Good old days

I use variety of components to listen analytically, relaxful, or getting emotionally overwhelmed by the music: detailed carts, musical wood and stone carts, SPU carts, SS linear neutral, tube midrange magic including flea watt amps like my 300B.

Sounds like you made peace with your stereo.

Good to hear.

As a matter of fact, yes.

Despite my proselytizing about how one should put the music first, that’s exactly what I was not doing. With the big expenditure and being preoccupied in the world of stereo I was trapped in an obsession of sound production forgetting the primary love of my life, music. I was seduced by the glorious noises my set often produced.
This passion for sound has long made me forget which side is up. The insidious preoccupation blinded me to the truth. Of course there were times when the music slipped through, but they were too far and few between.
I guess I got an inkling of what was going on when I listened to that car radio and was thoroughly entranced by the pieces being played. I also have to thank this forum for helping me to see my hypocrisy.

 I’m now enjoying music more than in a long time, and am more selective in my choices, making them not for sound, but for musical pleasure.

Any progress?

What a helpful response!

Pack it in get a boom box ASAP!!

I want to thank all of you who have offered compassion and suggestions.  
They really have been very helpful.

"...As I mentioned near the close of the last record, this record you are now playing is another example of the Completion Backward Principle. If you can possibly manage the time, please play both sides at one meeting.."

Firm believer of the CBP.

Started out, just enjoying..."This could sound a sh*tload Better...."
Starts harmless enough, but... 🙄

When a ’nearby neighbor’ of the Mission (next door, mere feet) decided to share his ’concert’, I lurked until the end of the ’side’ (assuming lp...)...

Follow with Dire Straits, pleasantly loud.
(about the peak of my addiction, Jane...)

Time changes, and me with it. Now, I just amuse myself with whatever does. ;)

CBP: Get back to where we both belong.... Enjoying ourselves by being here now.

Enough drivel...

....and 'she's still around...

It is hard to get off the hi fi obsession and just go back to enjoying music for its own sake.  I think I was in the same place as the OP about a year ago and eventually I just decided eff it, the system sounds great, the secondary systems sound fine, bluetooth headphones and car stereo is also pretty good, and am back to enj9ying music again.

Nor would I!  Frankly I think you are just basically a tad bored with your music, its all so familiar to you you just focus on the audio aspects. You love the music but you know it so well that unless it something new/different/outstanding you get bored with the music but not the audio. Time to refocus on things musical that you haven't spent much time on in the past. This is exactly what I had to do. I dumbed down my system some to get past those high(er) expectations and dug into new/different/unexplored music. Worked for me anyway. :-)

Well, I wouldn’t go that far…..

Simply step away that of which is ailing you, (the main rig.) Remember, "it’s a relationship" and you / everyone need alone time. Absence makes the Heart grow Fonder.

Get your daily fix and keep the Music flowing elsewhere in the meantime, return a rejuvenated man.

Works for me ......

Rvpiano i agree listening to my car stereo, it’s more exciting because it’s more quiet especially if you close all the windows.

I’m talking about being a sound addict.
And yes it’s a terrible thing.
I get a lot of help in this forum.

What were you thinking?

rvpiano

I am an addict.

Addiction is a terrible thing. I hope you can get some help.

I am an addict. And I can’t help falling off the wagon from time to time.

you are simply tired of manic pedantry ... you are an "addict" of this passion and the treatment is difficult.
Also (sometimes) people get hungry - they want something real but they can't find it...
In English, there is practically nothing serious on this topic ... try listening to these materials ... there are few of them, but somewhere there were recordings of a program that was broadcast on the BBC and hosted by this man. 

https://rodzianko.org/english/sermons/#audio

It's about the equipment not the music...just kidding...

@rvpiano

Good topic. And, comments.

I have found that my scale of "critical listening" is environmental and/or task related. I am grateful when some reasonable fascilime of a musical experience is available where I am. Having music present is, and always has been, important to me. My attention to the music, thus involvement depends on where I am, and what I am doing. It can range from "musical wallpaper" to "fully engaged and emotionally attached to the performance".

