Anyone else miss audiophile nervosa?

NO. I'm going through it again. I thought I got over it. I downsized and minimized everything and was happy. I got the itch again and now I'm completely, obsessively, unreasonably immersed in the quest...

jeff_jones: I can totally relate to what you are feeling. My system has been stable for almost a year now (accept for cables). This is the longest I have gone without changing anything. I didn't realize it but I actually stopped listening to my system for about 1 month. Without the "thrill of the hunt" I found myself bored and uninterested in my system. For me, being an audiophile has as much to do with the joy I get from trying out new components/technology as it does with the music itself. It is latter point that I had to remind myself of however. It is all about the music. In fact, I reminded myself that I could easily enjoy music listening through an ipod or some cheap bookshelf system. So now I am settling back into just listening to music and not worrying about too overly critical of my system. I am not sure how long this audiophile tranquility will last however...

Just bought a fixer upper c/w owning horse that is a far more expensive hobby than the hi-fi, so although I scan the 'for sale' section on a regular basis, thinking 'oh yes', the reality is 'oh no'.lol

I do miss the nervosa...I quit having it after I spent some serious (for me) dough on CJ CA-200 and some Proac D'25's. But then I figure, to better this set-up, it would take the kind of money I don't have

YEP I do miss it… just like I miss a deep sunburn and spilling hot coffee on my lap.

I do remain intrigued however with some aspects of system ins and outs I’ve not yet tried… like for instance putting together a nice SET rig… or checking out the diffs from passive AC filtration to an active one….

Or perhaps owning an analog system that is fully automatic… including getting the album off the shelf and putting it back…. I’m pretty sure it’s too expensive to get into though. ;o)

Past the above the main irritation is finding out the chain gang of audio intrigue is just a symptom of a deeper issue…. So I’ve simply replaced the audio obsession with a ‘home improvement’ one… I’ll have to drag this one out too, for afterwards I have no idea what to obsess on then! Radio controlled airplanes came to mind, but not for very long. The take off would have to be amazing! ‘Cause then they would all disappear! They don’t make boomerang airplanes do they?

Hey! Boomerangs! I’ll need a helmet I suppose… and some nice gloves… maybe a nice tote. Wonder what color? Should they all be engraved? and then, how about.....???

Just as well Shadorne, she is the true "femme fatale". I dated her for a while and she almost ruined me. But oh, what bliss while it lasted. I now date a fat middle-aged lady by the name of Squeaky BOSE. She smells of junk food, but instead of Miss Nervosa who cost, Squeaky Bose pays ME. (She doesn't know, that I always switch off my hearing aid, when I go to meet her)

I tried to find out about Miss Audiophile Nervosa. Who is she? The name sounds Italian and might be the ideal companion for an audiophile. Ooops ... I forgot I'm married already....scratch that one.

Quoting Nick Doshi.."Enjoy the music ..tolerate the instrument."

Hmmm, I should not have noted which album happened to be spinning when I started the thread. Next time I'll make sure it's "Kind of Blue" or something else that doesn't seem contriversial.
Thanks all for inspiring some thoughts. Rodman99999 - I think your point is very valid (what quality of recording to build your system around?). My solution is a different arm wand and cartridge for bright albums and a second digital source for bright cd's. I think that is part of the key to long term contentment, enough levers to pull to allow you to adjust for different characteristics of the recordings or just for different moods of the listener.
Others - you have succesfully created a twinge of audiophile nervosa. I can dream of the ideal listening room:).

I've been hanging out here since 01 and have made countless upgrades over the years. Right now I'm at a place similar to Chadnliz; my system is ideal for the small room it's in. When I sit down to listen I am extremely happy with where the music takes me.
Although I have only met one other Audiogon member who is active with these threads, I feel like I know many of the people here as I've watched their systems evolve. Yes I still check the ads regularly but haven't purchased anything in a while. As my goal is not building the ultimate system, it would only be change for change's sake.

Buy the XRCD version of BIA, remarkable disc

perhaps an expensive jar of stones is in order....

Brothers in Arms will do that sometimes,best to stick to On any Street or Communique for complete contentment..Even better was back in 89-90??,not sure..anyway he was touring with Clapton and they would jam at the end of the show...pretty cool....hard to upgrade that sound...maybe use some Mesa Boogie stuff....?????

I dont miss the hunt when I realize I was chasing my own room limitations and trying to find a proper bandaid for Cancer, moving into a dedicated room put that to rest. I am at a point where things are not perfect but I understand what I can do and what I cant with funds limited and I try to just enjoy material. I have worked very closely as my dads consultant during a $75,000 upgrade and its been a blast so I must be on the right track if I can enjoy helping and watching anothers system improve without going insane about my own system. Sure I dream of upgrades to mine, read the rags and forums, scan for deals in a daydream mode but at the end of the day I am pretty happy and lucky to have what I do.

I do remember the day when virtually every hi-end stereo shop and every room at every show used that disc as a demo disc. It'd usually be there along with Jazz at the Pawnshop. Oh how I'd rather forget! I really never wanted my MTV anyway!

I've held onto the same amps for almost ten years now. I haven't been able to shake the nervosa during that time though, as I've strayed, but never fallen. I don't particularly like the feeling myself. I much prefer the feeling you must be having in listening to BIA on your system and feeling very satisfied with how it sounds. That's far more appealing to me, though I'd choose different music ;-) I'd much rather forget the gear and enjoy the music. Keep it up and stay in the 12-step program.

So- When one has "ameliorated the problems" and tuned/tweaked their system to play 'Brothers In Arms' in an acceptable manner, what happens when albums that are well recorded are played on that system?

If Brothers in Arms doesn't convince you that something's wrong somewhere, nothing will. One of the more Inhernently harsh and "digital" sounding recordings...only a strict program of tweaking can ameliorate these problems in Brothers in Arms.

~ Cheerio