AudioNervosa
Systemic Development => Bipolar System Disorders => Topic started by: BobM on January 20, 2010, 12:08:21 PM
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Just wondering if any of you ever thought about what will happen to your system components, your CD collection, your vinyl, your box o'tweaks, your $$$ power cords and such when you pass into the great beyond?
- Have you left instructions for the wife or kids? Will they want to keep it for thir own use?
- Do you have an audio friend that will do their best to liquidate your Precious for your spouse?
I know my older daughter will want to keep and go through my prog CD collection. My younger daughter will want anything Beatles and probably much of the other pop/rock stuff. Nobody will claim my jazz, and no one will want my vinyl. As far as the system components themselves I think my wife will contact one of my audio buddies to put them up for sale and get whatever they may be worth at the time (probably far less as components than as the highly polished system that it is :thumb:).
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The Smiththonian wants it.
charles
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Oh, my mistake Charles. I thought the Smithsonian wanted your Salami. Or was that Christies (not the auction house ... that chick on the corner)? I get so confused these days.
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I want to be buried with my tweeters!
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Bob,
I am planning on opening a home for wayward vinyl, so never fear you can die in peace knowing that your LPs will always have a loving home to go to. :thumb:
Tom
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Wanna buy some vinyl futures Tom? or maybe VDS's (Vinyl Default Swaps)?
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BTW, I have no doubt what will happen to my gear. Number 2 son has already informed me that I should write it into my will that he gets the contents of the mancave because he doesn't think that his brother would appreciate or take proper care of it. :drool:
I told him I wouldn't do that [-X because from the day the new will was signed I would have to sleep with one eye open. :rofl:
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My wife and her new boyfriend ( cougar?...bwaahaahaa) will be enjoying my system as well as the life insurance money :evil:
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Wanna buy some vinyl futures Tom? or maybe VDS's (Vinyl Default Swaps)?
Bob,
That's the Flyer in you...... always thinking two steps ahead :clap:
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As someone who has been around a lot of deaths the past year I would highly recommend you just write down who should have what somewhere find-able. Your family will appreciate having a go-by list. The thought of putting it in the will is an obstacle to getting it done in the first place...
My system stays in the house. I've worked too hard on the synergy, everything requires everything. So whoever gets that, gets the system. ;)
-C
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I hope I get to enjoy my system long enough that it will be considered totally obsolete! :thumb: Most likely Vera will still be around and as she hates the looks so much she will probably have the whole lot of it moved to the curb. Hell, I will be gone so I won't give a damn! :rofl:
Ken
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Just makes sure Vera posts here the night before "the trash" goes out. ;)
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The CDs and 800+ vinyl albums will stay with my wife, but she will play the CDs on the $89 kitchen rig, and after reverting to the Empire from the Galibier table, will probably settle on a Shinola Consollett. :(
My sons would probably trade my components, cables, etc... for hookers and blow. Otherwise I assume it will be parceled out to fellow NYC Ravers with S.W.M.B.O. receiving fair compensation. On AC, a fair number of posters might celebrate. :D
As to whatever value my cable bidness retains, dunno, I've talked to a friend about continuing the biz and remitting She Who Must Be Obeyed a fair share, or possibly leave a post, only to be posted upon my death on how to make $2.27 worth of material into a high end power cord, and surplus coat hangers and $1.18 in terminations into bespoke speaker cables..... if only to confirm to all, my rapacious, evil nature. :twisted:
- Paul
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Carl, tell Christine to contact me when you go as that house will be to big for her. I call dibs, I'll pay her market value for the home. :thumb:
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BobM - great question to ponder especially since I had an "eye-opening" experience last week...
Would want someone to appreciate the workmanship & sound quality as well as the efforts put in to make the system what it is...
Hopefully one (or more) of my 4 kids can appreciate it & enjoy it (as long as they have the room for the huge behemoths!)
TTFN,
Pete
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I actually put it my will. My wife wants no part of it, so it all goes to a buddy, who will most likely sell it off and give her the money. Hope it doesn't happen any time soon. :duh
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My daughters will likely split the vinyl between them. They already have my desirable digital media on their various electronic devices. I think the older one is more interested in the equipment, although I need to find out from them how they feel about it. Wife has always called the hifi "The Other Woman," so she would just as soon see it left at the curb. She'd dump it there, have a momentary forlorn look , then skip back into the house and rearrange the furniture.
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Funny you should ask that question,
I just has surgery(deviated septum) yesterday afternoon.
My wife asked, half joking, ( I hope), what everything is worth in case I don't wake up :?
My system was doled out to my kids and friends, my wife will be glad to see it go!
