I'm finding great success with the second hand market and getting what I feel is a great ROI overall. I am finding great gear that was great 10 - 20 years ago and is of good quality. I am happy with what I have. I have a few different systems now, and while i'll admit they are not the last word in top audiophile lists, I have a variety of systems and different rooms to play in and enjoy. And that is where I enjoy the audio hobby the most....tinkering....trying.....combos of different amps, different speakers, placements, etc. It's great to sit down at my office desk and enjoy it there, or the living room, or the bedroom, or the 5.1 in the basement. Again, all done on a budget but i get great satisfaction from it. Kids love the basic theatre and we have enjoyed a bunch of movies together. We live rural so there is no movie theatre even close to consider going to see a movie. We get cozy down there with our popcorn and treats on our free couch and it's totally awesome! The wife and I have enjoyed a few movies too. I guess i love the variety. Headphones too and few different modest DACS to play with. With 3 kids life is expensive enough and while we're not hurting really, we have to be careful to not get carried away. Finding the balance. I enjoy buying CD's from a nearby second hand store. I think i've spent a total of like 30 dollars over the last year and have a growing selection of cd media again along with my collection a kept from the past. $2 for 10 cd. Vinyl too, the collection is growing. The second hand world is great but my rule is to be selctive and not just buy it bc it's a good deal. Patience is a virture, I enjoy the wait and know there will always be something else out there later. Nice post there Hambrabi.
