If there’s an audiophile exit ramp, this ain’t it…

It's just the OCD kickin'. Drink a glass of good water, put on a pair of good muffs and walk it off.. When you come back, take off the muffs and it's like new again.. :-)

Besides at least you have something to show for your money, not QUITE like gambling, drinkin or druggin', that's all gone in a "Flush" so to speak..

Time for a DIY or two, I'd say..

Regards

It’s the OCD that’s gotten me this far this fast.  I’ve been hustling audio daily for about 2 years now.
What would I make?  I’ve soldered exactly one time in the past 20 years…

Stop listening to your monkey brain. Sit back, close your eyes and go with the flow!

Solder slinging as therapy.....nice.  It could work.  The simple of it is having what you love and loving what you have.  So much of marketing is creation of dissatisfaction with current status and then.....magically providing a consumption solution.

I am in this very moment listening to engrossing musical performances and not equipment.  Not analyzing, tweaking or repositioning.  Just enjoying the fruits of previous labor..  It can be that Zen.  3 hours of perusing uninterrupted the great artists.

Judging by your comments and equipment this has been a pretty quick trip for you. A lot of us have spent fifty years or more getting to our dream systems. Every ones personality is different. So underlying reasons could be different than my guess at them. But clearly you have purchased extraordinary equipment. However, is it possible that it is not engaging? You can get enormous detail and quiet soundstage… etc and still miss on musical engagement. 

Putting together a satisfying system can take a long time and it requires patience and skill. I noticed you called Stereophile cryptic. This means you may not be fully versed in the language and nuances sonic performance and technology.

I recommend getting a copy of Robert Haley’s “The Complete Guide to High End Audio”. Relax, get a cup of coffee, put on some music and read. Don’t be in a hurry. It may help you understand the sonic characteristics that make the components you own so great, and may point to changing setup and other things to get your system to be engaging.

When I sit down in front of my system, I get captivated and have a hard time pulling myself away… it evokes an emotional connection in me. It has taken me a very long time to understand the underlying variables that make that possible and incorporate them in my system.

I ask my wife to always remind me why I got into this hobby when I start talking about new components. "You told me to remind you that it's music first and gear second." We all get caught up in the allure of the latest shiny object and wonder if it will make any difference. Perfection is unattainable. 

I think the suggestions of solder / diy therapy is a fantastic idea. I will follow that advice by acquiring a Bottlehead 300b amp and preamp the next time my monkey brain starts to crave new shiny objects. A much simpler system that relies on my skills to work properly.

Cheers!

Regularly attend the nearest daily meetings of Audiophile Anonymous
in your area.  Report your results here.

Ahhh.  Wanting what we have vs having what we want. Isn't that the age old question? Methinks it is the "want' part that causes all of the problems. I am eternally grateful for the ability to dive into Qobuz and search for more unheard music. It satisfies this longing.
This morning it is Dom La Nena  "Tempo" and a fresh ground Sumatra Gayo.  

Ok, goodbye. Enjoy your system!  :) 

If only my dealer stops saying "try this no obligation" I might be satisfied. 

"I just want to enjoy the music."

Are you sure? You just want to be passive?

When I reflect, I see two different reasons I keep reading about audio.

One is the desire for "perfection." That's a trap. Avoid it. Tvad had good advice.

The other is the desire to do stuff with audio. So...tweak, DIY, change things around -- have fun by doing stuff without feeding a consumeristic habit.

(Why is the ideal often portrayed as just doing nothing? That's not human nature. We need interaction. Nothing wrong with it and calling it "OCD" is not accurate.)

I like to tinker. Many on this Forum do. In a nut shell that’s it.

Sometimes a new purchase is thrilling until it’s not.

tvad is right. Stop reading all this (in hopes of mining a golden life changing kernel of knowledge). For many, albeit slowly and expensively, this Forum is helpful and fun to learn about other equipment or share something we are passionate about.

Some of my top takeaways.

0.) Everyone here is a music lover and their zeal drives all of this.

1.) Whole house sure protector.

2.) Deal with dirty power and RF inference.

3.) Move your speakers

4.) Nothing wrong with vinyl or digital if done right. Each to their own taste.

  but whenever I’m drawn to these sites/pages, as I have been for two years, I am confronted again with doubt and a vague longing for ‘perfection’ in a new purchase. I just want to enjoy the music.

