An interesting poll topic. Give a rough guesstimate in the poll as to your investment in the sum total of your audio gear, and what's the most you've paid for something?

The most I've spent on a single piece is $775, and it's in my avatar :D

The most I spent for a single component was for the speakers: around $250 for a pir of brand new paradigm monitor 3's.

Mains - Tannoy Mercury MX4's -- NZD$1400 (US$680 by direct conversion)

Around AUD $1,600 (=USD $900) for my JBL S312's ... I'm listening to 'em now - they are sweeet :D

Most spent on single item: $450 for Pioneer SX-1980.
Most everything else bought at thrift store prices except for a few $100-200 ebay items.

So under $3,000 spread over four+ years including over 700 thrift store LPs, pretty cheap hobby in my opinion.

Hi! I remember, in 1975, buying my Sansui AU-11000A and TU-9900 for $650 from "Crazy Eddie" on Coney Island Ave. (near Kings Hwy) in Brooklyn New York. Around the same time I bought a pair of Recrilinear III "Lowboys" for $400 from Lafayette Radio on Queens Blvd. in Queens New York. The Gerrard "Zero 100" cost $100 and the Teac R-T-R TA1500 cost $300 used. The Akai cassette deck was given to me. I make tapes for the car with it. In the past 15 years I have worn out many cd players. I presently have a Technics 100+1 cd player and a Sony single player. The Sansui AU-11000A bit the dust a few months ago. I replaced it with a Sansui AU-G99X which I purchased from an E-Bay auction for $315 + shipping. In my time I probably spent more for records and cds than all of the equipment above. That's my story!! Tony G

Oh! One more thing. I forgot about the 8 track Wallensak I had. I don't remember the cost but is was the worst ever! Tony G

Cheapest - $5 for the Dynaco A25 speakers and another $10 to make 'em pretty.

Paid $200 for the SX-1250. I thought that was a steal. All tolled, I came in just under 2 grand. I did not include HT gear.

Lefty's $450 for the 1980 was a steal. And Kama, $775 for the G-22000 is not bad either.

The most I have spent on a single piece was my current reciever in my main system a sony GA8ES which was $800. I have Ebayed some nice stuff. The cheapest was a mint Technics Preamp from the R+B series SU-A6 $10 at a garrage sale. Thats my phono stage. The one in the Sony is not that great.

I spent $1500.00 for materials (including drivers) for my large horn speakers that I just built. $500 of that was in fiberglassing resins and paste. If I count the 2 months of shop time they were pretty expensive speakers. I didn't even know if my own design was going to be successful so it was a bit of a risky investment.

I could have bought a good used pair of Klipsch corner horns for what I spent, but what kind of satisfaction would that have given me? My middle initials are really D.I.Y. Besides that, Klipsch's wouldn't have satisfied my very custom size requirements.

Rob

The least I spent was $0.00 for my SX-1250. The most I ever spent was $650.00 for a pair of NHT VT-2 loudspeakers.

I don't even know what I have, somewhere between 400-500 cds, but thats my largest investment. My largest one time purchase were my Silverline Sonatinas ($3500) in 2000. I think I just beat the price increase. As far as my system's retail cost, I've probably whittled off about 5k just by selling some of my expensive cables and cords (for equal or better performers) or eliminating the need for certain components (passive, replaced by volume pot in amp).

MikE

That would have to be the TT
Linn LP12 witha RATA kit
Rega RB900
Grado Reference-The Reference

cost? I don't know. 3, 4,000 dollars
GTF

The most that I ever spent is on it's way right now. I just spent about 4K on a new EAD TheaterMaster 8000 Digital Processor. I have a 2 CH/HT setup and was looking to really upgrade the 2CH

Jay,
Thanks for the welcome! From what I have seen so far, it is a pretty cool place.

I currently have a Classe CA300 driving a pair of Innersound ISIS with a Sony DVP9000ES player and waiting on the EAD TM8000 processor (which by the way retails for 5K, but I got a deal at a little less than $4K), which should arrive next week. The center is a proto type from Roger which is a ribbon panel and transmission line and is marvelous. I have all Alpha Core Goertz MI 2 throughout.

I am thinking about adding another pair of ISIS for the surrounds and either the Innersound multi channel amp or EAD amp to drive the center and surrounds.

