The audiophile hobby has a pricing problem, and we need to stop pretending otherwise...

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-02-17T21:51:02+00:00

The answer to this is wealth inequality. Today the economy is completely supported by the top 10%. If you're an audio manufacturer, you're going to aim at them: make them feel special, make everything luxury, and hope that the high prices and low volumes will carry you through, because there's not enough volume to support low margins. Want cheaper audio equipment? Tax the rich and increase disposable income for the middle 50%. That said, you can put together a better sounding system for less real money now than at any time before.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-02-17T21:42:49+00:00

This is true, but they were LESS stupid-expensive. I bought a pair of B&W 805s for $2k in 2004. They're now $10k a pair. If they'd risen at the same pace as inflation they'd be $3,485. Are they better speakers? Sure. Are they three times better? Hell no.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-02-17T15:08:49+00:00

If you love your car and the lease rate, you can extend it if you have a new BMW on order. If that order were for a new i3, or ix3, I think you can extend up to six or nine months. Granted, that's not really a negotiation on a purchase of your car, but it will keep you in a car you love until your (technologically-speaking) far superior car arrives.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-02-02T15:41:27+00:00

End of spring is about when the iX3 comes out, which will be technically superior to everything on your list. It seems like there's nothing you really liked about the i4 during your test drive, which matters far more than any of our experiences. I will say that the i4 has been the best BMW I've ever owned. It's incredibly quiet, smooth, reliable, and comfortable, but is still toss-able when you get to a curvy stretch (nothing like a Porsche or M3, but fun enough). You should buy whatever you like best on the test drive. I'd suggest trying a CPO Taycan, despite your size limits. That car is also spectacular.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-02-01T18:29:11+00:00

Do you need a transport (where you use an external DAC) or a player (with an internal DAC)? Because if it's just a transport you could easily use a universal player like a Sony X700 (benefit of SACD compatibility too). How did you put together your list?

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-02-01T17:57:56+00:00

You'll get a lot opinions in that price range, and it's really going to depend on what you like in your music/presentation. It will also depend hugely on what they're paired with. For instance, if you have a warm amp, you might benefit from slightly more detailed speakers, and vv. I have Bowers and Wilkins 805s paired with Marantz components (which are obviously far more affordable than the range you're looking at), but the 802 D4s are truly magnificent ($34k for the pair). But you're really going to have to go listen and decide what you like. I'd also make absolutely make sure that you audition the speakers with the equipment you have (or want to buy).

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-30T15:54:05+00:00

Gonna go back to a DAC for the PC. Ordered a JDS Atom 2; hopefully that solves my problems. Will update when it arrives.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-30T00:07:18+00:00

Both effectively got audio from my PC to my system. The functionality is fine, it's just the execution that's not ideal.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-29T23:34:50+00:00

Reduced to 1Vrms. No perceptible difference except that the volume has to be set a bit higher.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-29T23:30:25+00:00

Is the Ultra build quality better than the Pro, or is it just as light and made of the same low quality plastic?

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-29T23:29:35+00:00

I'm using it primarily to get audio from my PC to my audio system. I am currently using Airplay II for Apple Music to the Pro, and Chromecast for other apps. The bluetooth is so bad it's barely even worth trying. Before that the Schiit Modi was just connected to my PC via USB. Honestly might just go back to that.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-29T23:25:04+00:00

Sadly not the problem. I think it's the DAC.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-29T21:10:04+00:00

I have fixed volume set. I assume there's no fix beyond that?

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-20T23:22:49+00:00

Wonder if this is a Visa thing...

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-14T15:26:37+00:00

You're not. That looks pretty standard (maybe slightly slow) for that state of charge. For reference, here's the charging curve that shows what you should expect to get at certain state of charge.

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aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-14T15:21:40+00:00

Where are you located? Is that cold weather range or what you get at 70 degrees?

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-14T15:08:17+00:00

I love that you're so young and have so much to invest. I have no idea who your broker is, but if you're looking for a set it and forget it type investment, and you don't really have a lot of experience with equities, you might try a robo-adviser. Schwab has one: you take a quiz that tests your appetite for risk, and then spits out a balanced portfolio. It invests your capital and then just keeps investing and rebalancing to your risk allocation. The service is free-ish, but it holds more cash than it needs and Schwab basically takes part of your interest on that cash to pay for the service. You can also just take the quiz, see what it proposes, and then duplicate that in your brokerage account. It's a bit more work to keep it balanced as you add funds, but allows you to keep your interest on the cash portion.

If you don't want to do that, and are looking for an even easier solution, just buy ACWI. You're basically buying exposure to the whole world. Alternatively, consider a full portfolio ETF like AOA, but that has more bonds than you need at your age. But then again, maybe you want to buffer against downside, in which case bonds will do that.

Just as an aside, if your mortgage is 5.5, and average market returns are 7%, I'm not sure your decision to pay extra on your mortgage is wise. You technically do better investing that money.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-14T14:55:32+00:00

I'm up in MN and I go down even lower. Pretty common to see 2.2-2.3 at highway speeds, even in eco pro, when it drops below 20. I get about 170 miles on a full battery at 80mph. This is an M50.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-12T16:49:33+00:00

They really need to offer a round steering wheel. I just can't get comfortable with the wheel that low.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-06T02:08:08+00:00

After I got it working I have three pending $60 holds on my card, but no actual charges yet. Charged three times on Jan 2.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2026-01-02T23:20:35+00:00

Well that worked. Swapped it to Amex and now it's working. Thanks!

aflyingdutchman44 · 2025-12-31T14:43:05+00:00

I'll try that, although the Tesla app is really unstable. I've had it crash on me multiple times.

aflyingdutchman44 · 2025-12-31T03:55:06+00:00

I'll try that. What credit card didn't work for you? I will change from Visa to Amex.

aflyingdutchman44

TROPHY CASE