dave weil wrote:
On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 17:14:43 -0500, Howard Ferstler
wrote:
dave weil wrote:
On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 21:05:26 -0500, Howard Ferstler
wrote:
dave weil wrote:
On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 20:21:05 -0500, Howard Ferstler
wrote:
You've spent about 10 times what I have spent on your rigs.
Probably more like 20 times, on three complete systems,
actually.
Oh, you've spent $60,000 - 100,000 on your gear?
You got me, kind of. I would say that the full, three-system
equipment packages top out at only $50,000, list. Needless
to say, I did not come close to paying that much.
Then your bragging was just bull****.
Remember what I said about adding one room and expanding
another. Because the room is part of the system (more
influential than any high-end amps, super wires, or super CD
players and transports, Dave), I factor in those costs
whenever I calculate what I actually spent on my systems.
So you spent $40,000 - 80,000 on your rooms?
Well, I spent $13,000 on the first one (the big one), but
that was back in the days when construction was cheap. At
today's $100+ per square foot prices, the area would have
cost over forty grand, and probably considerably more. The
new room, which basically amounted to adding 150 square feet
to a room that was 220 square feet at the beginning, cost us
$28,000 last year, so we are talking about close to $200 a
square foot with that one. (Both rooms are thickly carpeted,
which is in contrast to the rest of the house which now has
hardwood floors over the slab.)
Well, the builder did a hell of a job with that new area: 2
x 8 and 2 x 6 trusses on 16-inch centers in the attic, 2 x 6
studs on 16-inch centers, with a 6 x 18, 22 foot long beam
holding up the roof where the old wall was once located. The
earlier room also had 2 x 6 studs on 16-inch centers, with
thick paneling nailed and glued over 5/8-inch drywall for
rigidity. The attic, unfortunately, still has standard 2 x 4
trusses on 24-inch centers, but you cannot have everything.
The costs for both rooms add up to 68 grand at today's
prices, and when we add in the cost of the hardware in those
rooms, as well as the hardware in the already built living
room, we are talking about maybe a list price of over 115
grand. Even at the discounts I paid for the gear, we are
still talking about maybe ninety grand. Even if we use the
original price for the older room, we are still talking
about maybe 66 grand or more.
So, Dave, I have easily surpassed your stated minimum, and
the maximum, too if we use today's construction costs and
certainly am in the ball park if we ignore inflation.
BTW, did you fix the bad ratio of your main room? Unless you raised
the ceiling, I doubt it. You could have used my 9 1/2 foot ceilings.
The proof is in the measurements, Dave. I have measured the
daylights out of the place with my RTA, and trust me, it is
an exemplary room. Thank all of those bookcases full of
books and recordings.
Incidentally, have you measured your room, or do you just
assume that it works for you at your standard listening
position? Guys like you rather do not like to measure their
listening spaces, for fear that they will discover that
things are not as tidy as they assumed.
How much did you spend on your audio room(s), Dave?
I spent a couple of hours in there today.
Hah, you basically have a modest audio system in a room that
you have to live with. Well, you are at least typical.
You have my deepest sympathies.
Howard Ferstler
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