Age and your satisfaction with your Main Rig

This past year I made a wholesale change to my system. All the factors seemed to come together. I am in my sixties and I have had a few surgeries to my back. I can't be jerking around with heavy tube gear any longer. I wanted to make this a final change. (yeah right!)

Anyway, I now have a new McIntosh amp and preamp, a vintage tuner, a new CD player, power conditioner and cabling and finally, speakers. I am definitely lighter in the wallet but my system is the best it has ever sounded.
 
I'm 60. My main rig is actually 2 systems in the same cabinet. I'm at a point now where I'm just tweaking things (considering a miniDSP 2x4 HD to fine tune a sub and use as a DAC for a couple CCA's). I like what I hear. Probably going to retire within 6 years. As this is in a bedroom/office there's no TT; if we move post retirement my listening room will have a new TT (I have one in another room but I never use it).
 
Age 58, and happy as can be with everything I have.
That doesn't mean that I won't attempt to upgrade things now and then when the opportunity arises.
 
A 52 y/o Grampy. My current electronics will probably be my last, unless they fail or something evolutionary comes about and makes them completely obsolete. As for loudspeakers... My current ones are fantastic (That's why I bought them), but I'm a sucker for a fine pair of speakers and I tend to switch things up just for the hell of it every 2-5 years.
 
60 and feel thoroughly spoiled with my systems: the Sound Lab stats in the treated music room, Acoustat 1+1 stats as mains in the HT, along with the garage and in-house system for the office, kitchen, sun room, dining room, living room and deck out by pool. All having access to the LMS based music server and TIDAL.
 
I'm 59 and holding. My main rig?
A Krell S-550-i (though I'm looking hard at the Rega Elicit-R)
A pair of Harbeth C7s'
And a TEAC PD-H600.

Everything else is neatly stored away. I don't like knowing I have speakers and amps that others could use so they'll be sold or given away eventually.
 
I don't like knowing I have speakers and amps that others could use so they'll be sold or given away eventually.
I should tell myself this, so I can be motivated to get rid of a lot of what I have piled in the basement.
 
67 here. Bought my Sansui AU719 / TU717 in 1980. It did everything I wanted back then, and for the 37 years I've owned it. Changed speakers a few times, but coupled to my Khorns, it's all I'll ever need.
 
63 in a few weeks and never been married, and the only "children"(that I`m willing to admit to !) that I have, have on/off switches and plug into power outlets...

And with the exception of maybe replacing/upgrading my current OPPO UDP-203 or Sony 4K projector with something(6K ??) in the future, I`m done..

When about 4 years back, while listening to a few Steven Wilson BluRay Pure Audio DVD`s playing in a OPPO BDP-103 in Direct 2 channel mode played through the main living room system with some friends one night, we were amazed at the depth and transparency of the music that the speakers totally disappeared, and it was like one could taste the texture of the music.. :music:= :thumbsup:

So no more chasing for me, just the projector`s Lamp and re-tubing the 4 mono`d MC 275 VI`s when finally needed, but that won`t be for quite some time as their only duties are from 80 Hz up Highs & Mid. freqs. in my living room Tri-amp setup, pictures & descriptions of which I`ve posted elsewhere on this site..

I upgraded a bit of the living room`s A/V system around 5 years ago, and my check book still has lingering dollar sign shaped wisps of smoke coming out of it,IMG_0193.JPG and I damn near soiled myself when I added up all the purchases of around a year`s duration !! :eek:+:yikes:
But it was worth it to me, as some of the equipment in the system was original from the early nineties, and all of it now works perfectly every time I fire it up(with, ironically a key, like a car !!), at least so far..

A pic of me taking a beer break during the upgrade/rework.

Kind regards, OKB
 
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age 59 and after a span of 35 yrs of buy /use/sell ...repeat...i stumbled upon a dusty old tube mono amp in a console i bought...that lead me to a second and a full matching mid 1950-s seperates system includeing late 50's speakers.Nothing ive owned has given me the satisfaction and im actually a bit pissed im not getting the high of shopping for more EQ.
 
Some great stories. Thanks for sharing. I am now 63 and decided my 5.1 surround was too much crap
and dumped it all. So far I only have the speakers -Circa 1990 Altec m500's- and shopping for amps, etc.
I recently joined a local audiophile club so my limited retirement budget and loyal wife will likely be tested.
Our 26 year old daughter is on her own now. Our kids are two dogs.
I have been to about every music equipment shop around here I have learned one thing. The setup of the
listening room acoustically is as important as the equipment you buy. Amazingly many of the "High End"
retailers don't feel that way. I have only heard "Magic" moments three times while auditioning equipment.
All three times I was in what the salesman describes as a "not even a pimple on the butt" of the local heavies
who claim to be the #1 dealer of Linn and McIntosh. Why? Because these guys (AV Choices-Phoenix) know
more about sound and how to optimize it. I am listening!!
 
Refused to turn forty, so called it thirty-ten and now at 30-33, having made recent changes, I find myself very happy with my core system streaming Tidal as primary source.
 
Always had better gear. Been happy with it most of the time. Always find something that it can't quite do correctly. Maybe that is why there is true high end gear. Still never not been happy with what I have had.
 
I've been busy building gear the last several years since I retired. My Junk / Listening Room isn't really set up in any fitting manner. I started in Hi-Fi in 1975 building my first set-up and will turn 71 this next Summer. I have belonged to the Pacific Northwest Audio Society since 1979/80 and am also the Founder/director of the "Puget Sound DIY Club". This last year Dana Olson (no relation) and I gave a presentation to the Seattle AES membership about "The Puget Sound! DIY Speaker Contest". I will soon be starting on building a Music Server designed by one of our DIY members who is a retired Microsoft Manager.
 
56 and pretty darn happy with my gear. I play around with cables and stuff every once in awhile, but I'm satisfied overall.
 
I will turn 46 this summer (might as well get ready for it, sigh) and the McIntosh XRT20's I acquired last year have pretty much ended the search for speakers. If I can score a nice Krell/Bryston/McIntosh to power them properly, I'd say I'm done.

As my hearing continues to drop off, and tinnitus becomes more of an issue, I'm less concerned with that extra 1% of sound than simply enjoying the music.

It's been a great ride.
 
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