Home electronics – Buy Once, Cry Once

PART 2. In my previous column (Buy Once, Cry Once), I considered areas in your A/V budget where you should consider splurging when building a system. The categories I listed—projection screens, amplifiers, speakers—are ones that can provide years of enjoyment, but don’t see regular or major upgrades. I also covered categories like subwoofers that have a real impact on a system’s overall performance, and ones like pre-wiring that can strongly affect a system’s future serviceability.

- By John Sciacca

If you’re fortunate enough to have the budget for a high-end home entertainment system, then absolutely pursue the best gear available. Premium gear does offer premium performance— plus pride of ownership—and it’s hard to put a price on the joy a top-notch system can deliver. Also, if you’ve been scrimping and saving for a specific upgrade— that new Atmos receiver, for example— then far be it from me to dissuade you! But for the bulk of us who need to carefully allocate our A/V budget, here are some suggestions on where to consider saving, or even scrimping.

WHERE TO CONSIDER SAVING

To be fair, you could certainly make an argument for why you should actually splurge on these things, which is why I wrote that you might consider saving here. With the exception of turntables, these items see fairly regular improvements and upgrades, stepping-up a model can often cost thousands, and buying the current flagship will usually set you back a ton.