Examples:

While Driving: avoiding a catastrophic kinetic event is more important than the music. So, being "distracted" by other vehicles weaving in and out of traffic is not a bad thing. Music gets demoted, as it should. By, the way, car audio systems can be very enjoyable. There’s something to be said for near-field listening in a quality system. Kinda like listening to a decent set of headphones -- while the bass gives you a pretty good back/butt massage.

Patio: Conversation takes center stage. As long as the music doesn’t suck, life is good. A "minimally engaging" experience appeals to guests.

Boat House: The esthetics and sounds of lake living fill the senses. 20-year-old (highly modified) Bose 301s are "good enough".

Office: ADS 200s with custom-built subwoofer, powered by hybrid vacuum tube/SS amp. It looks really cool, and sounds "okay" with good sources. The problem is that I like music a little too much and can’t get any work done when ANY presence of music is there. So,the music is OFF when I am working.

Home Theater: Someone wrote a story. Someone (maybe the author) wrote a screen play. Others wrote music, provided props, wardrobe, sound effects. Did the author’s story get told, and was it somewhat believable in my space? If the answer is "yes", it met the objectives.

Main System: Turn down the lights. Reduce ambient noise and other distractions. Grab enough beverage to make it through atleast one album side. Strap myself in, and listen -- critically. Arriving at a space in time where the energy and presence of someone’s musical contribution is playing out in my listening room is most gratifying. Don’t spend much effort thinking about -- what if? Maybe tommorrow? But not today. Just having way too much fun.

Newbee,

Thanks for your suggestions. I will experiment.

RV, I don't know whether or not this will be helpful but I'm familiar with your listening issues, suffering from them to some extent myself. Historically speaking I've thought that 'depth of image' was the final measure of the quality of the stereo experience. For years I've focused on having the front of my speakers at least 6 ft from the wall. Got a nice 'airy' sound and pretty fair DOI. I accepted this and spent my time trying to get the right tonality. Very recently I got really experimental, for me at least, and decided to move my speakers back towards the wall. I've gone from 76" to 45". I've maintained my triangle, 10 ft apart and 11ft from chair. What I got was, for my purposes anyway, amazing. A much more focused, solid, mid-range and an overall more natural sound, not so airy and a bit of loss of DOI, but, and this was a real surprise, the tonality improved! Now when I play music the audio aspects no longer dominate my attention, the music does. FWIW.

BTW, Listening in mono might replicate your car experience but I doubt that you'd be happy in your room. Your preamp has a 'mono' option, you could try. Also, since your CJ also has two outputs, you could get a second pair of speakers and amp (small and cheap) and put them elsewhere in your room, somewhat close together and listen to them in mono.  Much as I like frogman's comments about getting out of the sweet spot, perhaps doing so and having a mono option/second set of speakers would be the best. Lastly, FWIW, you've been listening to, and participating in I'm sure,  music which is well understood and appreciated. When I listen to that music now on my system I try to avoid playing music which is less than involving lest I start listening to 'audio'. Most of my listening now is to music I'm less familiar with so I can listen to the music or the 'audio' depending on the music and/or recording, what ever. :-)

As an experiment convert your system to a mono setup.  See if you like it any better.

Frogman,

 You are so right.  Our training as musicians ingrains in us a quest for perfection.  Which leads to a pretty good stereo system but also the impossible quest for perfect sound.

I stand by my previous suggestion about the relocation of your listening chair.  I would also suggest that Audio Nervosa is a manifestation of a certain personality type (I am one of those) that needs to have things be just so.  It is the quest for exactitude in various endeavors; an itch that needs to get scratched, so to speak.  What are your other interests besides music?  Try satisfying that itch by active participation in other things/hobbies that require a similar type of involvement.  This may very well ease the need to have the “ear candy” aspect of sound be just so and allow you to focus more on the music.  

Audio Nervosa is truly like a chronic disease. There are periods of time when I’m totally discombobulated, not able to listen to music for music itself, and then there are periods when it all comes together. Those  former periods are debilitating but the latter periods are magnificent.

Check out the RAAL SR1a with even a $300 Shitt Jotenhuim R headphone amp (if still sold). You could also use your 2-channel amps (with al lot of power), or for reference level sound, the RAAL VM-1a headphone amp. 

