I am not surprised

[square_wave]

AudiogoN Forums: Which cost more: your system or your car?

 

[iaudio]

Systems which cost more than a beemer seems to be the norm on Audiogon!

I dont have a car, but I guess my rig does cost more than my humble motorcycle.

 

[santhosh]

My case is a little different. I have not been able to upgrade from my Maruti Esteem because of my AV spendhyeah:.

That I can't find another FTD (Fun to drive) car within my reach is another matter....

 

[ajay124]

My system cost more than my Getz.Incidentally,the Getz will up for sale soon.In a few months I am planning to relocate to Goa,in which case I will HAPPILY manage without a car,but I am already suffering pangs of anxiety about how to safely transfer the amp,cdp and speaker's to Goa.

 

[iaudio]

Santhosh, You have no right to speak What about all the other vehicles in your garage?

Ajay, Goa! Are you gonna be puttering around on a Royal Enfield then? So a trip to Goa from now on holds the promise of beaches as well as Bryston-Beethoven Baby Grand.
Suri, are you listening?

 

[ajay124]

Santhosh, You have no right to speak What about all the other vehicles in your garage?

Ajay, Goa! Are you gonna be puttering around on a Royal Enfield then? So a trip to Goa from now on holds the promise of beaches as well as Bryston-Beethoven Baby Grand.
Suri, are you listening?

Not an Enfield but a Honda Activa.And a bicycle.Have never driven a car or a motorbike
A good school for my daughter is the only hiccup but it may be resolved soon.Planning to stay in Porvorim as it has a couple of good schools.Possibly start a bakery/eating joint/HiFi shop once we settle down.Relocating will not be a cake walk,but we can always return to Chandigarh after a year,if things don't work out.
Candolim,Calangute,Anjuna,Baga are nearby,although they are no longer the 'paradise' they used to be.Still,having lived close to the mountains all my life,I find the sea very inviting.Love the 'sea smell' of Goa.
I have grown so attached to the Bryston/Beethoven Baby Grand's that I shudder at the thought of handing them over to a transporter/courier.Would appreciate advise on the best way of getting them safely to Goa.At the moment I am contemplating hiring 'half-a-truck' from a professional packer and mover.Would cost about 25K including packing,loading,unloading,transporting.Insurance premium is roughly 2% of the sum insured if I opt for that.Plan to ship the cdp/amps/speakers,cd's,books,clothes,iMac,Honda Activa and a few odds and ends only as initially we would be renting a furnished apartment.

 

[square_wave]

Not an Enfield but a Honda Activa.And a bicycle.Have never driven a car or a motorbike
A good school for my daughter is the only hiccup but it may be resolved soon.Planning to stay in Porvorim as it has a couple of good schools.Possibly start a bakery/eating joint/HiFi shop once we settle down.Relocating will not be a cake walk,but we can always return to Chandigarh after a year,if things don't work out.
Candolim,Calangute,Anjuna,Baga are nearby,although they are no longer the 'paradise' they used to be.Still,having lived close to the mountains all my life,I find the sea very inviting.Love the 'sea smell' of Goa.
I have grown so attached to the Bryston/Beethoven Baby Grand's that I shudder at the thought of handing them over to a transporter/courier.Would appreciate advise on the best way of getting them safely to Goa.At the moment I am contemplating hiring 'half-a-truck' from a professional packer and mover.Would cost about 25K including packing,loading,unloading,transporting.Insurance premium is roughly 2% of the sum insured if I opt for that.Plan to ship the cdp/amps/speakers,cd's,books,clothes,iMac,Honda Activa and a few odds and ends only as initially we would be renting a furnished apartment.

Looks like you have quite an adventure on your hands Ajay ! I wish I could do the same. Go somewhere far away from the travails of polluted air and minds and live peacefully

Yeah, keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel
Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel
Yeah, we're goin to the Roadhouse We're gonna have a real
Good time

 

[ssf]

I am not surprised either.

With a car, one moves from point A to point B. With Audio/ Video, one starts at point A and then I was told that the journey leads to Nirvana. Hence, it makes sense to invest more in Audio / Video.

Glad to know that the Beethoven's are coming down South !!!

Regards,

Sunil

 

[ajay124]

I am not surprised either.

With a car, one moves from point A to point B. With Audio/ Video, one starts at point A and then I was told that the journey leads to Nirvana. Hence, it makes sense to invest more in Audio / Video.

Glad to know that the Beethoven's are coming down South !!!

Regards,

Sunil

But before one attains audio nirvana one may have to pass through the seven circles of hell.It's relatively easy to choose a car which will transport you from A to B,but putting together a source/amp/speaker/cables which will transport you to Nirvana can be a nerve racking,nail biting experience.I spent 7 sleepless months in making frantic telephone calls to Bombay,Singapore,Dubai,England,Germany,auditionioning in Delhi and Bangalore,getting more and more confused,buying,selling,watching my budget balloon to double what I had initially intended.And I consider myself lucky and truly blessed that I did find Nirvana so soon.It would be easy to get lost in the permutations and combinations,conflicting viewpoints and reviews,never emerging from the thickets of confusion and disatisfaction.Putting together a HiFi set up should come with a statutory warning.
Beware all ye who enter this fearsome and twisted labyrinth.You could loose your way for a long long time before you emerge on the other side

 

[iaudio]

Not an Enfield but a Honda Activa.And a bicycle.Have never driven a car or a motorbike
A good school for my daughter is the only hiccup but it may be resolved soon.Planning to stay in Porvorim as it has a couple of good schools.Possibly start a bakery/eating joint/HiFi shop once we settle down.Relocating will not be a cake walk,but we can always return to Chandigarh after a year,if things don't work out.
Respect!

