Have you reached your end point with this addictive hobby?

Yes I will be the first to say I am done with buying gear for a long time. Prices are too high and if I decide to buy a piece, it will be used. BTW the perfection you speak about is a myth. It’s whatever sounds good to YOU, that’s the finish line. I get your point as poking fun at the hobby but I refuse to take it too seriously. There are much, much more important issues to think about and, in particular, how much more will I have to pay for food, automobile costs and other household goods? If only I had to worry about just ...egg prices???

Yes, but I still read the ads. Nothing new about that I have any interest in except for recordings (CDs). If I get really (!) bored, I do have lots of good old stuff about that I can play with.

I have always aimed at upgrading "a level". Reaching as high as I could and then over the next couple years upgrading all components to that level. This is the active upgrade time. Then I optimize for a year (positioning, cables, vibration control, etc.) while enjoying the music. Then I just enjoy the music. I have found that in this way, each component is a major upgrade, and once completed, synergy has kicked in and elevated it performance to a new degree. I increasingly spend more time listening to music. So, at least for me the desire to upgrade goes away for five to ten years. During that time, I still read Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, keeping track of advancements... but the desire to upgrade is completely absent. Until the years have gone by, I have recovered finanicially and I can start thinking about the next level. Which for me always involves a 2x investment or more, as that will net a huge jump in performance.

I'm pretty much done.  Have a decent mid level system.  Added a streamer to make things easier.  with a 4 watt int amp I'm tempted to replace my speakers but they sound good and I don't listen to loud levels anymore.  Almost always buy used.

Yep, completely done as of summer of 2024...no more gear. It actually worked out well because the cost of new and used gear (and shipping) is now officially, certifiably insane.

I was going to chime in, but @grinnell described my situation perfectly. At this point, I’ll buy something only if something I have breaks, and even then I’ll likely buy used.

Of course, I'll keep upgrading. I prefer to do it in big jumps too, which means rarely. My speakers are probably the weakest link but I like them a lot and don't want to replace them, I've had them for 25 years.

I’m in Alcoholics Anonymous and there are similarities most definitely. I catch myself getting caught up in all the BS and then I have to sit back and remind myself that the last thing I thought was gonna solve everything is looking right at me. Just like the new piece would be doing After the newness wears off in about 30 days

I’m probably done. Or nearly. I’m phono-centric and cartridges are consumables, so I might buy one or two more down the road, but unless some electronics blow up, I think my components are set.

As for this hobby being an addiction, I’m happy to discover that I don’t think so. I’ve been lucky enough to work at home for the past 25 years. At least I think it’s lucky; many folks would dislike this arrangement. So I listen to my systems a lot each day, and I love to do that. But recently my wife and I have spent extended periods traveling. Surprisingly, I don’t even think about listening to recorded music, let alone miss it. That’s simply would not be true of an actual addiction. It is one pleasure among many. But clearly I have wondered about it.

The day they find a cure for desire is the 1st or 2nd of never. I suspect many of us will only cure the need for change in our systems when we age out. I have absolutely no need to change a thing at this point yet I'm still posting here and perusing used equipment websites. However, my purchasing has fallen way off in recent years, the present uncertainty with the economy makes it highly unlikely I'm purchasing any audio component in the near future. Wonder how many others taking this tack.

I find it disheartening to see so many taking a scaredy-cat tactic. The time to have complained about inflationary pressures was when we lost our penny candy. Otherwise, life is life and we just carry on. You weren’t scared when you bought your first piece of stereo equipment. Don’t be now.

Yes, the end-point is when you run out of $$$$, LOL!!!   

If inflation were the concern, the obvious move would be to buy now before prices rise. Economic instability is an entirely different worry. But the penny candy conceit sure sounded clever.

Done until the next purchase. That's the only constant in this hobby.

Getting off the gear treadmill is mostly about finding the right synergy. Even six-figure systems can be surprisingly disappointing when the synergy is off. Conversely, a six hundred dollar system can sound great with the correct synergy.

Some listeners are better off sticking with tried and true pairings rather than the aimless trial and error most of us seem to do. For example, pairing BBC monitors with LFD amps, B&W with McIntosh, Creek with Epos, etc. 