But alas, I woke up....as you can see :rofl:
BTW that percoset is mighty powerful stuff, when I got home I took two(as per directions), 20 minutes later I was stumbling around like a crack head. Not my cup a tea, I may have to sell them on the corner :rofl:
mike
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While we have all had some fun joking about things in this thread, a lot of serious points have been brought up (even if in jest.)
Most of our families have no idea what our hardware is and what it is worth.How many people would take one look at one of our prized tube amps and say "that must be an old piece of junk - it still has bulbs in it." And even if you do have a family member that realizes that your equipment has some value, how many in that group would have the first idea of how (or where) to go about selling a piece of high end gear? It would behoove all of us to have an audio buddy who would be willing to act as a "designated seller" in the case of our untimely demise. And we should all make sure our family knows who that person is.
While we would all love for someone in our family to take ownership of our systems and love cherish and enjoy them as much as we did, the reality is that the odds of that happening are very slim. Even if one of our loved ones had an inclination to set up a 2 channel audio system, what are the odds that they will also be willing or able to dedicate that amount of space to make it sing the way you did. Sad, but true.
For many of us the most valuable part of our systems is not the hardware, but our software collections. I don't know if any of you have been watching, but the prices of used vintage LPs & CDs (especially audiophile releases) has gone through the roof in the last year or so. Take a look the used LP section of at Chad Kassem's web site http://store.acousticsounds.com/vinylvault. You will be shocked at what your collection is worth (while this link is related to preowned vinyl the same price inflation also seems to be happening to limited edition audiophile CDs as well) So while our hardware goes down in value as it drifts further and further from the state of the art the value of our software collections seems to be be increasing with age..
And while I joked about my son wanting me to leave him my hardware and software in my will Carl brings up a very good point that by the time the will is read it could be too late. All to often I have seen "vultures descend of the home of a dead friend or relative before the body is even cold. If you have specific wishes with regards to you system make sure the people close to you are aware of them. Don't assume that rational thinking will prevale after you are gone because all too often greed overtake rationality in a heartbeat.
Not a pleasent subject, but a little bit of preplanning will go a long way towards having thing go the way you would like them to after you are gone.
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I agree.
We spent a large part of our life assembling this thing, it would be ashame to see it go to waste.
It probably is true that leaving it to your family would be a waste, unless there was a son or daughter who really wanted it. And honestly they really could not apprreciate what you have built.
You really need a friend to help sell it off. Most would rather have the money.
And maybe the system would remind them of their loss :(
Maybe leave your son some NOS Western Electric tubes or some sealed original pressing Beatle LPs, that stuff would be an investment, like gold in the bank!
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Oh, I know where my stuff is going. My son, at age 15 is already stealing my castoffs to build his own vinyl/tube based system. :thumb:
I was just passing some thoughts on to the rest of the peanut gallery base on some of my recent experiences as the executor for some family estates.
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My wife is younger and more healthy than I, so hopefully she will be able to enjoy our three systems for a while.
She loves our lifestyle (including the music).
After her, we have no idea where our estate will go... No kids, no relatives who could handle our estate, most friends as old as us... Probably will be "tears lost in rain".
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Good topic,. I adore (perv.) the thought of our beloved gear set on the curb with a "good riddance!" thrown in. I am at a loss to know though...the only people who would be interested already have decent gear. I suppose they would take everything but my speakers would go homeless. The Cd's are a more painful thought to deal with. Ideally everything should be labled: "this is for John, this is for Sally, this is for the maleman". I want a few more years yet to worry about this. I can still hear and push the right buttons.
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"My sons would probably trade my components, cables, etc... for hookers and blow"
:rofl:
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Perhaps this is a business (or at least a hobby) opportunity for someone to start up "The Audio Auctioneer" service that would find a good home for your audio stuff at the time of your demise via Craig's list, audiogon, etc. Consideration to be given towards maximizing how much money could be generated, quick sale, minimal hassle, or finding an appreciating new owner. You could let you wishes be known and have the "Audio Auctioneer" take over for your survivors.
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We already have an audio pimp. Maybe he needs to start catering to audio-widows as well, but definitely in a separate room from the hookers he has on display for the rest of us.
And don't think you'll be meeting any of those widows. after their audiophile dies do you really think they'll be stupid enough to hook up with you?
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"The Audio Undertaker" - matchmaker and equipment liquidation
First time's for love, 2nd time for money. Smart audiophile widows only date MBL and Wilson owners.
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Smart audiophile widows only date MBL and Wilson owners.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
I will pass this one along to Vera!
Ken
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"The Audio Undertaker" - matchmaker and equipment liquidation
First time's for love, 2nd time for money. Smart audiophile widows only date MBL and Wilson owners.
No, most audiophile widows would run for the hills if they met another audiophile. :rofl:
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. :duh