Thinking of starting over....

2

Comments

  • gce
    gce Posts: 2,158
    I can always build more tube amps, as I have a set of transformers ready to go...

    Just reading this comment tells me it wouldn't be long until you'd be headed to where you are right now.

    Turn off your 2 channel for all of June. Then fire it back up in July and ask yourself if you still want to downsize.
    Anaheim Hills CA,
    HT 5.1: Anthem MRX 720 / BDP-Denon DBT1713UD / Polkaudio LSiM703 / W4S mAmp's / Polkaudio LSiM706c / Polkaudio LSiM702F/X's / SVS PC12-NSD / Panasonic TC P55VT30

    2 Channel: Rogue RP-5 / WireWorld Electra power cord / Marantz TT-15S1/ Ortofon - Quintet Black MC / Marantz NA8005 DAC / W4S mAmp's / Synology DS 216+ll-4TB / Polkaudio LSiM703
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    heiney9 wrote: »
    cfrizz wrote: »
    You put a lot of money/time into that system John, and it is not guaranteed that you will get back what you invested into it. Consider it very carefully...good luck.

    I agree, don't be hasty in your decision. You weren't hasty when choosing and pairing all the gear together.

    H9

    The good news here is everything I have was purchased used, so selling it will not hurt me from a financial perspective, and I should break even. On the 1.2tl's, even with the mods, I will break even because I scored then for a very good price to begin with.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • rpf65
    rpf65 Posts: 2,127
    With a little one coming, you'll find you have less time to enjoy either audio or HT. If this your first child, you'll also learn in about 6 months or so that there is no such thing as child proof.

    That said, you can actually put your gear into some kind of storage. Could be a locked or big plywood locked box. Would strongly recommend this with tube gear. Glowing lights tend to attract youngsters.

    Won't hurt to lock you rig up for a year or so. Then if you want to start over, pull it back out and remember what you have been missing.
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    Nice thoughtful suggestions by all so far!

    Get the old collections gone. Clean out closets, garages, & sheds not only for $, but for a cleaner home with less clutter as babies add their own gear and your old stuff will just be in the way. Sit down with the better half to discuss how your daily habits will change, how involved you will be in those changes and determine if active music listening at reference will even be possible/practical with a newborn around? You may need to even practice what quiet time feels like if it has been a while. You may find the HT will get used more as staying home increases, but 2 channel sessions fade away and a top notch headphone rig might fill that gap.

    Congrats! Take a lot of deep breaths, talk out most changes, save the gear that can't be replaced easily and embrace the new chapter!
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    There really are tons of money saving habits you can develop, the system is just an easy one to identify. Are you really going to subject the new little one to less than audiophile sound quality? Thats abuse!

    At least keep the things that will be very hard to replace, like the 1.2s.

    As I look back the main thing that has allowed me to save the most money over the years was driving a cheap car. $14K new, 35 mpg on cheap gas and no real maintainence performed except an oil change when absolutely necessary. In gas costs alone the savings over my last vehicle has saved more than the original $14K costs. I could have easily spent $35K on something that gets 17mpg on premium fuel and has so many options that stuff keeps breaking down all the time, and considered it a necessity.

    I think the next best savings was to stop the $15 lunches my friends and I used to eat every day. And seriously, we didn't appreciate them anyway because we did it every day.

    Next has to be paying people to do stuff for you that you could do yourself.
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited May 2016
    The first thing I am going to do is sell off the Franklin/Danbury mint stuff. Have some rare ones in a 20 car collection.... Any interest here shoot me a pm.

    As far as the gear goes, I will be thinking my moves carefully, as once gone, they are not coming back, especially the gear that has been signed by Bob Carver, Matt Polk and Nelson Pass.

    If anyone has interest in keeping some of this gear in the family, shoot me a pm. If I do decide to follow through with selling things off, those pm's will have first dibs. I will then list on the forum a Polk price good for one week before they go to Audiogon. I just listened to the system while spinning some old big band music for Memorial Day, and it was truly an emotional and engaging experience.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,842
    @nooshinjohn,

    Congratulations and best wishes to you, your wife, and your soon-to-be-born baby.

    As always, @cfrizz offers sensible, prudent advice -- well worth pondering.

    I would add that, as is always the case when big changes are facing us -- e.g., new house, marriage, new job -- we tend to think about other things that might be changed to make the future seem less -- shall we say -- complicated.

    Take your time. Enjoy your new baby for a few months, then see what changes -- if any -- are wise to make your life better, and simpler is not always better.

