Buying expensive things for a "collection".

SuperInfinity

o1s1n wrote: »

Ah I see, so you assume we all just have crappy hifis and really don't care about music quality. I get it. I guess when you settle for such a low standard, a live music performance would probably be lost on you.

I didn't assume anything like that and don't see where you go that from.

Oh do you mean when I said you literally couldn't hear some parts? You can't hear those parts with any speakers. They're parts that are completely drowned out by other parts of the song, or so low that they don't get heard, sounds at the extreme high or low end of the CD frequency spectrum also can't be heard by most people.

o1s1n wrote: »

Who said I invest in art for the sake of it? You're putting words in my mouth now.

I'll give you an example as I bought some art over the weekend.

I saw some art which I've wanted for years. It was going for an insanely cheap price. I bought it because -

A. - I've wanted it for years and absolutely love it.
B. - I could more than justify the cheap price knowing I could resell it for a lot more if I ever needed to.

Okay, in the OP I was talking about A and not B. Let's exclude that purpose of it, after all we all collect money.

o1s1n

CianRyan wrote: »

Oooh, I envy you. I have a celestion V30 in my guitar amp but I can't afford a decent stereo set up at the minute.

Ah yeah, the atmosphere and the feeling of the bass compressing your chest just can't be matched for experience or of course raw acoustic stuff played with high quality instruments is a thing to behold!
A good lossless file with a system like yours is hard to beat for clarity though.

You'd be surprised what you can put together on a budget - 70s hifi gear goes relatively cheap due to the size of it. A lot of folk don't want it anymore as it's so bulky. If you get the right receiver it will still sound amazing.

Obviously some of it is still insanely pricey though. I'd love a Marantz with an oscilliscope but they go for crazy money!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0vJ06kJPY8

The Celestion speakers only cost me something supidly cheap like 250. Absolutely crazy cheap when you hear the amazing sound out of them.

o1s1n

SuperInfinity wrote: »

I didn't assume anything like that and don't see where you go that from.

Oh do you mean when I said you literally couldn't hear some parts? You can't hear those parts with any speakers. They're parts that are completely drowned out by other parts of the song, or so low that they don't get heard, sounds at the extreme high or low end of the CD frequency spectrum also can't be heard by most people.
.

I know how MP3s are compressed - I still don't buy it that they are like for like on a high end system.

Sure, there are frequencies which are drowned out by other sounds and might as well not be there at far as your hearing is concerned - but there definitely can be other elements lost. I've played both FLAC and MP3 through my own hifi and there is definitely a difference.

MP3 does do me grand when I'm on the go listening to music on my phone or whatever. But if I ever purposely sit down to listen to music at home at a high volume, then I'll try to listen to FLAC.

SuperInfinity wrote: »

Okay, in the OP I was talking about A and not B. Let's exclude that purpose of it, after all we all collect money.

So, putting music aside as it's diverting the original intent of your thread somewhat, what we are discussing is 'why do people wish to own original works of art/rare items etc' when they can just look at a reproduction instead?

SuperInfinity

o1s1n wrote: »

So, putting music aside as it's diverting the original intent of your thread somewhat, what we are discussing is 'why do people wish to own original works of art/rare items etc' when they can just look at a reproduction instead?

Exactly. And why some people openly state that the rarity is part of the reason they want it... why does it make a difference whether there is one or a million of something out there?

o1s1n

SuperInfinity wrote: »

Exactly. And why some people openly state that the rarity is part of the reason they want it... why does it make a difference whether there is one or a million of something out there?

Okay, I'll tell you why I do exactly that.

When you look at at original piece of art over a reproduction, there is a lot more going on. A reproduction is a print, it's flat. All you can see is the image itself. Originals can have textures, repainted parts, hidden parts etc.

One of the artists I collect for for example, is a pen and ink illustrator - his printed works are black and white. But when you see them in person there's infinitely more going on - paint being used, tip ex, things being pasted on. Loads of pieces which are masked by the black and white reproduction process.

