Diy is getting expensive

[iomegaman]

Originally my entrance into the world market of DIY was cost-per-product...I lived in the mountains of Az and getting decent used audio gear at the time was almost impossible...

So I started here with an Mnats 1176...had 2 UA units in our studio in San Diego and the ones we built actually had a lower noise floor and sounded just as good...
My son in law started Mohog Audio with me because he was excited about it...I let him run it and eventually just stepped out, I think he did nearly $100k in business his first 2 years out of his garage...then it got harder to get parts...meters/cases etc...and having to deal with customers who had no idea what they bought finally convinced him to close it up...I think he was making about $300 on a $1000 unit when all was said and done.

I originally started in DIY to save money and get vintage style one-offs I could not afford otherwise (or justify the cost of anyway)...

I've built LA2A's ,1176's, RED.47/GSSL Comp/Green Pre's/ API 312's/Trident Pre's/Neve Pre's/Great River MP-1/C12 Mics/U87/U47/Alice Mics/ADC's

I still have one of Daves Night EQ's on the bench...

Basically I do it now for the learning...

I know so much more than I actually understand it's a wonder I haven't electrocuted myself by now...

Yes the cost has gone up...but the learning experience remains the best part for me.

 

[pucho812]

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Originally my entrance into the world market of DIY was cost-per-product...I lived in the mountains of Az and getting decent used audio gear at the time was almost impossible...

So I started here with an Mnats 1176...had 2 UA units in our studio in San Diego and the ones we built actually had a lower noise floor and sounded just as good...
My son in law started Mohog Audio with me because he was excited about it...I let him run it and eventually just stepped out, I think he did nearly $100k in business his first 2 years out of his garage...then it got harder to get parts...meters/cases etc...and having to deal with customers who had no idea what they bought finally convinced him to close it up...I think he was making about $300 on a $1000 unit when all was said and done.

I originally started in DIY to save money and get vintage style one-offs I could not afford otherwise (or justify the cost of anyway)...

I've built LA2A's ,1176's, RED.47/GSSL Comp/Green Pre's/ API 312's/Trident Pre's/Neve Pre's/Great River MP-1/C12 Mics/U87/U47/Alice Mics/ADC's

I still have one of Daves Night EQ's on the bench...

Basically I do it now for the learning...

I know so much more than I actually understand it's a wonder I haven't electrocuted myself by now...

Yes the cost has gone up...but the learning experience remains the best part for me.

All great reasons. I am just look at $$$ and ways to shave a few off with diy builds.

 

[iomegaman]

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All great reasons. I am just look at $$$ and ways to shave a few off with diy builds.

You would be hard pressed to find a bigger cheapskate than I...often to my own hurt.

 

[SIXTYNINER]

I would be surprised if this didn't become the predominant MO of fast food restaurants in a few years. And I wouldn't have any concerns regarding the food quality - consistent and flawless execution is what machines are good at and there is no going-to-the-bathroom-without-washing-your-hands problem like with human employees...

Not exactly how it works....
===
President Nixon took us off the gold standard (was $40/oz), and drafted me, so screw him...

JR

PS; Robotic restaurants are already a thing... in the US this is driven by minimum wage laws. China is probably building them to sell here. Robots don't spit into our food... while they may drip some oil.

....oil, metal microparts and dust, other things that the immune system cannot eliminate....

.... the "direction" is inverse to creating well-being...

About diy , if music were still sold on vinyl and tape cassettes
the problem would not be there

 

[pucho812]

You would be hard pressed to find a bigger cheapskate than I...often to my own hurt.

Ok? I wouldn’t put myself that low…

 

[Gold]

It's always been a cost benefit analysis. Fifteen years ago a Neve clone was something special as they weren't available commercially. Same with an 1176. Now they are a dime a dozen. Same with a lot of the other clone stuff.

On the other hand making PCB's has never been cheaper. It's never been easier to clone something or do a layout. I some time ago moved from Phoenix brand terminal blocks to generic eBay specials. They are about a quarter of the price and have been fine quality wise. Inflation has hit lots of things and this is no exception but some of it is just time marching on.

 

[Matador]

I some time ago moved from Phoenix brand terminal blocks to generic eBay specials. They are about a quarter of the price and have been fine quality wise.

Like these?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2847099504...=2047675&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I've been reducing these on a lot of my builds since Phoenix branded ones can be $5 a piece.

 

[Gold]

Like these?

Yep

 

[scott2000]

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL

 

[Bobby Baird]

To save money on cases and panels is easy don't use metal at all. Design 500 series units with no sled & pcb material for front panel with double sided copper plane plenty sturdy. Double them up to make 3.2mm thickness. Lots of modular synths panels are done this way for euroracks.

 

[pucho812]

To save money on cases and panels is easy don't use metal at all. Design 500 series units with no sled & pcb material for front panel with double sided copper plane plenty sturdy. Double them up to make 3.2mm thickness. Lots of modular synths panels are done this way for euroracks.

That’s an interesting idea.

 

[analag]

Saturator. I have spare parts all day including enclosures. I start projects then abandon them for long periods of time. Electronics is my oldest hobby and it's the one I like the least nowadays. My drill press sees more action doing work on gun barrels than chassis drilling.

 

[pucho812]

My only spare parts these days are b-gauge patchbays and connectors plus lots of edac’s

 

[Rob Flinn]

Combine AI and robotics and the disruption goes far beyond a few white collar jobs. I don't see much future job opportunities in the strawberry picking or warehouse working businesses.

In China restaurant staff are actually replaced by robots, I was told by someone who visited there last month.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Ch...fs-Robots-and-AI-dish-out-4-menus-in-Shanghai

In France they have pizza machines on the streets. Where my house is in the South the machine was voted as the best place to get pizza in the area ....

 

[pucho812]

When did transformers get so coastly?
199.00 for a Jensen 1:2 mic input transformer

 

[AnalogPackrat]

When did transformers get so coastly?
199.00 for a Jensen 1:2 mic inpu transformer

Audio is competing with EVs for copper.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Inflation is the result of prices being raised. That's really it. Plenty of (still!) profitable companies in no danger of going out of business raised prices because (flailing my arms wildly in the air) everyone else was doing it. They brag about it in earnings calls. Nixon had a solution for it......

While I still prefer the classic definitions for what causes inflation (too much money supply chasing too few goods), but I did hear about a study that claims car dealers are contributing to inflation by increasing their profit margin (roughly doubled during study period). Customers could still find vehicles without the extra markup by shopping around, but most customers purchase from their local dealers. Higher new car prices also increase the prices for used cars too. This industry category is reportedly responsible for less than 1 point of inflation but high enough to be noticed by regulators/legislators desperately looking for someone to blame.

JR

 

[scott2000]

Higher new car prices also increase the prices for used cars

Someone should tell the insurance companies who try to undervalue your car when it's time to step up

 

[JohnRoberts]

Someone should tell the insurance companies who try to undervalue your car when it's time to step up

I am not sure I understand, there are established blue book prices. Did you recently total a car?

I totaled my 93 mustang cobra, with only 22k miles on it. The insurance company could not find a used one for sale to get a comparable price for it. I think they paid me something like 90% of what I paid for it new, and I thought that was fair.

My '97 mustang cobra has >100k miles and I wonder what it is worth... On the internet I see a price quote range from $1,500 to used ones for sale >$15k. I guess condition matters.

JR

 

[pucho812]

Audio is competing with EVs for copper.

Yup.
So in a recent diy build, I needed 8 x trafos for mic inputs. If I went all jensen would have been 1600.00 dollars for transformers alone