    Just some ruminations from an old curmudgeon who has weathered a fair number of life-changing events over the years.
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

    Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One.

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    Another driver for this is that I desire to start my own business. I am looking into a Pappa Murphy's franchise and in order to get there, I need to wipe out debt. I want something I can build for the future, something that will provide some security for our family. All options are on the table for that.

    Someone earlier mentioned a cheap car, and lowering food costs at work. My car does not get any cheaper than a paid for 2004 Jag with 30k miles on it. I am averaging 23 mph city/hwy, and I can do the work on it myself...

    The real driver here is to eliminate debt so I can be a better father and provide the stability we need to thrive as parents.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    Plus you're an old phart, John. When the bambino is graduating high school, you and The Noosh will be looking for an "active senior" retirement condo. Then college tuition will tear up your pension.
    Reality check, scooter!
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    lightman1 wrote: »
    Plus you're an old phart, John. When the bambino is graduating high school, you and The Noosh will be looking for an "active senior" retirement condo. Then college tuition will tear up your pension.
    Reality check, scooter!

    John will be looking for that while Nooshin will be looking to increase his life insurance heheheheh...
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    why don't you just kick him in the nuts Russ :o
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    txcoastal1 wrote: »
    why don't you just kick him in the nuts Russ :o

    Nooshin already has those safely locked up.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    Papa Murphy's is all about location........got to be between work and home and next to grocery or big box shopping if possible. 33 year franchise pizza man myself on this end.....'73-'06.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    If you don't mind talking with me Dennis, shoot me a PM.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    Congratulations on your upcoming addition to the family! Most of you folks are younger than me,, but if I may interject something that I have learned,,, as we get older,some of the material things that we posess grow to be of lesser importence and hence are easier to part with. Just my .02.
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,892
    edited May 2016
    When my kids came along out went the cars, motorcycles and any form of thrill seeking. Now that I am in my sixties and my kids are on their own, I am embracing it all again. Much to my kids dislike, I might add....lol.
    2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; LAT International speaker cables, ZU Mission IC's and power cables all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.

    Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.

    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.

    Imagine making politics your entire personality.
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    Most of you folks are younger than me
    A LOT of us are younger than you, George.
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    With a baby on the way, you're going to want to make sure your HEADPHONE game is solid...

    Before kids I NEVER used headphones, after kids, it's at least 50% of my listening.
  • rpf65
    rpf65 Posts: 2,127
    Youre expecting an addition to your family, want to start a business, and want to pay off debt. I applaud you sir. It's an increasingly rarer thing where you find a person who wants to accept responsibility for their own actions.

    Sounds like you have a plan, and may be a little hesitant. Could also be wrong on that assumption.

    Whatever your decision, I wish you the best of luck. I think what we're all trying to say is: don't rush into your decision to fast. Some things are irreplaceable, wether it be for sentimentle reasons or it just works that good.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Another driver for this is that I desire to start my own business. I am looking into a Pappa Murphy's franchise and in order to get there, I need to wipe out debt. I want something I can build for the future, something that will provide some security for our family. All options are on the table for that.

    Someone earlier mentioned a cheap car, and lowering food costs at work. My car does not get any cheaper than a paid for 2004 Jag with 30k miles on it. I am averaging 23 mph city/hwy, and I can do the work on it myself...

    The real driver here is to eliminate debt so I can be a better father and provide the stability we need to thrive as parents.

    The best thing you can do to be a good father.....is give them your time. I don't see how buying a franchise fits into better parenting. Money alone does not dictate quality parenting....and giving your time and attention to other areas isn't going to help the cause.

    You still have the apartment buildings anyway right ?

    You don't consider yourself stable right now ? One child isn't going to throw your world upside down, challenges yes....but not upside down. If your thriving now, I'll bet you'll still be thriving after one child.

    As far as selling off the gear.....if you don't have a dedicated room for it, might be a good idea. Your gear is just too darn nice to have those PB&J little fingers all over it. Always a good idea to get rid of debt, especially at your age, but that child no doubt will only add to it.....costly little boogers. :) In other words, once that system is gone, it's gone for good. You will always be finding something else to spend money on, and then as the kid grows it's college time. Then it's retirement time....so replacing a system of that level is unlikely to happen ever again in your lifetime.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    Just to throw in my 1/2c. Owning a franchise like that means long hours.....very long hours unless you have the capital to not only buy in, but pay everyone else to run it for you. Takes a lot of $$$ and if you have that kind of money, frankly, you don't need a "franchise".

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    edited May 2016
    If it were me, I'd hold off liquidating until the little one comes. It's amazing how adaptable we are when it come to the things we really love doing.

