Age and your satisfaction with your Main Rig

I'll be 60 next month. I've always been satisfied with my gear however transient it's been. Different stuff but always great. I've never been disappointed except for a couple of carts I bought way back when. This is my hobby. Mind you I feel the Acoustat Monitor 3 with the direct drive OTLs I just got are going to stop me dead in my tracks.
 
Just turned 59...enjoying this thread while awaiting "Death Storm 2.0" here in NE Ohio's proverbial snow belt. My TT and Imperial 7's I've had since 1978. Added the Cambridge integrated amp and preamp along with the DAC in the past year or 2. I've added an MC cart to the mix after years of only using MM. I've enjoyed both. The family is all grown up, so after a short hiatus, I've been enjoying my time with my music. The gear and some new music discoveries has made this latest journey very enjoyable. I'll probably dabble around the edges with my gear...but barring something drastic happening, I'm very happy with what I have.
 
Just turned 59...enjoying this thread while awaiting "Death Storm 2.0" here in NE Ohio's proverbial snow belt. My TT and Imperial 7's I've had since 1978. Added the Cambridge integrated amp and preamp along with the DAC in the past year or 2. I've added an MC cart to the mix after years of only using MM. I've enjoyed both. The family is all grown up, so after a short hiatus, I've been enjoying my time with my music. The gear and some new music discoveries has made this latest journey very enjoyable. I'll probably dabble around the edges with my gear...but barring something drastic happening, I'm very happy with what I have.
Yeah, speaking about dead in my tracks, that storm is going to find it's way right to my front door. I've gotta be on the 401 first thing. Hope it's late.
 
I'm almost 60. Ironically when my Dad died I inherited some of his hi-fi gear, and that started the upgrade fever. Before that I was relatively content with a "mid-fi" system. But he had a McIntosh back in the 50's, with Bozak speakers (altho his system had been replaced w/solid state years before I got it) so perhaps I was feeling nostalgic?

I know my hearing is not what it used to be, it was probably damaged from the many loud shows I went to.

Now that I have some money I am happy to pursue incremental improvements in my sound but I also understand that the biggest upgrade would come with a new listening room, i.e., house. And that ain't gonna happen.
 
I just turned 48 last week. I've been quite satisfied with all of my sound systems, and have changed very little in the past 12 years or so. I just got a pair of KEF LS50s in Titanium on Monday, but that was mostly from a desire to get that finish before it runs out, as it was supposed to be a limited edition finish. If I hadn't noticed that KEF Direct still had some listed in stock, I'd have gone on just enjoying what I already had. That said, the new speakers make a nice addition, in my bedroom currently, but I still love my other setups and won't be getting rid of anything.

As long as nothing breaks on me, I anticipate many years to come with all of my equipment. Once I make the decision to buy something, I generally switch back to focusing on my music and not my gear. If I win the lottery, I'll look into purchasing some KEF Muons or Blades, but short of that, I should be content! :D
 
I will be 49 this year and have been working on finishing my final system, when my speakers are finally back together, that should be it, I would have loved a couple adcom monoblock power amps. probably not going to ever happen. Absolutely audiokarma has helped me get every component up to par. This is the only hobby that gives me enough joy to stay home and out of trouble with alcohol i am thankful. Truth......,also my name j31088 is actually my daughters initial and dob.
 
It is your money. You earned it. Spend it on what you want when you can.

Junior can go to community college and/or get a job.

I'm new to this thread and quoted this just for its candor... and it made me laugh. Not to be uncaring about the grandson... but yeah I'm kinda with this guy, too.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with going to community colllege. I know... I taught in them for 30 years.
 
I'll be 56 in a couple of months and have bought what I believe to be my last amplifier pieces. I've been on this audio ride for fifteen years pretty hard and have finally come to a point where I feel it is time to get off.A hearing setback has also hastened that decision.After much trial and error I find I like vintage speakers(large)powered by clean amps.Mainly because I can't afford the newer large offerings.My speaks are probably not what an audiophile would consider audiophile but that ok.Its what I have determined I like.Now to start enjoying the four or five setups that I have settled on and eventually come down to one or two.The last fifteen years went by pretty fast and the next should be no different so I no longer desire to be on the audio merry-go-round.I'll tell you what though...it was a lot of fun.
 
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I'll be 56 in a couple of months and have bought what I believe to be my last amplifier pieces. I've been on this audio ride for fifteen years pretty hard and have finally come to a point where I feel it is time to get off.A hearing setback has also hastened that decision.After much trial and error I find I like vintage speakers(large)powered by clean amps.Mainly because I can't afford the newer large offerings.My speaks are probably not what an audiophile would consider audiophile but that ok.Its what I have determined I like.Now to start enjoying the four or five setups that I have settled on and eventually come down to one or two.The last fifteen years went by pretty fast and the next should be no different so I no longer desire to be on the audio merry-go-round.I'll tell you what though...it was a lot of fun.

