How competitive are you with your system?

Not competitive but always willing to help and even learn.  As a manufacturer and repair service we get to hear so many components.  SO we are always learning.  We enjoy when people come to hear their repaired product and ask to hear theirs versus ours.  We offer upgrades so they can get better sound for their ears.

It is always nice to meet new people.  Most are very genuine.

Happy Listening.

I’ll posit competitveness drives all of us at some point along the road

I disagree. I have never for a second wanted something audio related to have what others had, to have more, better than what X had. Never played a role. It would be insane if that drove me as it has zero to do with good sound quality - which is why we are in this hobby. .

my motivation to work on the system and improve it is to have it deliver the musical experience

for years i was in an improvement mind set, driven by what might be possible, not what others are doing

yes, fully agree. And this is from the member here who invested 100 times (probably more zeros) more time, money and energy into building a "winning" system than me for example

I just really like music and if it sounds great all the better. Being thankful to be where I am and live a comfortable existence leaves no room for petty competitions. Phallic or otherwise.

@pindac

"Stopping being a Listener Locked Away in their own Private Space and becoming a Social Listener where Open Door to Others is the Intention, Transformed every thing about my interest in Audio Systems and Listening to recorded music for the much much better."

I love this idea, but how to manifest it? Engaging other audiophiles to spend time together listening to each other's systems has been, for me, hard to realize. Everyone's busy and very few seem to have the level of interest and inclination it takes to do what you've done.

But kudos to you for getting there!

Great thread!

I am by nature a competitive person. Always have been. However, in my primary hobbies I am more into being the best I can be. This goes for writing, woodworking, and my sound systems. 

There are some really expensive set ups that I just do not enjoy. I lucked onto a pair of used Acoustat 1+1 speakers over thirty years ago. Love the sound. Maintain them well. My system is built around them. 

I am very happy with my system.