    On the selling to get rid of debt to open your own business, my buddy did that while starting a family. I can't tell you the emotional roller coaster he was on for the first 6-7 years. Almost killed him (the stress) of trying to own your own business and start a family (2 kids, 2 years apart).

    He did this right when the economy busted. He is a jewelry designer and owns his own store, not exactly necessity items. But he is well known in the area and has worked for others in the same arena since he was 18. Now he has a backlog of customers wanting custom designed jewelry. He's busier now than he ever been. Took him about 10-11 years to get where he is, 60+ hour work weeks, missed vacations, etc.

    But he worked his **** off and then some and almost lost it all several times. Now he has a very nice house, very nice income and a few nice toys and his wife hasn't worked in the past 7 years and stays home to raise the kids. Still works his **** off, but takes time off, goes on vacations, etc.

    H9

    P.s. Not trying to be a downer just relaying a story I know personally.
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • oldrocker
    oldrocker Posts: 2,590
    ^^ long hours indeed, been there done that and the money can be good.

    What ever you decide, wishing you all the best.

    But most of all, SUPER DUPER congrats on bring another music connoisseur into the world.
  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,050
    John,
    Congratulations on the great news! Kids really do change your life in a great way but in a way that leaves you with much less time for the things you found important before they arrived.

    I went through the downsizing thing as well but have now started (thanks to you) building things back up. It's all about seasons of life. When they are so little, you can't risk waking them up by cranking tunes. You'll have an unhappy baby (and wife) on your hands. As they get older (and you become a successful entrepreneur), you can build back up. As you succeed, you can enjoy the fruit of your labor without the debt.

    My suggestions: Keep the X1. You've heard your X1 paired with my Sunfire Cinema Grande. It's certainly not your tube amps, mind you but certainly a good portion of the way there (and easy on electricity). X1, decent SACDP, good power amp and you have something enjoyable for the rare moments you can spin a disc.

    Also, I think in the back of you're mind you've always regretted letting your previous 1.2TL's and 2.3TL's go. If you didn't, you wouldn't have kept asking to buy the 2.3TL's back from me! :smiley: Now you have the big boys....again. You have to figure the replacement cost of a pair of bookies (they'll need a sub) and what you will actually have left over into the equation.

    Hope that helps. When will your bundle of joy arrive?
    ____________________________________________________________ polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS SVS PB13 Ultra x 2Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400, ADCOM 7807, Panasonic UB420, Sony SCD-C333ES, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
  • mrbiron
    mrbiron Posts: 5,711
    Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
  • audiocr381ve
    audiocr381ve Posts: 2,588
    edited May 2016
    tonyb wrote: »
    Another driver for this is that I desire to start my own business. I am looking into a Pappa Murphy's franchise and in order to get there, I need to wipe out debt. I want something I can build for the future, something that will provide some security for our family. All options are on the table for that.

    Someone earlier mentioned a cheap car, and lowering food costs at work. My car does not get any cheaper than a paid for 2004 Jag with 30k miles on it. I am averaging 23 mph city/hwy, and I can do the work on it myself...

    The real driver here is to eliminate debt so I can be a better father and provide the stability we need to thrive as parents.

    The best thing you can do to be a good father.....is give them your time. I don't see how buying a franchise fits into better parenting. Money alone does not dictate quality parenting....and giving your time and attention to other areas isn't going to help the cause.

    You still have the apartment buildings anyway right ?

    You don't consider yourself stable right now ? One child isn't going to throw your world upside down, challenges yes....but not upside down. If your thriving now, I'll bet you'll still be thriving after one child.

    As far as selling off the gear.....if you don't have a dedicated room for it, might be a good idea. Your gear is just too darn nice to have those PB&J little fingers all over it. Always a good idea to get rid of debt, especially at your age, but that child no doubt will only add to it.....costly little boogers. :) In other words, once that system is gone, it's gone for good. You will always be finding something else to spend money on, and then as the kid grows it's college time. Then it's retirement time....so replacing a system of that level is unlikely to happen ever again in your lifetime.

    This is good advice. I have three little monsters and it's a priority of mine this year to simplify and reduce stress as much as possible. There is a massive difference between being physically present with your children and being present with them, heart & mind. I've been on family vacations where all I could think about was work. Nothing worse than that and I'm already an anxious person.

    Also, there is something really rewarding about a system that you can find an immense amount of enjoyment in that cost you next to nothing. My wife is starting her business so I got her a desk and moved her into my home office (where my 2 channel rig was sounding better than ever). I had to shelf a ton of gear to declutter the space. I moved my JBL LSR305's powered monitors in and paired it with my tube pre and I'm literally getting the same enjoyment out of my system.