Most importantly, find a combo of components that's emotionally engaging. Trying to achieve the perfect “audiophile” system or mimic a live performance is a fool’s errand. 

I could easily stay with what I have, but it's not likely! :)

" Done until the next purchase ".

Precisely.

Right now I am busy getting some spare vintage tubes.

“end point” what’s that? LOL 

Yes. I have reached my end point in hi-end audio. There is no better sound and there won't be better sound than my current audio system forever. Every parts, the source, amps, cables, and speakers are at the top of the world. I'm not eager to listen to my music like when my system was incomplete. And it's always there for me when I want it like a old friend. Alex/Wavetouch audio

Not reached the end just yet.  My system sounds sublime.  Running some heavily modded Aerial Acoustic 7Ts with Grover Huffman Pharoah biwire speaker cables and interconnects, with PSAudio hybrid M1200 monoblock amplifiers, an Aric Audio Motherlode XL tube preamp, a Space-Tech super rectifier, Melco Server-streamer/CD player, Synergistic Research ethernet switch, Network Acoustic ethernet filter, Puron 156 power conditioner and a few other tweaks.  So, I end up talking with Eric Alexander over the weekend and committing to purchasing a pair of Ulfberth speakers.  Just could not resist....

I done. I have said that about as many times as I said I was quitting smoking cigarettes.  I did quit cigarettes a couple of decades ago.  Much easy to quit smoking than to stop upgrading stereo equipment. 

we, Americans are unhappy, angry, bitter; buying expensive stuff is how we cope. There is no satisfaction just filling voids, when we realize it didn't fix it but maybe the next one will, the bigger more expensive purchase will be the last one, or so we hope. 

I am absolutely finished after I install the new speaker cables I ordered last week.
 

Although they may expose a weakness in my standard power cables.  So definitely after I evaluate new power cables. Of course, plugging in new power cables into a standard wall outlet seems silly.  Hmm, I really need a way to listen to my old SACDs.  I see Innuos has released new high end streamers.  Wait, what was the question?

It appears that it's not only Americans that are that, it's like a wave going around the globe.

As for sort of therapy, audio equipment and other purchases, there is no doubt about that. Effective or not, it varies, I guess.

I am finished once I: complete my audio room, get the room treatments done, buy another pair of speakers, upgrade my DAC, get a new streamer, and finish about 30 DIY cables I bought bulk cable and connectors for. So nowhere near done

I'm done changing things unless something breaks down. Am I done adding things? Who know but any additions are very few and far between. I still browse the listings but just for entertainment.

I somewhat agree with @gano to the extent that I use audio as an escape from problems and frustrations the world inevitably brings.  I'm grateful that I have audio as a coping mechanism, as it's not bad for my heath, but it can be expensive if not controlled.

If you really had quit, you would not be here.

Therefore, anyone that answers "yes" to this question is lying.

You are mistaken tony, at least with respect to me.  I'm just here for the amusement provided by the antics of those for whom the answer is no. 

 I would profer the opinion that anyone still reading and contributing to sites like this, has probably not finished buying.  Sites like this are enablers.  They feed our lust for the next best thing.  I've finished my last system and have moved on to the building of the proper space for it.  When that is done, I will likely disconnect from all the audio sites and just enjoy the music.  Just like the best way not to drink, is to stay out of bars.  The best way to stop buying, is to stop hanging out with those who are?  Cheers.

It just doesn’t seem as exciting anymore, the chase and pursuit of something new with the expectation of the thrill it will bring. 

Done.... Took 60 years but I'm finally happy. Bill Dudledson at Legacy had a lot to do with it. Lyngdorf supplied the finishing touch. That's it, I quit... 

I’m done till I raise more money. I find people on street corners don’t do well to drop extra change in your cup when your cardboard sign says “money needed for new DAC or powder cable”

Of course, it's not exciting because you get wrong things. You need Studer tape deck and master tape dubs !

As for street begging audiophile style, the sign should not be cardboard but vinyl record, and it should say something like - Need funds badly for a new needle !

Putting humor aside there’s some truth to this hobby being addictive and at some point there has to be an end point where you are there and the need to upgrade serves no useful purpose.

