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Armaegis
127
May 19, 2016
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There is a danger to viewing gear as assets though, because that's just one more little voice that tells you "yeah, go ahead, spend that money, you don't need groceries this month..." Fighting gear acquisition syndrome is much easier when you think of it purely as an expense, not building equity.
My early days in headfi saw me "invest" money into two sets of $200 headphones. With these, I power traded through a LOT of headphones. At least that's what I tell myself. In truth, I was not-so-secretly adding more and more money into the hobby. After a couple years, Pokémon syndrome had taken over and I was a full fledged collector/hoarder.
I managed to pull off a big downsizing and after some crap in my life took a plunge on a used HE-6. Surely stepping up into the big leagues would slow me down! Nope, because now I was buying bigger gear and still using the asset/equity excuse to justify it. I had built up my rig to usb filter, dac, pre, monoblocks, HE-6... and it was getting ridiculous.
So I've managed to downsize again, but I've been busy in one of my other hobbies setting up PA systems for local dance events that have been growing. I started off with some modest powered speakers years ago, but now I'm up to 4000W, 600 lb rig that takes two cars to transport. It would be so much easier to rent what I need, but nah all this stuff I'm buying is an investment.
I need help =P
May 19, 2016
LukasM
1644
Studio Team
May 19, 2016
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ArmaegisArmaegis, sounds similar to the process I went through. In my senior year of high school I had started to help setup and run large PA systems for dance events with a buddy who had been doing it for a decade. I quickly started collecting gear in lieu of payment for my work and set off building my own system. During freshman year of college I picked up a Mackie SWA1501 sub to complement an older (but great sounding) pair of Bose 2 way tops.
That sub was more than enough to shake posters off my dorm room wall and get the RAs called down. Of course, that wasn't enough. I quickly added a second sub that I stuck in the closet and hooked up to a remote power switch by my desk so I could turn it on and off as "needed". (More realistically, when the girls next door were off at class.)
By my sophomore year I had upgraded to a pair of Yorkville UCS1B subs powered by a QSC PLX3402 and had a rack full of Rane processing gear with a custom patch panel that I wired up.
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I ended up selling off most of the gear to fund my travels while on study abroad, but I never regretted buying a single piece of that gear as everything had held its value well. I had a fantastic time using the equipment while I owned it, it's just too bad I never got to hear those Yorkville subs in all their glory. Even one click on the amp was house shaking.
May 19, 2016
Armaegis
127
May 19, 2016
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LukasMAre you Canadian perchance? You don't see Yorkie gear stateside very often. At the moment I've got a couple U15 tops that I'm bi-amping with a pair of Bryston 2B's with a Behringer DCX2496 as processor. Running underneath are some cheap Behringer B1500X subs amped with a Yamaha P7000s. They don't sound particularly great, but the more important factor in choosing was that I could fit two of them in my car and not throw out my back in the process.
I can't believe you had a pair of UCS1's in a dorm room. For those wondering, they are roughly 120lbs each. Should have stacked them for better output, though in a small room it probably doesn't matter.
While we're kinda on this topic, I'm surprised Massdrop hasn't wiggled into the pro audio/prosumer market yet. That is a very hungry demographic with all the wannabe recording artists out there (hey if you guys are hiring... *cough*cough*)
May 19, 2016
LukasM
1644
Studio Team
May 20, 2016
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ArmaegisNope, Bay Area born and raised! Those U15 tops are sweet, they were part of the reason I got the UCS1 subs. I always intended to pair them with a set of Unity tops, but had to sell them before that could happen.
To be fair, I didn't get the UCS1 subs until I was living off campus. In my dorm room freshman year I had the two Mackie subs. Trust me, output was never a problem haha. I had to attenuate the signal at my rack as even one click was too loud for regular use in the house.
If I had to do it all over again I'd probably go with the powered setup and do away with the external racks and amps. My current home DJ sound system is powered and the simplicity is a refreshing change.
We're always hiring! Check out our jobs board and feel free to reach out to our talent team.
https://boards.greenhouse.io/massdrop#.Vz6R9leJ_8s
May 20, 2016
Armaegis
127
May 20, 2016
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LukasMA little while back there was a local guy here who used to own a club, selling a full fledged Yorkie TX system. It was a little bit drool worthy. Right now I've got enough gear to set up for an 8 piece band and play in a gym sized venue to acceptably loud levels. Seeing as this is just a hobby, I probably shouldn't be investing any more into it. I don't think I can do better than the U15's in my current price bracket. I wouldn't mind upgrading the subs, but again, weight and size are limiting factors as well. At the moment, I can actually fit into my car: two U15's, two B1500x subs, two 4U racks of amps and processors, a 16ch mixer, two large cases of mics and cables, two stands, a folding cart and folding hand truck, and two backpacks of miscellaneous gear. It is a rather amazing game of tetris I play which completely loads my wagon to the brim.
I see the appeal to powered stuff, but then I can't play with all the hookups. How am I gonna feed my audiophilia nervosa otherwise? =P
Hah, well being Canadian and all, I think applying for a job in San Francisco might make things problematic. Plus my skillset is more as a teacher, event organizer and mechanical engineering researcher, with absolutely zero experience in web development/marketing/sales related skills. I've got strong communication, organization, and writing skills though. Then again, I still want to do that "angry audiophile" column which is kinda anti-sales, haha! (although strangely, my less-than-positive reviews over at HF are the ones that seem to generate the most discussion and interest)
May 20, 2016
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