I doubt there is a better headphone at any price that can compare with this. I used to have the Meze Empy. I loved it but it is like a 1/10 compared to the 10/10 Sr1a.

The negative comments that you will hear about this is that it does not look like a headphone (funny looking) nor does it sound like headphones. For me the looks do not matter and the fact that it does not sound closed in like headphones, but open like 2-channel, is a massive feature not a bug.

What you have is 2-channel sound WTHOUT a room to deal with.

Look into headphone. I am like you and a speaker lover and a music lover above all else.

I had a similar problem with my tube amp, although it sounded amazing, I was just never happy knowing that I have to replace the expensive tubes, time unknown. That bugged me and I couldn’t be happy long-term with it.

The Meze Elite headphone sounds phenomenal with any type of music plugged into any components. It has insane musicality.

If you want something to simply enjoy music and not worry about ANYTHING, The Meze Elite has my highest recommendation. You certainly don’t have to worry about equipments and room treatments. It’s also a plus that it is supremely comfortable.

Thanks for your support!

Reminder to my future self - when I get to a point of four word unhelpful forum replies, this will be my signal to stop monitoring this site and bail out for sure.

Or find the mouth of an open volcano.

@ebm 

Pack it in ASAP.

Perhaps good advice for some posters, here. Don't take it too personally, though! You're always contributing the best advice! Keep it up, buddy! Everyone loves your comments!

**** relocating myself in the listening space, so that imaging is not a factor, may help considerably. ****

If one gets to the point where one is ready to go back to listening to music on a simple radio, then why not simply think of your rig as a great super high quality radio. Screw imaging and listen for musical expression, tonality, rhythmic nuance and interplay…. music. It will all still be there, but without the distraction of the expectation of “depth”, “perfect channel balance”, “image stability”, etc.

To be sure, there’s absolutely nothing better than when music and sound come together to produce a wondrous effect.

@ebm Pack it in ASAP.

Reminder to my future self - when I get to a point of four word unhelpful forum replies, this will be my signal to stop monitoring this site and bail out for sure. 😆

Use some of the discipline you mustered when getting your Masters and PhD and train your mind to enjoy the music and the sound.  Music can sound truly beautiful and it can also just be beautiful, but you already know that.

Good luck.

@rvpiano ...relocating myself in the listening space, so that imaging is not a factor, may help considerably.

It’s interesting you mention this.

A tube amp buddy who geeked out for decades on several different designs of tube amps and large hoards of tube collections, has a saying an old mentor told him once "at the end of the day, it’s just your stereo".

Sometimes I do get a kick out of SG’s videos. The simpleton videos he does once in a while can be refreshing too. One video he sort of came out and said, forget all of the fancy room formulas, "try sitting closer, or spread your speakers out, just try different things". And, everyone’s room is different anyhow. Easy, low cost, fun. Try the simple stuff first. I'm going back to this mindset myself now. 

As long as we don’t take it too seriously, should be just fine.

we are all sitting on the curve of diminishing returns, in different spots. Think about what else you could do with the money, and what would make you happier, 

You have a great system and you obviously know how to enjoy music with or without cardas cables, that's what matters the most.

Decooney,

Thanks for your detailed response. I see the similarities between us.
I’m now not so sure however that the nature of my system is the problem. I’m thinking that perhaps, as frogman suggests, relocating myself in the listening space, so that imaging is not a factor, may help considerably.
Also, for the times I’m really into the music, the good qualities of the set may enhance my enjoyment.

@rvpiano ..I got my musical inspiration and love of classical music as a child listening to radio stations in New York. I always endeavor to recover that feeling.
Expressing myself through this forum has been helpful to me in diagnosing the pitfalls of sound addiction. I also hope it relates to others who have the same experience.

We are similar in some ways.

I can relate as I sit here right now listening to "Any Colour Your Like" Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Remastered. The stuff I grew up with, as you noted, "listening to radio stations" in Northern California. 98.5 KZAP it was. Is the new remaster/reproduction of the old album better, maybe, I don’t know. Listening right now as I type this, awaiting the next random song to pop up on the lossless 16bit streaming service I use for the music itself more than the most transparent sound.