OP,

As per definition of the word 'addict'

For addicts, there is no end point. Ever. Except when they have stopped breathing.

You are supporting this fact with the last sentence in your post.

I still buy music but haven't bought any new gear in years. A part of happiness is being satisfied with what you have.

And yet another part of happiness is not being satisfied with what you have and seek out what could be even better.

I traded up to a Shindo/Devore/Garrard/EMT/Auditorium23 system about ten years ago. The desire to upgrade went away entirely. I binned the huge pile of hifi mags I’d accumulated as other hifi was pretty much dead to me. Hobby broken/finished/ complete. I focus my attention these days on that other great money pit vinyl. Very happy 

One interconnect cable is too many and a hundred is not enough 

I'm currently on idle . 

I was very fortunate to be able to do a major system upgrade in 2021-2022.   My main system is very satisfying,  I am pretty much done for a while

I also put together a small bedroom system that is really good, I could live with just that system it sounds so good..

Definitely in a holding pattern as far as new gear.   Possibly may get a CD player for system 2.   

Upgrading or as I like to call it tweaking my system is a fun part of this hobby for me.  I’m set with my system in that it’s the best sounding system I’ve had.  I enjoy listening to my music for hours which is the best part of the hobby.  I have sold the extra equipment I’ve kept as I upgraded to simplify things and remove the boxes to reduce the clutter.  I will continue to tweak my system over time as long as it brings me joy.  

After a half century in this crazy hobby, there are certain lessons learned

- This hobby is a journey and never a final destination. 

- It always was a continual desire to upgrade and improve, with a series of incremental steps to “yep ..it sounds really good”. The expensive hurdle now is that further audio improvements is trapped by the cold hard facts by the inverse ratio: a further 25% improvement  requires a ka-Ching 4X outlay in cash …well into five figures per most components .

- as I aged and transitioned into retirement, that ethereal insatiable thirst for a higher “good” was flattened and tempered with a certain element of  acceptance of “ good enough”. But never a finite “final” acceptance yet ,.,. Further tweaking options are left open. 
 

TAKEAWAY : audio value for $$ spent …. 

In my view, good audio performance value doesn’t come down to how cheap something is; for me it’s about how much you get for the money. 
In those terms, it comes to materials, premium design and quality build, that spurs performance,

“Price is what you pay, Value is what you get.”
- Warren Buffett
 

I'm definitely done. As others have stated, I still look at new gear, but every time I listen to my system, I think 'damn, that sounds so good!' The itch is still there, but the need to scratch it doesn't exist anymore, and I can live with that.

I’m done as well. I think I have all of the pieces that I’ve wanted and satisfy my current needs. Things are getting too expensive and I’m at the age where downsizing is on the horizon. Im happy with what I have.

I know it's only rock n' roll but I like it. 

I have no plans to quit the pursuit.  It's fun and mind expanding.  

Yes this year I get my full pension , I am upgrading  my days with separates they maybe ending ,my older pass labs went out , and may need to be rebuilt ,i hurt my back , my brother has tons of great gear being a lawyer ,he is offering me Accuphase integrated almost new on a payment plan I may just jump on it 

or his Gryphon Diablo integrated, either one , .I am considering selling  my great 

LTA preamp , and Hegel amp , just to keep it simple  with a very good integrated 

,upgrading cables and digital  then call it a day.week,month, Year !!

Yes at 74 I am happy with last purchase of my puzzle of pieces to make my ears enjoy the sounds I listen to...The Raven Audio Reflection and Corvus Speakers after all these years of what I missed listening to solid state...The only changes might be rolling of tubes at times...

I’m retired now and have finally broken the curse of spending to buy happiness. After moving 4 times over the past 15 years, I’ve discovered that my aging audiophile system just sounds better and better. Granted, each time, I refresh ALL my wired connections with Flitz metal polish and upgrade the wall outlets. My final hurrah was purchasing a Torus RM-20 power conditioner, which elevated the overall sound substantially. Qobuz streaming is the icing on the cake. Having so much fun rekindling my love of music again.

The used market has knocked me off the bandwagon 😂. Being able to get “like new” equipment you only dreamed about in the past for 1/3 to 1/2 off retail is too tempting.  I’ve had very good luck buying quality used equipment this past year.