yeah, some people should understand others can enjoy music on anything the same way I can enjoy driving a fkin 1-liter Škoda around the town
ofc, I wouldnt go back to some free buds provided with a phone, but even at that time I used those I loved music
…and that should be the goal
Aye man, sometimes it feels like this hobby is all about showing off, who got the most expensive gears, not about enjoying music anymore, smh.
Speaking of showing off, as an example if you go to zmf threads in most forums, it’s just people showing off their wood on the headphones or whatnot or fancy pictures, with little information about the sound or pairings mixed inbetween, which really isn’t helpful for someone actually looking to buy one of their headphones if they care about quality of sound lol
at least this site has “Show me your wood” section 
My Dad died in November, and dealing with the loss and family drama of taking care of my Mom during COVID, my toddler children and friction between my sister and I for taking care of said Mom has really stressed me out.
I’m constantly looking for something to do other than work, and buying and researching audio equipment has become one such outlet. However, It’s getting to the point where I’m not even sure why I’m tinkering with this stuff anymore. No amount of audio equipment will solve my grief, and that’s depressing.
So sorry to hear of your loss man 
dealing with everything that goes along with it even before you take into account the Covid shit takes strength, stay strong for your Mom and family as they need you and take strength from your music as mine has always helped me through troubled times 
Rough man, its got to be double heavy with kids and not having the luxury to just wallow in grief.
Yes, exactly!
I think audiophilia and other super-focused hobbies can be a slippery slope for people who don’t value money. Many people stay poor due to their bad relationship with money and/or lack of knowledge of how to appropriate money. They recieve it, they spend it on their whims and pleasures.
I’ve got money–enough to live on in comfort for years if I didn’t want to work… I’m not running out to buy the best gear I can. I’m just getting what fits me well. I want to enjoy my music the way I determine and in comfort–so long as the gear matches that and works well, we’re good.
My most expensive headphone is my Senn PXC-550… bluetooth, noise cancelling. Probably the worst sounding headphone I have, but worth it for travelling.
The wood is very pretty though. Desert ironwood in any of their closed and i think my money drops itself before i even think about it.
Edit: i am also a wood lover so dont mind me.
It really is a great medium. The wood.
Don’t know if you’re in the States but here 50% of all workers make less than $30k a year. Not sure how much bad relationship with money there is to have when you run out of money when there’s still month left. When you don’t make enough to cover basic living expenses, it’s not the fault of the individual, it’s the fault of the system.
Cant get a leg up if cost of living kicks the ladder from under you.
I agree with this, but in context of hobbies, I think dropping cash on an HD800S is probably not the best idea if I don’t have a comfortable amount of disposable income.
Shaming poor people for enjoying life is one thing, but it’s also another to be unwise with money regardless of financial health.
I could burn my savings on some nice STAX if I want to, but I’d rather just continue saving up for who knows what lol.
What I’m talking about is many poor people have issues with money–not all. We can poke holes in this argument all day long, blaming whoever. I’m saying poor people statistically lack financial literacy, not because they’re dumb but they’re ignorant–they do not know better ways.
We can wank off about how the government fucks poor people over. But if these same poor people are grabbing up $300 headphones, a $300 DAC/amp stack and such, it’s not a wise choice in their situation. I can guarantee you there’s people who are barely surviving off unemployment and waiting for their stimulus checks to buy audio gear instead of paying bills. The government has no play in the spending habits of people. You can’t just blame the big-baddy when something smells bad.
If we want to blame folks for poor buying choices, we can add in marketing–which, FYI, forums are substantial marketing groups. That’s why companies send out loans/samples to drive up hype.
And trust me, I’ve lived off minimum wage in a cheap city and struggled to get by. At that time I didn’t buy audio gear aside from some cheap-ass bluetooth buds for my exercise.
Poor people aren’t to be pitied, shamed, or suppressed by any means. They should be helped, educated, and provided as much support as possible. If they want to buy nicer headphones, awesome; offer them a “bang for bunk” set and say, “This is as good as X and probably will be all you need”. That’s why I respect reviewers when they say, “Buying this cheap headphone might be someone’s salary for the week, and it’s enough”.
Not too worried about the poor purchasing audio equipment. The product is very niche even among the rich.
Gone are the days of a hifi system in every livingroom.
Most of the people who live in nicer houses and drive nicer cars than me make less money than I do.
Note that I intentionally said “live in” and “drive”, not “own”.
Financial discipline and literacy is low. It isn’t taught by parents or the educational system. Living below your means takes discipline. It’s why some people with modest incomes become wealthy and many people who win the lottery go bankrupt.
This is not a one-dimensional problem.
Goes back to that saying you got to have money to live off the land.
SUPER SUPER IMPORTANT.
I’ve always lived 50% below my means. Make $2K a month, live off $1K. That doesn’t mean I get $1K to spend on audio gear. Maybe $100, if I really want to, maybe every few months.
Quick path to riches:
Live below your means.
Pad your savings for “fuck you money”.
Max out your retirement.
Max out Roth IRA (US) and invest into index funds.
At the end of the year, if you have extra money to spare, you can spend it.
If shit happens, you have fuck-you-money and your stocks to leach from.
In 10-20 years, retire a millionaire.
But for many folks who lack financial literacy, this waiting game is beyond them. They’ve been taught money is meant to be spent; BUY SHIT NOW.
No, no, no, no. You can enjoy simple comforts, a stripped down life, and live comfortably and have support when you need it if you make wise decisions. Buying shit you want can come later; now, think in part of what you need and what your future will be.
Im investing in gamestop.
How did they hit the million-dollar mark? They did it through consistent investing, avoiding debt like the plague, and smart spending. No lottery tickets. No inheritances. No six-figure incomes.
The people in the study became millionaires by consistently saving over time. In fact, they worked, saved and invested for an average of 28 years before hitting the million-dollar mark , and most of them reached that milestone at age 49.
The overwhelming majority (79%) of millionaires in the U.S. did not receive any inheritance at all from their parents or other family members. While one in five millionaires (21%) received some inheritance, only 3% received an inheritance of $1 million or more.
Only 31% averaged $100,000 a year over the course of their career, and one-third never made six figures in any single working year of their career.