Yep - There are days I want to take all of the amps, devices, cables, and simply box it all up and put it away in the rafters for a couple years, or just get rid of all of it, and go back to simple radio tabletop system just to listen to the music, as you do in your car.

I recently bought a new car, there were two levels, this time around bought the car which had the next-level-down audio system almost for similar reasons - to just listen to music. It’s "good enough", sounds nice, back to music. Is simple, better? Maybe.

Perhaps I had a split brain some days where the complexity of it with my former-version larger main system would not allow me to sit and listen to the music more than the components. I’ve tried to come up with ways to effectively "reverse the clock" so to speak. Slowly inching back to that former familiar sound with tweaks.

There are a few ways I tried to deal with this same type of thinking and mental blocks. Maybe my system had gotten to the point where it became too transparent at one point. I lost some of the magic you mentioned when we could just sit and listen to the music. At first I could not figure it out very well. Was it me, the gear, the newer recordings, my hearing. Again, different ideas for each of us. dealing with it in different ways - I’ll share what I did, maybe one idea for you somewhere:

• Went back to building speakers with a familiar sound closer to what I remembered growing up. Other members mentioned similar ideas.
• Other sources, like you I missed that radio growing up. Some days I enjoy firing up my Magnum Dynalab FM Tuner, sounds glorious. Fun.
• For streaming, I have an audiophile critical listening play list. When that’s on, I do tend to do more critical listening. Other lists I’ve created are "all music", it triggers something to simply "enjoy" music.
• Cables - the cable naysayers will thrash me about this. I’m an OCD cable nut. Tried too many. Went back to a cable designer I grew up with, recapturing the "comfort food" thought mentioned. Like it more.
• Tubes - I won’t go there, plenty of threads on this topic, separately.
• Recently picked up an older backup SS amplifier, had it refreshed, upgraded it. Rotating through in once in a while. I intentionally went back to an older design, older output OPTs, full-true class A 50w. It does trigger older memories, trigging some old synapses maybe. :)
• DAC: if you play digital, I grew painfully tired of hi-rez content and hi-rez dacs. Went back to a non-over-sampling 16/44 NOS dac, done.

@hilde45 touched on something about the little speakers he cannot seem to forget. My take is its the "music" that grabbed him with those particular speakers. And, my other random thought about all of this situation, sometimes "less" is "more". :)

I now believe some of this has to do with the sounds we grew up with, and what we remember most about our own type of feel-good music. Maybe I don’t like overly transparent systems as much as I originally hoped, some times a little imperfection is "okay!" And, the famous quote, "don’t let perfect be the enemy of good". 🤔

When I listen in my car, or through earbuds when traveling, music can also be very enjoyable.  It is definitely more enjoyable when I get home and plop down in front of my hifi though.  It seems like its not really important to choose between the two, we can jiust enjoy what we are doing at the time.

Frogman,

Good suggestion.

My bet is that you don't love your system. 

I remember doing the same thing—always listening for the good bits and always aware of the bad bits in the reproduction chain. 

Eventually, over many tweaks, things clicked. Now I have no issues listening and everything sounds wonderful. Something is amiss and you need to locate it. 

Tylermunns,

You are so right. …the beauty, wonder, and splendor of music” is the thing.  The love of Hifi  pales in comparison. 

Seems to me that the problem is not your system; especially if, as you say, you “like it too much”.  By starting to change out gear in order to find the new “right” gear you will just be feeding the monster.  If you like your current system so much it is unlikely that you will be happy with equipment that sounds less good.  The issue is your mindset.  A lot of my listening is outside the “sweet spot”.  Try, as I do, listening off axis.  Put your comfy listening chair somewhere in the room where you are not forced to look at all those audio toys, the sight of which triggers the audiophile itch.  Get out of electronic land.  See what happens.  

Of the speakers I have heard that were simple, engaging, inviting, and non-analytical, nothing has really beat Fritz's Carbon 7 SE Mk. II 

It is not his most expensive speaker, but there was something it did that just pushed past audiophile thinking, straight into the music. I auditioned it for 6 months and then sent it back. Now, many speakers later, I realize that there was something he did with that speaker that is kind of magical. Just a thought.

tonywinga,

It isn’t that I don’t like the sound of my system, the problem is I like it too much.