The choice is yours. As Nike says, "Just do it". At this point I am in the same predicament. I have added more to my system in the last 2 yrs than I have the previous 15. My system sounds fantastic. Yet I know of a few more tweaks, etc that are I want to do. But I need to  listen for a few months in order to get my bearings and see what is needed.

many ways to enjoy the hobby, the pursuit of music and its reproduction

last night, first time in two years, i attended a live concert at sfjazz, with a nice dinner out beforehand

reminded me what live music sounds like, amplified and unamplified

gives a rather different take on what my hifi sounds like as i turn it on today

I see it as an ongoing hobby. Mountain climbers don't stop after they have scaled a tough peak. They go on to search for the next thrill. Wine connoisseurs don't stop tasting even after they have discovered their favorite wine. As long as the audio hobby is not cutting into our retirement plans, I don't see why we can't keep trying different (not necessarily better or worse) flavors of sound. The key is to set a budget and stick to it.

there is a Music section here, my favorite on Agon is the Whats on your turntable tonight thread…..

Focus on music for awhile….

i keep at least three books on the small table by my listening chair; Electrical Engineering, Acoustic Eng, and something on music… Robbie Robertson is there now, new Beatles book due out soon..

So much unheard music in the world..

i see your speaker stands are from Eric at GHA, are you in Pac NW ?
i am south Seattle 

It is a merry-go-round. I finally got off after 50 years.
In fact, this is my anniversary. Got my first system when I went away to college at 18.
Sure, it was great fun to get a shiny, new component. At least until the flash wore off. I am content that I now have my destination system.
Several recent tweaks greatly raised the SQ. Townshend Podiums under my speakers was incredible. So much so that is is hard to believe! QSA yellow fuses were not as much but a significant improvement. I think, the last tweak will be NPS 1260 solution.
Don’t think it will hurt anything but may also be significant. And, maybe, great. Going off OP, anyone have experience with NPS 1260?

Descend into the Qobuz rabbit hole.

Thanks for making this a lively thread, all.  
@ghdprentice i don’t think a sterile or unengaging system is the problem… in fact, it’s where I want it to be in that regard.  It’s all the little power/server/cable upgrades that itch at me now, when I read about them here and elsewhere because I don’t have a million dollars to go ‘all the way’ and see just how ‘perfect’ my little system can sound.  Of course, reading about new $50,000 speakers in Absolute Sound gives me the doubts too, since I don’t know if they’re ‘way better’ compared to mine.  All that glowing prose and jaw dropping…

@celtic66 well said:

So much of marketing is creation of dissatisfaction with current status and then.....magically providing a consumption solution.

@femoore12 and @oldhvy

I think the suggestions of solder / diy therapy is a fantastic idea.

I just don’t want to find myself obsessing over another system…

@tvad this sounds monastic and interesting, but too extreme for me now. Why did you end up doing this?

Step away from Audiogon. Reading audio forums and perusing listings increases the appetite to feed the Dragon. Go cold turkey. Six months minimum. I did it for 9 years.

@hilde45 

For me, this would feed my obsessive nature… I must be more OCD about this than you.

The other is the desire to do stuff with audio. So...tweak, DIY, change things around -- have fun by doing stuff without feeding a consumeristic habit.

@artemus_5 I like this idea… somewhat more moderate and thoughtful approach.  I can relate to this.

My system sounds fantastic. Yet I know of a few more tweaks, etc that are I want to do. But I need to listen for a few months in order to get my bearings and see what is needed.

@arafiq Unfortunately, I’ve gone over budget and need to hang on to my money better.  This hobby and these forums/websites/dealers really stress my budgeting brain.  No debt, thankfully, but another big tempting upgrade and I’m going to miss the dough…

I don't see why we can't keep trying different (not necessarily better or worse) flavors of sound. The key is to set a budget and stick to it.

@tomic601 so true. Roon and the streaming services are manna from audio heaven. I want to just focus on the music and not the perfectionism.

So much unheard music in the world..

And I live in Northern California, but had help from GHA with my speaker choice and purchase (as well as other good advice).  I’m a big fan.

@mglik i don’t even want to think about tweaks anymore, but I’ve been there and greatly benefited from some tweaks.  It just tskes my monkey brain down the rabbit hole…

Several recent tweaks greatly raised the SQ.

This discussion is in need of some serious psychological advice before anyone sinks any further into the deep end 🙂

Lovely listening room Redwood! What a great place to sit and unwind. Love those large windows. And the furniture is so cool too. 

I just bought the amp and speakers of my dreams, not to mention a new TT and cartridge.

I tell myself I'm done, but since they're not here yet I feel like I haven't even started.

I'm sure this thread will make more sense to me in about 6 months.

This is a difficult hobby. Sort of like a disease. I am trying pair down my gear that I have sitting on the sidelines. I try to monetize several pieces into one really nice piece to lower my box count. I also try to only buy a new unit if I have sold another one to keep the box count stable if not reduced. Good luck. Discipline is difficult. But it helps. 