As someone who is involved in art myself, I can then get a good idea as to how he works, in ways you just couldn't just by looking at a reproduction.

Secondly, there's absolutely nothing like owning a piece of art created by an artist you really love. There's a magic to it which I really can't explain - that's just the way it is. Knowing they worked on that exact page. It's amazing.

On a completely different level, I collect rare videogames for being rare. Which is probably more along the lines of what you're looking for. Why do I collect rare games? I dunno, I just enjoy it. There's a good buzz of hunting a game down for a while and finally getting your hands on it.

As I said previously though, I'd never pay the going rate. Part of the fun for me is picking them up cheap.

EoghanIRL

Keno 92 wrote: »

I collect people who collect people.

I collect people who collect people who like to collect people

EoghanIRL

Does anyone here collect stamps ?

SuperInfinity

EoghanIRL wrote: »

Does anyone here collect stamps ?

Sounds like the punchline to the thread. :rolleyes: (only messing with you ).

EoghanIRL

SuperInfinity wrote: »

Sounds like the punchline to the thread. :rolleyes: (only messing with you ).

That's how interesting my life is : P

Mr Benevolent

o1s1n wrote: »

I collect videogames and have a very good eye for rare ones. Have bought a lot of games over the years which are very valuable now.

Would you sell them?

o1s1n

SuperInfinity wrote: »

Sounds like the punchline to the thread. :rolleyes: (only messing with you ).

I collected stamps when I was a kid. It's my secret shame

Confab wrote: »

Would you sell them?

I'd sell some, not others. Depends on offers. I have about 1000 games at the moment so could do with letting a lot of stuff go. In fact, I've been focusing on selling off duplicate hardware for the last while to clear up space. Might get rid of my Neo Geo AES for example as I can play all those games on my arcade machine.

EoghanIRL

o1s1n wrote: »

I collected stamps when I was a kid. It's my secret shame



I'd sell some, not others. Depends on offers. I have about 1000 games at the moment so could do with letting a lot of stuff go. In fact, I've been focusing on selling off duplicate hardware for the last while to clear up space. Might get rid of my Neo Geo AES for example as I can play all those games on my arcade machine.

Atari or Nintendo games?

EoghanIRL

o1s1n wrote: »

I collected stamps when I was a kid. It's my secret shame



I'd sell some, not others. Depends on offers. I have about 1000 games at the moment so could do with letting a lot of stuff go. In fact, I've been focusing on selling off duplicate hardware for the last while to clear up space. Might get rid of my Neo Geo AES for example as I can play all those games on my arcade machine.

Atari or Nintendo games?

EoghanIRL

o1s1n wrote: »

I collected stamps when I was a kid. It's my secret shame



I'd sell some, not others. Depends on offers. I have about 1000 games at the moment so could do with letting a lot of stuff go. In fact, I've been focusing on selling off duplicate hardware for the last while to clear up space. Might get rid of my Neo Geo AES for example as I can play all those games on my arcade machine.

Atari or Nintendo games?

Bipolar Joe

So, what I got from this thread is that SuperInfinity is really, really boring and might live in a completely blank space surrounded by the bare essentials.

I used to collect comic books. Had to sell them years ago because I was desperate for money and regretted it ever since. Right now, I collect records, tapes and CDs / CD-Rs, effects pedals / noise makers and stuffed ducks. I collect the music because I see it as an archive (Even though at the moment it's pretty small). Some of them are very rare, including a bootleg Superchunk cassette. I keep them because at some point I hope to have a kid that appreciates music and I think it's important to keep art for future generations. Imagine kids 200 years from now not knowing The Rolling Stones, what a shitty future.

I collect the effect pedals because it's a personal interest, and a fair few of them are either one-off or very limited run.

The ducks are from a semi-job I had in the past from fans.

Really, if there's nothing that you don't feel like owning then I'm not sure you'd "Get" it. I dunno...........