If you're talking about the KEF 104/2's...I'll gladly call them "audiophile" to my ears! Never heard this specific model, but I'm a big fan of the KEF Reference series. Enjoy!
 
58, and after some time im pretty dang happy with my main system. It took moving from SS to tubes and I just can't see going back.
 
If you're talking about the KEF 104/2's...I'll gladly call them "audiophile" to my ears! Never heard this specific model, but I'm a big fan of the KEF Reference series. Enjoy!
Oh yeah...the KEFs are definitely audiophile.The setup I listen to the most has a set of JBL L112s and Toshiba SS330w.Probably couldn't get $40 for the Toshiba's at a yard sale but damn if they aren't my most listened to speaker.Together they give that large soundstage that I like at times.Of course when push comes to shove you can hear their limitations but until then it's all good and I'm good.Only a set of Model 19s or Cornwalls will change this and I don't see it happening anytime soon.
 
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Glad some one unearthed this thread cause it's a good one. Not controversial, adversarial, or commercial in nature.

Really have enjoyed the different POV's that were presented with no one STILL looking for the proverbial weak link that bugs them to no end, yet with others still opened minded in that they might make adjustments if the need/finances and circumstances warrant change.

As for change, I've only gone for better cartridges as they've been offered as the TT may by a Sony X600, but gonna have to find that gremlin in there that wants to take over the arm after two or more records are played. From what I can gather, it's gotta be old lube in there that sticking least I hope that's all it is, eh?

For the most part I've not entertained scrapping the old for the new as I have heard other gear that doesn't compare to this set up and some units were a lot newer. Compliments still come in on the accuracy of sound produced, but maybe they've got poor units at home, or just being kind. I still prefer the analogue sound, but when I get lazy, I revert to the Sony carousel and set it at random.

Maybe we just get more relaxed with the stuff we got, and take the easier road of not having to research, locate and source out what is state of the art, but this hobby is very subjective at best. IMPOV

Q
 
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I am 53, and actually now that I have a tubed DAC with dual Ultra Analog chips, I am enjoying the hell out of the system...I am at a point where the investment in amp, speakers, cdp and tuner is ridiculously low for the sound quality they deliver..the DAC is the most expensive component. I teach inner city yout's, and its quite an 8 hrs of loud insane aylum work, so my wife and daughter know that this is the only thing besides them and the cats, that I care about.

But, I will still switch things once in awhile because that is what Whitese does...:beatnik:
 
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I am 53, and actually now that I have a tubed DAC with dual Ultra Analog chips, I am enjoying the hell out of the system...I am at a point where the investment in amp, speakers, cdp and tuner is ridiculously low for the sound quality they deliver..the DAC is the most expensive component. I teach inner city yout's, and its quite an 8 hrs of loud insane aylum work, so my wife and daughter know that this is the only thing besides them and the cats, that I care about
Glad to see youve selttled down a bit with the gear buying and selling jack.i had a hell of a time throughout the years trying to keep track of what your current system was and had to keep a bottle of tylenol nearby to help me with the headaches i got trying to figure it out:D
 
Glad to see youve selttled down a bit with the gear buying and selling jack.i had a hell of a time throughout the years trying to keep track of what your current system was and had to keep a bottle of tylenol nearby to help me with the headaches i got trying to figure it out:D

I will get a pair of amps one of these days...tubed amps....
 
I'm 31 - sitting at about a 7/10 for satisfaction level of my system. Definitely need a DAC upgrade big time. Married w/ 2 dogs, no kids yet. Ultimate fear is that once we do have kids, my system usage will go down to almost 0. I think the DAC upgrade would get me to an 8+/10, and may just need to live with that until kids are old enough for "dad" to upgrade!
 
31 here and i am super satisfied, and always have been no matter if i had speakers from the swamp meet or the best gear, it is just the right hobby for my personality.

Speakers from 1960s to 2010s, found this place because 60s speakers have something that new speakers didn't
Tubes - Mullard, Telefunkens, Siemens CCA, Amperex
Tube and Solid State amps,
All types of sources and dacs
Headphones of all types

And most importantly music of all type and from all periods.
 
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31 here and i am super satisfied, and always have been no matter if i had speakers from the swamp meet or the best gear, it is just the right hobby for my personality.

Speakers from 1960s to 2010s, found this place because 60s speakers have something that new speakers didn't
Tubes - Mullard, Telefunkens, Siemens CCA, Amperex
Tube and Solid State amps,
All types of sources and dacs
Headphones of all types

And most importantly music of all type and from all periods.
The dog in your member photo appears to be zoning out to some tunes via headphones... I wonder what s/he is listening to?
 
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