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

it is very simple. buy a decent fm radio and listen.

you may be surprised how enjoyable it is. you may realize that you don't need a "stereo" to enjoy music.

one can leave the audio merry-go-'round by first establishing a sonic objective, configuring a stereo system that achieves that objective, and, being satisfied with the sound, decides not to replace any component in the stereo system.

own components that let you enjoy the music and ignore the gear. once you have achieved a sound that puts a smile on your face, you can cease buying and selling components.

configuring a stereo system is hardly analogous to a merry-go-=round.

i suspect that one means going around in circles and ending where you started.

i doubt that once one embarks on a "spree" of replacing components, one does not recreate the sound that one began with.

as far as not being satisfied with the sound one is listening to. that does not surprise me, especially if one has a criterion that one uses to evaluate a stereo system, and never satisfies that criterion, while recognizing that components are not perfect.

a better analogy would be that of an artist trying to create a shade of a color, which takes a long time to achieve, or to create a color, by mixing several colors, which also takes a long time to achieve.

what satisfies a listener is very subjective and if your standards have not yet been meet, you do what you think will attain your goal.

i suspect that the chase is more fun than the conquest, so there is a certain pleasure, for some people, buying a component and having no idea how it will affect the sound of a stereo system--trial and error.

as long as you go in a straight line you will avoid the merry-go-'round.

you must have a goal, otherwise, you will never be satisfied.

those who continually buy and sell for its own sake or to hear a different performance are obsessive compulsive audio consumers. don't be an obsessive compulsive audiophile and you will never enter the merry-go-round.

the question:

"how does one get off the marry-go-round" has a simple answer.

don't enter the merry-go-round--problem solved.

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

don't be an equipment chaser and you will save a lot of money.

if you don't have ocd, it should be possible to configure a decent stereo system the first time and not need to continually upgrade.

if you find yourself out of control, seek help.