Candolim,Calangute,Anjuna,Baga are nearby,although they are no longer the 'paradise' they used to be.
You can say that again. I was in Goa twice last year. I had a great time, but sometimes wondered where this place was heading, you know. No, I am not being high and moral, but talking about the whole sanity of things, with the increasing anti social elements thats corrupting the relaxed, friendly and laid back ambiance that I love about Goa.

Still,having lived close to the mountains all my life,I find the sea very inviting.Love the 'sea smell' of Goa.
I have grown so attached to the Bryston/Beethoven Baby Grand's that I shudder at the thought of handing them over to a transporter/courier.Would appreciate advise on the best way of getting them safely to Goa.At the moment I am contemplating hiring 'half-a-truck' from a professional packer and mover.Would cost about 25K including packing,loading,unloading,transporting.Insurance premium is roughly 2% of the sum insured if I opt for that.Plan to ship the cdp/amps/speakers,cd's,books,clothes,iMac,Honda Activa and a few odds and ends only as initially we would be renting a furnished apartment.

My thoughts in blue.

 

[ssf]

But before one attains audio nirvana one may have to pass through the seven circles of hell.It's relatively easy to choose a car which will transport you from A to B,but putting together a source/amp/speaker/cables which will transport you to Nirvana can be a nerve racking,nail biting experience.I spent 7 sleepless months in making frantic telephone calls to Bombay,Singapore,Dubai,England,Germany,auditionioning in Delhi and Bangalore,getting more and more confused,buying,selling,watching my budget balloon to double what I had initially intended.And I consider myself lucky and truly blessed that I did find Nirvana so soon.It would be easy to get lost in the permutations and combinations,conflicting viewpoints and reviews,never emerging from the thickets of confusion and disatisfaction.Putting together a HiFi set up should come with a statutory warning.
Beware all ye who enter this fearsome and twisted labyrinth.You could loose your way for a long long time before you emerge on the other side

haha, life is never as simple as we would like it to be now is it !!!

If I have to pen down (these days of bits and bytes, type down) all my thoughts on Audio/Video Nirvana, it would put most of our members to sleep but nonetheless, my irrelevant observations.

My cousin who has a BMW X5 was renovating one of the rooms of his house in which he could watch movies / listen to music. He had mentioned this to me but knowing his preferences and understanding of audio/video I refrained from making suggestions. He taking suggestions from his numerous contacts did setup his HTS and with great pleasure invited me to a night of movies, music and spirits.

Needless to say, I was totally disappointed. But the point I am trying to make is that, he was happy. It was an inexpensive entry level HTS solution that he was suggested and he was singing praises about the setup which had me wondering if that was what was Nirvana was all about. Ignorance.

And mind you, it's in grades. I am no expert on systems either and I unlike my cousin am constrained by budgets and I already have a system in mind which to most members on HFV might be something to laugh about but would make me happy. See where am going with this, cause I can't :lol:

Regards,

@ss

 

[ajay124]

More than anything else I believe it is the room which chooses the HiFi system.The Bryston/Beethoven are a stairway to heaven because they seem to have been born for the room where they are presently playing Leonard Cohen for an audience of one.Me
They may not work so well in the potentially smaller rooms of the apartment I rent in Goa.So possibly they may not be travelling south anytime soon.
My Cyrus amp has encountered a problem and I will be sending it to Mumbai for repairs.Hopefully it is a minor issue.I may initially take the Arcam cdp to Goa with the transparent audio cables and IC's and pare them with an Arcam amp (do Arcam amps accept 'spade termination' of the speaker cables?) and a pair of stand mounts...Totem?Proac?Dynaudio?SF if I can find a pair going cheap.S..t!Another audio journey on the cards?

 

[square_wave]

@Ajay,

Drop in to bangalore after you reach Goa and take a listen to the new Blumenhofer bookshelf speakers. They are not cheap but you may find it is worth it. Will work in smaller rooms.

Another option is to pick up Merlin bookshelf speakers from audiogon. I have seen some going much below a lakh. With borderlinx and all that, getting them down will be a breeze

Another option which I like are the Proac response series bookshelf speakers for classical/ Jazz. You can listen to them at Absolute phase.

 

[ajay124]

@Ajay,

Drop in to bangalore after you reach Goa and take a listen to the new Blumenhofer bookshelf speakers. They are not cheap but you may find it is worth it. Will work in smaller rooms.

Another option is to pick up Merlin bookshelf speakers from audiogon. I have seen some going much below a lakh. With borderlinx and all that, getting them down will be a breeze

Another option which I like are the Proac response series bookshelf speakers for classical/ Jazz. You can listen to them at Absolute phase.

@squarewave
My budget for a second amp and standmounts in Goa would be 20-30K for a lightly used Arcam Diva/FMJ or better still a Bryston B 60 SST or it's older version.
Will not be considering Marantz,Creek,Nad,CA etc.
30-40K for a pair of used standmounts,preferably Proac
My philosophy for buying HiFi is "buy only when the seller is more desperate to sell,than I am desperate to buy"
I have been at the reverse end of the situation earlier this year and will not submit to it again.If nothing satisfactory comes along,I will bide my time and keep my money in the bank.