âAdmit That You Canât Hear the Differenceâ and âLearn to Appreciate Music Againâ have been my biggies!
I think itâs possible to be both a gear chaser and a music lover. They arenât mutually exclusive. I feel like Iâm doing justice to my favorite music by trying to dive as deep as my âpocketsâ allow.
Also agree with Rudy about listening less critically (as background) on any system/BT speaker that provides music where there wouldnât be any. We were on a recent vaca in AB, Canada and bought a modest JBL BT speaker and it transformed the experience of hanging out in the condo each evening.
I think to as we age, at least for me, I keep looking ahead and or thinking about âimprovementsâ only to realize i owned or tried that already.
Im starting to just listen more and obsess less. Still fun to explore and tweak but i have a great system (that i can still hear well) and im thankful for that.
My strategy is to sell all my old gear as soon as I have new ones. Then I will not have to compare them later and regret it. But so far, every piece has made an obvious difference, so I am still in the rabbit hole. But the system has almost reached a point of âthe good is good enoughâ. The next improvement to make is to upgrade the amp, but family duty gets priority first, so that has to wait.
No worries, I am not suffering.
I give away most of my gear when I am done with it. Oh well.
Hopefully you give away some 20-20 power cords soon. I know people that need power cords 
You have a good heart, and a deep pocket. I just sold a cd for $20 deducting the shipping. 
I have a pal with an enormous CD collection who listens on a 20 yr old Yamaha / Definitive Tech system.
He mocks me for missing the point about music and, when I get a little lost in this hobby, I think he has a point.
I think I was most content in my teens. I didnât know any better and totally thrilled with an Audiovox cassette deck feeding a couple of Minimus 7âs floating around in the back end of a â68 Opel Kadett wagon.
As Iâve gotten older, while I readily hear all the improvements that upgrades make, the time period between âwow this new gear is greatâ and âok, this is the new normalâ happens practically overnight. Once that realization sinks in, itâs easier to end the cycle of desire for endless upgrades. Listening to a multitude of systems varying greatly in price at the Florida audio show Friday made me appreciate how good everything is these days. Almost every system is good enough to let you appreciate good music. Itâs just a matter of degrees as far as how much your brain has to relax to obtain suspension of disbelieve in the illusion.
Agreed. I still remember an old camaro in the 70s with a self installed Jensen speaker stereo. I could not afford a home stereo at that point.
Id drive out to a an abandoned strip mine, park essentially in the middle of no where and listen to music as loud as it would go.
My first job out of the service was selling stereo.
âLike sand thru an hourglassâ
Minimus 7âs!!!
YES!
And then I discovered ADS Speakers!!!
I get this so completely!
That is why it was so strange when I got my Gryphon PowerZone. For three solid weeks every listening session was âMy God!!! Can you believe this!!!â.
Triaxials, no doubt.
For me, itâs entertaining to contemplate the next step in the upgrade path. I rarely actually take the step. If I do, itâs well thought out and probably the best option in my situation. But you are correct that it doesnât take long to become accustomed to the improvements. Appreciating what you have, and getting the most out of it, are key to contentment in my opinion.
Good point, and I tend to agree. We tend to forget just why we pursue this hobby. At least I do at times. After all it is about listening to the music.
Iâll bet he uses stock power cords too
Yes, it is wonderful when the rare bit of kit is able to continue to wow with continued listening sessions as if it were newly discovered.
Well, for me, its both: I enjoy the music (especially discovering new favorite artists and performances) AND the kit (especially, evaluating and planning for the next âupgradeâ).
This forum is a great resource for music and kit lovers and I have been exposed to a lot of new artists/music and kit in a way I donât think can be equalled anywhere else - virtually or actually.
My $0.02.
PS
I guess I am not a ârecovering audiophileâ because I have not taken the first step - I refuse to admit I have a problem. (No trivialization of those in real recovery intended.)
SEE