AA for us

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@dekay I absolutely love Peri Peri sauce. 

@deep_333 I hope to avoid getting addicted to medication. Man this is a deep hole :)

There is a variety of medication that a psychiatrist can prescribe for OCD. OCD treatment will fix audiophile neuroses.

AA type of events with other audioloons in a room is not gonna fix anything. It may make it worse.

@tomic601 

Better to retreat said an almost graduate of the G. Custer skool of obsession management… See ya in a month or so, we will get the trend reversed 

thanks @cdc!

I am not just stuck at B, I am stuck in the sound quality deterioration spiral. It's probably just in my head. The more things I change or try, the worse it gets - I think.

To get off the merry go round you have to become immune to the hype. Some ways to do this:

1) Avoidance: Don’t read audio mag’s or go online.

2) Go about your search in an objective manner as much as possible. Do you like solid or stranded wire? Do you like the smooth sound of poly cone speakers or the punchy, clear sound of metal? It’s a good way to narrow down your options and eliminate most of the stuff out there.

3) Use money, or convenience, ergonomics, set-up, as a deterrent. You will often see people get to the point where they say "My stereo sounds so good I would have to pay 3X the price to improve on the sound" (the improvements are not worth the price).

Looking at it from the perspective "I have $10,000 to spend, what should I get?" is kind of missing the point IMHO. Are you trying to spend a lot of money or trying to get good sound?

4) Realize that deciding your preferences can take a long time. It is relatively easy to hear, or read about, differences between components. But not easy to decide if that is the sound they describe is what you are looking for.

Most people don’t care and just buy something and don’t think about it again.

As Bruce Lee the audiophile, not to be confused with the martial artist, said "At first a stereo was just a stereo. After I became an audiophile a stereo was no longer a stereo. Now that I understand the art, a stereo is just a stereo".
You want to get from point "A" to point "C". Right now, you are stuck at "B".

@tomic601 some day...

"Addiction" can be a valuable tool when it comes to finally achieving the goal of owning a fine sound system. Wouldn't have it any other way. It was worth the trip. Some accomplishments require obsession.

@maxwave it's not about the new ones on the market but all the old ones I had never heard 

We should consider our gears as music instrument .        

Once we buy a piano or a violon ; we keep it a very long time . We don't sell theme  after two years , just because there are new ones on the market .

@roadcykler it is definitely fuel to the fire. I shall take a break, go to rehab, drink Peri Peri.

The thing that I've found helpful is stop reading message boards where people talk about how great component x is or speaker y is. Secondly, be comfortable with your system and not be looking for the next thing to "upgrade." Lastly, when people tell you things like the Shakti Hallograph or Marigo Tuning Dots making a difference in the sound of their system, realize that they have drunk the flavoured water and should not be trusted with audio advice. 

@gkelly my budget is so small I can relate to the saving up part, but unfortunately my conscience is not fighting me much.

@dekay Totally. I will try anything on everything.

OK, if weather is out try putting Peri Peri sauce on everything (and I mean everything).

DeKay

I have the opposite problem. I live on a small fixed Income. It usually takes me quite a long time to save up for A piece of equipment. When it comes time to make the purchase, I go through all kinds of emotions wondering if all this money I just spent is going to help my system. To date, I have been able to bat 100 but still every single time it’s a roller coaster in the brain. 

Sounds like I am surrounded by wise people here. Better than the opposite.

@frankmc195 I am not a big spender - because of the wife. But I sure have my secrets.

Severe hearing loss did it for me. Haven’t critically evaluated, tweaked, added, or subtracted anything to/from my "main" system in 8 years. Really nice for articulating dialog from Hallmark Channel at present. Truly exhilarating musical experience(s), not so much.

You might consider sitting down with a large bag of Cheetos when you start "messing" with the system. Will measurably reduce the time you spend with the equipment.

You might try telling your wife how much your audio equipment costs and that probably will keep you from having to attend any meetings.

The problem is not audiophiles, it is the human species. Humans think arrogantly they are smart and are the most evolved creature on earth, when really they fall between the common Zebra and three toed sloth in the evolutionary hierarchy. Humans have the brain power equivalent to a pumpkin and will piss away anything they may think they have created. Whatever remains will kill them in time.

The First Step to returning to becoming a Functional Non Obsessive Individual in relation to ones Interests in Audio Equipment is to:

1, Admit ones own Head is far up ones own void between the Derriere, where Audio Equipment is concerned.   

focus that energy on new music……

@cdc real post. Very astute observation about whether 

unhappy and can’t find what you want or you ARE happy and curious about what out there 

Both, and in between; when it's an addiction, it's about the feeling of wanting more and something different, and not being able to stop.

I feel that at this point that I am showing all signs of an addict and I am no longer a functioning addict, unfortunately.

If this is a real post, sorry to hear this.

IMHO, it’s the undefinability of it all. Whether you are unhappy and can’t find what you want or you ARE happy and curious about what out there is better.

How does one get off the merry-go-round?

Or a tone deaf person that calls that being educated, gaggle of them at ASR. 

@nonoise 

that I was done

sweet music to my ears 

 I got there without going to a single meeting. No 12 steps for me, more like a skip and a jump and I'm done. Kinda. It crept up incrementally, like in that Niagra skit but no one strangled me in the Carillon Bell Tower. I knew when I got my current speakers that I was done.

The itch is there for bigger speakers but I'm room limited and that's a walk in the park dealing with it. As for the news, don't worry about it. An educated person is a good thing, despite what some think.

All the best,
Nonoise

@dekay unfortunately my other obsession is the  weather, and climate change and writing weather apps, thanks for pushing me further into the hole 

Purchase gobs of cheap thermometers from TEMU and then peruse the free online weather stations with the rest of your remaining time.

This has worked for me.

Weather is REAL.

DeKay