This is a 2CH/HT combo since I simply don't have the room to have two setups in a condo, so I am trying to get the best 2CH sound that I can.

Hope that helps you understand where I am coming from.

cheers!

angela

Biggest investment was $1350 for a pair of beautiful dlkIV speakers in 1980. Unfortunately,the company and the speakers are no longer in business.:( Second largest was $650 foe a Teac A200R RtoR. ($100 off list.)

Currently I have a Denon DRA775RD receiver that I got for half price ($325) and a pair of Klipsch RB-5s I got for $625 ($175 off list).

BTW, I still use the RtoR. Careful cleaning has kept it in top shape.;)

My TT is a 1980 era ADC Accutrac direct drive w/12lb. pltter. (Also in pristine shape.) Anyone remember them? I never used the randon or track function because it was just too finicky and you had to readjust it for almost every LP.

Love the Klipsches, altho I could use a good sub. (The dlk's had 2- 12"ers each and I miss the kick.)

I think I have a good compromise between quality of sound and esthetics. (Those who are married to someone with no regard for good sound will understand my meaning.) :gigglemad

:D Happy Listening:cool:

Well, the cheapest, $5 cdn for dual 1019. The most expensive was the Mission M71 which i got for 250cdn. One the HT side of things, i just dropped 3Grrr on a hi-def widescreen.

Angela, good luck with your system, it can be very tuff to get a ht that sounds good for 2ch, but running classe amps makes that job a whole lot easier

shibby

The cheapest stuff I got was a

Pioneer CT-F1000 Cass
Sg-9500 EQ
JBL L99 Speakers
Bozak LS-200 Speakers

There was one more Pioneer unit but I cant remember what it was. I paid........about 27.00 for all of it.

The most I ever spent on one thing was my Tandberg studio monitor. 275.00 from a Salvation Army ! I still cant get over spending that much at a thrift store. Prolly the single biggest investment I have would be my vinyl 15-20 grand but thats over a 20 year span.

Dave

The most I've spent on the audio side is $900 for my Monitor Audio Gold Reference 10s. On the video side, a $500 Pioneer Elite 710-HD.

Abraham

I have spent over the years probably 10% of my income on audio. It is more important to me than transportation because it took me 2 years to save for a used pick up truck. You have to have a pick up if you are an audio hound and work the sales and thrift stores etc. You just never know when you will find those Klipsch horns for $50. No good to find them if you can't haul them off.
My guess is that I spend about 25% everyonce in a while, a few bucks most all the time, but maybe a 10% average.
I am the guy with the biggest heart you ever will meet so my salary is very small considering I can't work. 10 % works out to be around $100. If I used much gas I would have to cut back!

My biggest purchase so far? My speakers. A pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 60's for $1,200.

The most: $210 For my Sansui 9090 db
The least $0 for a Teac A-6010 RTR given to me by Grumpy
All told : around $800.
To be continued................

Derek

I just figured out how much money I have invested in my main setup and not counting cables and interconnects, or building materials for 3 cabinets shelving units and stuff like that I have right at US$2400. I didn't count the TV as part of it.
Including tubes my amp cost $1200, so I'll start there

$ 1200- 300B stereo amp
750- Shahinian Obelisk Speakers
180- Sony DVD/SACD/CD player
100- DIY speakers in rear
0 for back loaded bass horn for center
120- pair of 2 pannel JansZen Electrostats for center
40-Bogen DB20-DF drives bass horn
7-Fisher 400 tube reciever drives JansZens
5- Marantz 2252B reciever drives the rear channels

Bedroom system
$ 200 for CD player
15 for Altec Corona speakers
5 for Fisher 400 reciever.

Computer room system
$ 125 for Stromberg Carlson 15" coax in Jensen cabinets
70 for a Fisher FM-50-B stereo tube tuner
0 for DIY SE 6BQ5 stereo amp

Most I ever paid for a single audio piece was $3500 for a used Theta Casablanca preamp. Glad I found it used, could never afford it new.

$1,156 in 1991 for a brand new pair of Carver Amazing Platinum Mk.IV speakers, delivered to my front door (Roadway) would be my single largest expenditure.

Toasted Almond