  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    tonyb wrote: »
    Another driver for this is that I desire to start my own business. I am looking into a Pappa Murphy's franchise and in order to get there, I need to wipe out debt. I want something I can build for the future, something that will provide some security for our family. All options are on the table for that.

    Someone earlier mentioned a cheap car, and lowering food costs at work. My car does not get any cheaper than a paid for 2004 Jag with 30k miles on it. I am averaging 23 mph city/hwy, and I can do the work on it myself...

    The real driver here is to eliminate debt so I can be a better father and provide the stability we need to thrive as parents.

    The best thing you can do to be a good father.....is give them your time. I don't see how buying a franchise fits into better parenting. Money alone does not dictate quality parenting....and giving your time and attention to other areas isn't going to help the cause.

    You still have the apartment buildings anyway right ?

    You don't consider yourself stable right now ? One child isn't going to throw your world upside down, challenges yes....but not upside down. If your thriving now, I'll bet you'll still be thriving after one child.

    As far as selling off the gear.....if you don't have a dedicated room for it, might be a good idea. Your gear is just too darn nice to have those PB&J little fingers all over it. Always a good idea to get rid of debt, especially at your age, but that child no doubt will only add to it.....costly little boogers. :) In other words, once that system is gone, it's gone for good. You will always be finding something else to spend money on, and then as the kid grows it's college time. Then it's retirement time....so replacing a system of that level is unlikely to happen ever again in your lifetime.

    This is right on the money, and informative!!!

    John, it sounds like you have several options for freeing up cash, eliminating debt, stress etc. Apartment Buildings??? I would think owning/managing apartment buildings is a full time job in and of itself, and I would think you would have income coming in from them.

    I can tell you that spending all your time making a buck as opposed to spending quality time with your family would not be a very popular thing. And trust me, children DO remember that sort of thing, so do wives.

    My dad worked two jobs for most of his life, but in order to do so, it meant that we sometimes took 3rd place in his life. Yes he put himself through college under the GI bill, and got his masters in music to achieve his dream but he only got to do it for 10 years before he died of cancer, and my brothers and I were left with memories of him always arriving late if at all to everything that didn't have to do with him. I can't tell you how upset I was when

    We didn't lack for anything, except for time with him. Think about what is most important.

    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    The apartment buildings are actually 4 condos in the same building, though I have thought about selling a couple to buy a building...
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    The apartment buildings are actually 4 condos in the same building, though I have thought about selling a couple to buy a building...

    I think 4 condo's, paid for, might go a long way with the college fund.

    I don't know how old you are John, but I know your no spring chicken. 20 years from now, your kid will be in college at the same time you'll want to be, or already are, retired. Time to also think about what you want your life to look like in those years.

    I would highly suggest against buying a franchise though. Been down that path myself and can honestly tell you in the end.....your buying yourself a job is all it is. Put the money in the markets or real estate, keep the time to yourself and your new child. That's the best advice I can give ya pal.

    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited May 2016
    tonyb wrote: »
    The apartment buildings are actually 4 condos in the same building, though I have thought about selling a couple to buy a building...

    I think 4 condo's, paid for, might go a long way with the college fund.

    I don't know how old you are John, but I know your no spring chicken. 20 years from now, your kid will be in college at the same time you'll want to be, or already are, retired. Time to also think about what you want your life to look like in those years.

    I would highly suggest against buying a franchise though. Been down that path myself and can honestly tell you in the end.....your buying yourself a job is all it is. Put the money in the markets or real estate, keep the time to yourself and your new child. That's the best advice I can give ya pal.

    Totally agree with Tony again.

    Owning your own business, means you never have a day off, you never can take a vacation, you are always worried about something or have to do something with regards to the business. If you have employees it's even worse. My friends who work for themselves do nothing but work!

    And since as Tony pointed out, you are no kid so the toll it will take on you will be worse with every passing year. You want to still be alive to retire and see your kid graduate!

    My dad only lived long enough to see Mark graduate from high school and get accepted to Harvard. He was only 63 when he died.

    I'm only 55, but I just can't do what I used to 20 years ago, nor do I have the energy to do so. I don't rebound from illness as fast as I used to and now there's a good probability that I have sleep apnea which makes me even more tired. With every passing year, I hate trudging to work every day. My plan is to get out at 62.

    Find another way John, and save your energy to be able to play ball and chase your kid around!
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