technology Subwoofer.

If you're ever feeling the urge to give anything away, go ahead and send me a PM. I'll be glad to assist in your room making process.

[AppleCrumbDlite]

aside from spending money on my home theatre... even spending money on car insurance, my father can only say "you could be investing this money for later in life". and now i think of this even while buying food. It's really ruined it for me. Now when I complete my HT, I'll have to explain how $1200 made its way into my apt. and not my investment account =/

[prerich]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

If you're ever feeling the urge to give anything away, go ahead and send me a PM. I'll be glad to assist in your room making process.

I'll keep you in mind Driver King You'll have to pay for shipping though

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by prerich

I'll keep you in mind Driver King You'll have to pay for shipping though

What? No free shipping? Wow. Someone needs to learn to care about others.

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

What? No free shipping? Wow. Someone needs to learn to care about others.

No, seriously, give Kingy some new speakers, rich, so I don't have to.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

No, seriously, give Kingy some new speakers, rich, so I don't have to.

this is too funny!!!!

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Do you ever have to justify yourself to anyone? I mean, perhaps because some of you are a bit more on the 'venerable' side, this happens less - but around my age, along with all the frequent gasps and oohs and aahs when I get visitors to my house and who look at my new equipment, I always get questions such as "How much was it?" or "Dios mio, what did that cost you?" And yet I never answer, I just say, "Don't worry about that." I just feel strange here, in telling them that I have spent $4,500 on a complete and total overhaul of my experience - especially since most of my college-aged friends don't have or have ever seen that kind of money at once.

If they're in my home asking about my gear, I turn it on. I demo the Master and Commander DVD - not the new Blu-Ray, the original DVD - during the first combat sequence. It's a 70" Sony rear projection screen, maybe 5 years old now, with very solid audio - Pioneer, Definitive's biggest Mythos speakers, anchored by the JL Audio Fathom sub.

I do not discuss price. People are astounded by the sound.

Then I let them pick a Blu out of the binder (I don't use wall units; they take up too much space), anything they want. It just staggers people - the experience is that good. It's an awesome theater. I guess I should post pictures.

I have a second rig, more along audiophile lines, Sonus Faber Domus, Vienna Acoustics, separate amps, all that. Why do you need two, they ask. So I play Coltrane. Question answered.

So what I do is, if they insist, is go piece by piece through the gear, as they're looking at it, and listening to it. This speaker was so and so; this sub, such and such, this amp, this much...

And they always nod in understanding. It's really odd; even people who boast about getting something cheaper "that is just as good" understand they're looking as special stuff. At that point, it's not perceived as a boast, or an affectation; it's just a number, required to reach a goal. Much different that just money.

It also helps to be humble about it - I've always had nice equipment, not as expensive, maybe, and maybe not as gut-busting awesome - but I like it all, and say so. But people hear the really good stuff, and they say it's worth it.

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

And on a final curious note...how did you chaps pay for your stuff? Finance it? Credit? Cash? I've never liked spending money I didn't have, heck, the TV, PS3 and B&Ws were cash purchases and everything else with a debit card. No credit involved at all.

Came into some cash, got the right job, finally, still didn't get anything. Couldn't find the right stuff, took over six months of shopping. Then just got it all over a four month period. I've loved audio for over 40 years (started as a kid, I'm not THAT much of a graybeard) and got tired of waiting.

[ixlegitballinxl]

i've been hooked on hdtv for years, but the audio part of the experience is something i got into back in Dec. I've gone through 5 hdtv upgrades in 3 years....and now going through that process with speakers/gear. I've bought all my gear cash. Due to my industry, i can pay my bills, save over 50% of my money per week, and still blow 500 a paycheck on HT. I've spent over 10k, and i started in january.....i'm at the point where im starting to feel guilty about buying so much things....only person i talk money spent to is my dad..he was the one who got me into it 5 years ago when he gave me an old school sony rear projection tv ( non hd lol ). Me being 26, most of my friends are envious of my setup, but im modest about it. Thats why i like this forum, i can talk to people who like spending money on the same thing. I mentioned the prices to a buddy of mine once, and he said i was stupid for spending so much on HT. lol haters!

good thread

[zweet77]

Whatever hobby or life style you take up there will be naysayers do what makes you and those closest to you happy. Is making your home a buttkicking place to be such a bad thing.I know people who spend way more money on wine collecting than a lot of people in here spent on their gear.

[DBlackGT]

Yea I have the same thing happen to me...When all my buddies come over they are like dang, thats sweet, how much did it cost? I never tell them I just give them the look haha.

As far as using credit goes I am all for it if you can be responsible. I usually finance big ticket items and pay for them over 1 year. I started doing this back when I was 17 and now being 21 I have an amazing credit score and its only going up. Most of my friends at my age dont even have credit or just starting out I only finance one big ticket item at a time though and always pay wayyyyy more than the minimul payment ( basically whatever it takes to pay it off in 6-12 months).

I am so fortunate in my life that my dad pays for my school, car, insurance, housing, gas, food, and allowance. However I do have a job, and the money that I make I use it to have fun. I usually save about 70% of what I make and spend 30% a month. So eventually one day when I do have to pay for that stuff I wont spend as much, but if I keep up my current plan by the end of college I will be financially set for a few years along with having a nice home theater.

note: my roommate thinks I am crazy for my love of this hobby. But everytime I walk in my front door, I get so excited and absolutely have no problem with staying home that night and just watching movies.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by zweet77

Whatever hobby or life style you take up there will be naysayers do what makes you and those closest to you happy. Is making your home a buttkicking place to be such a bad thing.I know people who spend way more money on wine collecting than a lot of people in here spent on their gear.

Wine is my other expensive hobby...... If I focused solely on Audio, or solely on wine..... I'd be...... actually I don't know what I'd be