Tuesday, January 1, 2013

How much is too much Audio Gear?

I was just thinking that I have quite a bit of audio equipment.  I certainly have more than most people.  My daughter informed me that none of her friends' parents even have a home stereo, perish the thought.  I use most of my equipment most of the time.  I love having options and systems in different locations throughout the house.  I made a list of the equipment that I have and it turns out to be quite extensive.  I am wondering if I just have too much stuff, or if it is normal for audio-crazed individuals to have a few working stereo systems in their homes.



Here is a list of my equipment as it stands in January 2013:




I have a few amplifiers:
McIntosh MC250 - 50 WPC Stereo amp - Purchased used 2011
Onyko 5.1 Receiver – 75 WPC - given to me by a friend in 2011
Parasound HCA-800-II - 100 WPC stereo amplifier - Purchased used in 2011
Quipu 2.5 WPC stereo tube amp - Purchased new in 2010
Yamaha RX-V2700 - 140 WPC Home theater Receiver - Purchased demo unit 2008

  
I have a few sets of speakers:
Bose 10.2 series II – Purchased new by my Father in 1988ish
Bose 301 series II – Purchased new by my Father in 1988ish
Boston Acoustics T930 – purchased new 1988
Klipsch KLF-20 – Purchased used in 2008
Paradigm Monitor 5 – Purchased used in 2011
Polk T15 – Purchased used in 2011
PSB Image 6 speakers – Purchased used in 2012


 I have a few tape decks:
Nakamichi CR-1a – Cassette Deck - Purchased used in 2009 - rescued
Pioneer RT-1020L – Reel to Reel Deck - Purchased used in 2008 - rescued
Sony TC-377 – Reel to Reel Deck - Purchased used in 2005 - rescued
Teac A-6010 – Reel to Reel Deck - Purchased used in 2010 - rescued

  
I have a couple turntables:
JVC Straight Arm Turntable – Purchased used 2010
Technics SL-B3 – Traded with a friend for a 17” computer monitor in 2004 - rescued
I plan to build a custom turntable using an old garrard mechanism and a Technics arm

I have a few more assorted items:
ADCOM speaker selector switches - Purchased used in 2010
Bose Noise Cancelling headphones - Purchased new 2008
Grado 80i headphones - Purchased new 2012
Hafler preamp - Purchased rebuilt by a friend in 2011
HRT Music Streamer DAC – Burned up December 2012 – Bought new 2009
Mitsubishi 55” rear projection TV – Purchased used 2010
Quinpu tube buffer / preamplifier - Purchased new 2010
Sony  Blu-Ray player – Purchased new online
Sony CDP-C445 Cd player – given to me by my brother
Sony ES 5-disc changer that just started acting up – Purchased new 1991
Sony Reel to reel 3-way deck selector switch - Purchased used in 2010
Yamaha CR-70 Preamp - Purchased used 2010
Yamaha DVD Player – Purchased at a sale at paulsen's audio in Farmington Hills, MI
Zenith Trans Oceanic 3000-1 - Purchased used in 2010
Zenith Trans Oceanic Royal 7000-1 - Purchased used in 2012
I have just purchased a Schiit DAC to replace the burned up one - the Modi

I have a few Record Needles:
Denon DL-160 MC - Purchased NEW
Grado Black - Purchased NEW
Grado Blue - Purchased NEW
Grado Mono - Purchased NEW
Grado 78 RPM - Purchased NEW
Pickering XV-15/625 - Rescued
Shure V15RS (Radio Shack version of the V15) - Original Stylus - Purchased Used
Shure M97xE - Purchased several NEW
Shure M91ED - Rescued
Shure M95 - Rescued
Shure 78 RPM - Purchased NEW

How do our wives feel about all the gear?  I know that my wife does not like it one bit.  My equipment has been banished to the basement regions since we bought our home.  My equipment would not fit very well upstairs and the rooms are not suited to good listening.  Hard walls, hard floors, square in size and not suited well to running wires. 

I haven't even discussed my media collection, hundreds of Cd's.  I have over 100 Reel to Reel pre-recorded tapes, with around 100 more home made and blank tapes to be used in the future.  I have about 150 movies on DVD and Blu-Ray, I hate to think about the VHS tapes I am about to donate to the Salvation Army.  I have around 120 - 45 RPM records, around 80 - 78 RPM records, and around 1500 or so LP's in my collection.  

I also have most of the support gear associated with having the hardware and the software to play these recordings.  I have custom oilers, degreasers, deoxit, cleaners, lubricants, brushes and so forth just for the rejuvenation of the hardware.  I have reel to reel tape splicers, tape and media so I can add leaders to my tapes.  I have head cleaners, head lubricants, swabs and a demagnetizer for the reel to reel decks. I have storage bags for the reels and the records.  I have created custom sleeves for my 78 collection.  I have taken the artwork from nearly destroyed sleeves, and added it to new sleeves to at least preserve some of the information from the original sleeve.  I am adding my collection, a little at a time to Discogs so I have an accurate accounting of my collection.  So far I only have 400 or so entered.  I also purchased boxes for my collection of stuff from bags unlimited, which specializes in preservation.  I am trying very diligently to maintain my collection of gear and media so it can make it to the future for someone else to take care of into the next 50 years after I am done with them.

So what do you think, do I have too much gear?  Like I said I use most of it all the time.  I am playing the record players most days, the reel to reels most months, the amps at least weekly and I change up the speakers using banana plugs or the speaker selector switches depending on the configuration.  I use the TV the least of all the items on the list, but keep it for playing movies.


I am thinking it is time to turn it down a bit so I can listen longer, this will be a post at some point!

Keep on listening as long as you can.  

Peace out and Happy New Year 


Jeff