DerekDGoldfish

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

So, what I got from this thread is that SuperInfinity is really, really boring and might live in a completely blank space surrounded by the bare essentials.

I used to collect comic books. Had to sell them years ago because I was desperate for money and regretted it ever since. Right now, I collect records, tapes and CDs / CD-Rs, effects pedals / noise makers and stuffed ducks. I collect the music because I see it as an archive (Even though at the moment it's pretty small). Some of them are very rare, including a bootleg Superchunk cassette. I keep them because at some point I hope to have a kid that appreciates music and I think it's important to keep art for future generations. Imagine kids 200 years from now not knowing The Rolling Stones, what a shitty future.

I collect the effect pedals because it's a personal interest, and a fair few of them are either one-off or very limited run.

The ducks are from a semi-job I had in the past from fans.

Really, if there's nothing that you don't feel like owning then I'm not sure you'd "Get" it. I dunno...........

They will still be ****ing touring, all those drugs have made them imortal

bohboh

SuperInfinity wrote: »

I've never understood how people can spend so much money for an antique or painting or book, even some computer games. Not to enjoy, but just to "have".

What's the point? They're just going to sit there. Who cares if something was made during the first Chinese dynasty, it belongs in a museum. Are you going to sleep better because you know that they're there? Is it going to make for interesting conversation for you, where you can pretend that it somehow makes you superior for owning them? What if nobody thought something was worth any value, would you relegate it to the attic then because it's not "valuable"?

And are you really going to benefit that much from looking at them? That's what paintings were originally for - looking at and enjoying. That was before the days of photographs and computers. You can look at any painting you want on a computer now for free.

hA Yes sure whats the point in anything, Best saving all your money to leave your grand kids, write off your life, saves money. Seriously though you make a fair point, Id much rather spend my money on good food than a painting, I am prone to buyin the odd computer game - you have to have some fun - you cant be logical all the time., I think when people get older they can become needlessly obessed with trying to impress everyone with how nice their house is when nobody actually cares that much. They become obessed with shopping. Everyone does it at some point. Whereas when you young you go out having a social existance and think you'll never be like that when your older. History repeats itself then,

gozunda

SuperInfinity wrote: »

I've never understood how people can spend so much money for an antique or painting or book, even some computer games. Not to enjoy, but just to "have".

What's the point? They're just going to sit there. Who cares if something was made during the first Chinese dynasty, it belongs in a museum. Are you going to sleep better because you know that they're there? Is it going to make for interesting conversation for you, where you can pretend that it somehow makes you superior for owning them? What if nobody thought something was worth any value, would you relegate it to the attic then because it's not "valuable"?

Many peole like to collect 'things' as a hobby. Often they are inexpensive but may become valuable later and some individuals collect things that singularly are not very expensive but when put together may become valuable. Others who may be wealthy gather collections for investment purposes bit like shares but prettier.

I look out for very old books ie pre 1800 that turn up in second hand shops or sales. I currently have a small collection ranging from the 1740's to the 1780's. and even though I bought them cheaply I have found that their actual market value is quite good. But to be honest I find it amazing that something as fragile as a book can survive for a period over 200 years and will be appeciated so far into the future.

YFlyer

Anybody here collect finger nails?

NIMAN

One of the most stupid and expensive 'collections' to have, and we all done it at some stage, is DVDs.

Total waste.

kowloon

You can add Blu-ray to that.

Irish Guitarist

I saw a documentary about hoarders a few months ago. There was a man on it who owned two million records. He ran out of room to store them so he bought an old abandoned warehouse and lived in it with his records. He said he had no interest in living in a nice house.

The psychologists on the documentary came to the conclusion that he wasn't a hoarder because he actually listened to the records. He would also give some of them away. Every week he would set up a little stall in the street and just give away records to passers by.

I admired how he loved records so much that he had moved into in an old warehouse, but he was still willing to give some of them away.