At what age do you stop upgrading?

Joey_V

Haha

Doc
You have a point.

My wife says if I go away, she won’t know which way is up or down with regards to all my habits hobbies and things.

joecoulson

jdjohn wrote: »

joecoulson wrote: »

I’m never upgrading ever again.

No doubt since your fish food budget keeps climbing, and you'll have college tuition and weddings to pay for someday.

I would say it stops when another expensive hobby takes its place with time and money, but some of you guys have proven that thinking wrong with hot rods and timepieces in addition to audio.

Yeah man, fish food is expensive!

mrloren

Never too old to upgrade. If hearing starts to go the you need bigger better so you can turn it up to hear.

nooshinjohn

I have reached end-game here. There is nothing I can do to get better performance that won't set me back far more money than what the improvement in sound is worth to me.

mhardy6647

I have to assume that the deterioration of my high frequency hearing is causally related to the fact that there are now a pair of JBL compression drivers in my hifi loudspeakers.

Mike Reeter

At 66 I'm just hitting my stride in my Audio Habit, er Hobby

I've been forced to wear Hearing Aids for the past 15 years or so, it sucks, but it is what it is.

I can still hear and distinguish changes and upgrades that I've made over the years. So, I guess as long as I can still hear and feel the subtle, small changes in the performance, I'll still be striving for good sound.

mhardy6647 wrote: »

haven't reached "that age" yet (to my wife's chagrin). Indeed, she and our children are increasingly asking me to please prepare some sort of inventory for... well... you know...

Doc, I've set down and cataloged my Stereo and associated gear, including what I thought a fair value would be in todays market, so my wife or survivors would have some idea of "what is what". This is taking into account all the Tubes, Music, Cables/Wires, Vinyl setup tools, etc.

All I can say is, with the amount of gear that you have, you better be setting down when you hit the final tally

gp4jesus

mhardy6647 wrote: »

I have to assume that the deterioration of my high frequency hearing* is causally related to the fact that there are now a pair of JBL compression drivers in my hifi loudspeakers.

Mine* is from too much too loud not-so-great car stereos to the early 80s NJ club scene too frequently along w/close-up concerts at Madison Square Garden, and of course aging (62). I hafta to give a “nod” to MrLoren’s sig, too: “...my kids tell me to turn it down.”

joecoulson

I have a catalog of everything purchased (including all cables and accessories) for not only the morbid reason, but also in case of fire/theft/etc. All saved on the cloud. Would not be smart to omit this step for any of us at any age.

Mike Reeter

joecoulson wrote: »

I have a catalog of everything purchased (including all cables and accessories) for not only the morbid reason, but also in case of fire/theft/etc. All saved on the cloud. Would not be smart to omit this step for any of us at any age.

Wise choice, add a Video taken of basically everything you have in your home, stowed in a safe place, is invaluable when making an Insurance Claim.

gp4jesus

Wow! Between Joe & Mike, I consider their advice equal to, if not greater than a well designed power conditioner*; multiples* in a system w/separates. A redundancy to their advice is serial numbers.

mpitogo

Kudos to you. I would say never. But downsizing, decluttering and keeping it simple and down to the basics could be an upgrade.

gp4jesus

A philosophical rant:

I think some “hawk” upgrades that are easy minus writing the check of course. Consequently overlook those those seemingly small efforts that have big impact the callouses, the soldering iron and other tools, one’s patience (& time)*, that can ultimately lead to personal satisfaction equal to if not greater than, ear-isfaction. At the same time we must be careful to avoid change for the sake of change - “well it sounds different...” ...having had the luxury of side-by-side A/B testing.
*numerous, tiny set up details**; the larger - acoustics; parameters inside the SAF!
**eg speaker spikes

I applaud & cheer all those chiming/weighing in on CH46E’s Infinity project, in spite of rather than instead of, because of the product brand. We know he’s restoring and upgrading what is, by its self a great product, worth the effort. Further I know, if a few of us were much closer we’d be in his workspace, w/willing eyes, ears, hands, tools, & test equipment at the ready, looking forward to measuring the immeasurable: his smile from “putting ears on” the completed work.

Thanks for tolerating my rant - Tony

Willow

https://youtu.be/Ml-BBvSF3XY

Perfect timing for part of this thread

TEAforONE

I don't think one can narrow done an age when you shouldn't upgrade. If you enjoy the hobby,why shouldn't you continue to upgrade if you are financially able.

In my case,I will be retiring in 4 years. Any serious upgrades at that point will have to get cleared through Mrs.Tea. Right now, I have my audio fund that allows me to get whatever I can afford without having to consult with anyone. All you folks that have come to terms about hearing loss as age creeps up,STOP making sense!!

erniejade

Willow wrote: »

https://youtu.be/Ml-BBvSF3XY

Perfect timing for part of this thread

My wife and I actually had a conversation about this same subject! She said she has to go before I do because she won't know what the stuff is worth and wouldn't want to be taken advantage of selling too cheap. We came up with a solution that I should make a spreadsheet of what the bigger ticket items are worth like the 1955 Seeburg J or anything collectable basically worth over $100.

lmacmil

erniejade wrote: »

She said she has to go before I do because she won't know what the stuff is worth and wouldn't want to be taken advantage of selling too cheap. We came up with a solution that I should make a spreadsheet of what the bigger ticket items are worth like the 1955 Seeburg J or anything collectable basically worth over $100.

I have solved this potential problem by having run-of-the-mill equipment that has no value to the collector or the audiophile! And I'm perfectly fine with that!

verb

Great thread! Since I'm fairly new to this hobby, there is no stop on my horizon. So far, my upgrades have been huge leaps in improvement, over time I'm sure that will taper off.

Maybe at that point, possibly, but just being able to tinker around and play with them is IMO a lot of fun. Being an engineer, I love to change things!

motorstereo

Even with my retirement quickly approaching upgrades are still a fun part of my life. But hoarding gear isn't something I care to do anymore as I don't want that to become someone else's problem when it's my turn to jump in the box.

mhardy6647

lmacmil wrote: »

erniejade wrote: »

She said she has to go before I do because she won't know what the stuff is worth and wouldn't want to be taken advantage of selling too cheap. We came up with a solution that I should make a spreadsheet of what the bigger ticket items are worth like the 1955 Seeburg J or anything collectable basically worth over $100.

I have solved this potential problem by having run-of-the-mill equipment that has no value to the collector or the audiophile! And I'm perfectly fine with that!

quite a bit of that here, too... poor Mrs. H just doesn't want to pitch out the few pearls with all of the old oyster shells when I transition to Tango Uniform status.