It's sort of like a heroin addiction if your habit was limited by your income and you could sell your old heroin.

this is where a baseline (reference source material) is helpful; having that one or two go-to LPs that confirm your baseline performance or let you know when you have an incremental change.

and there's always investing in a "hot stamper" from Better Records to put your system changes to the test 

@baylinor — got any ideas?

This discussion is in need of some serious psychological advice before anyone sinks any further into the deep end

Where is the audiophile guru returning from pilgrimage to India with the wisdom for us seekers?  
I’ve been reading Ram Dass and about how he managed to stay ‘high’ without drugs, so there’s a parallel there…

@4afsanakhan —thank you, it’s a refuge for sure, and sounding better than ever.  Now I just have to relax and enjoy it without raiding my savings even further or even fantasizing about how the latest $8k speaker cables will enhance it…

@ja kub sz—

I just bought the amp and speakers of my dreams, not to mention a new TT and cartridge

congratulations!

I'm sure this thread will make more sense to me in about 6 months.

Be prepared!

@kingbarbuda —

try to monetize several pieces into one really nice piece to lower my box count.

good strategy, I’ve done the same, although the purchase always precedes the selling :(  Do you still have the itch to tweak?

@heretobuy —

It's sort of like a heroin addiction if your habit was limited by your income and you could sell your old heroin

I think used heroin may be worth more than the gear I’m selling now 😭, sadly

Hello,
It sounds like you need a new power cables and some IsoAcoustic or Townshend gear. I say get demoing. What else have you got going on?

I tend to hit a spot with all of my hobbies where I think I won’t spend another cent, because I am in a good place with all of them but my reading or Forum discussions stimulate the desire to purchase.  For example, I listen to Classical Music and read magazines that review recordings.  Every time I tell myself that I don’t need a new cycle of Beethoven recordings, about 3 months later I break down.  Streaming has helped curb the impulse purchases but since it exposes me to more music I haven’t really saved any money.  Any way, why should Audio be different?

@redwoodaudio thanks!

All hobbies are money pits but as long as you’re not falling into the other addition like behavors, it’s just a hobby, not an addiction.

--Damaging relationships with other?

--Doing it while alone?

--Effecting your work?

--Secretiveness.

--Lying.

--Financially unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at all at other times.

Damn! Instead of watching Dancing with the stars with my wife, I load CD’s to my Zenith and read What-Hifi?

I love listening to music alone!

Hasn’t gotten to "work" work yet, but definitely effectiving house work.

I absolutely will never tell my wife how much my new i-amp cost!!!!

Haven’t gotten there yet... Yet!

Still have plenty of money, but feel like I could be doing more with the money I have.

Shit! This is basically an addiction.

But again, all I need is a new TT and then I’m done. Gonna sell everything else off in the great purge.

Good luck everyone!

Marketing does insert that desire and dissatisfaction, but in this hobby you probably spend just as much time (if not more) reading other audiophiles' content about whatever you have on your radar at the time.  You probably focus on one area at a time and give all of your attention to that, and then when you make a purchase you move onto another part of your system and obsess about that, and on and on. The impulse buys can be the deadly ones; I saw a video by the Audiophiliac that suggested that if you're caught up in the constant buying/selling circle that you put a hard limit on yourself: NO new purchases for say, two months and stick to it.  Buy nothing.  It's unrealistic to think that you'll go cold turkey from music and equipment purchases for a long time, but it's possible to slow down the merry-go-round and limit those late-night impulse purchases.  And as it has already been suggested, stop endlessly reading (and rereading) equipment reviews/forum comments, including unsubscribing from audiophile YouTube channels and even this forum (don't worry about us; we'll be fine).  At the end of the day though, you're going to have to rein in that impulse to spend money that you will regret later on, and using OCD as a convenient rationale is an attempt to put the blame on something you have no control over (speaking from experience).

You let everyone tell you what they think is best for you.  You didn't take the time to learn what satisfies your wants/needs and develop your own opinions.

@OP,  I've been there!   There are so many good suggestions above.  

One thing that works for me is actually hearing the gear I think about buying.  That's harder to do with brick and mortar industry on life support and the pandemic.  

I made my first trip to AXPONA in 2019.  It was revelatory.  I was able to hear so much gear.  It was helpful to hear things like you refer to--five figure speakers, amps, etc.   It was great to find out that (estimated) 90% of the stuff I was hearing sounded no better than my system at home.  And, the 10% that sounded as good or better was way beyond my budget;  I would need a home equity line to purchase it. 

Even if you've never soldered a thing, you may want to dip your toes into this pool.  It's like knitting for audiophiles! So rewarding, relaxing, fun and virtuous.    If you're looking for a foolproof kit, try Elekit's offerings.  Bar none, the best directions out there.  You can do a 15 minute YouTube soldering course and you're good to go. 

Marketing is like the news. It is so dishonest it is not worth 2 seconds of anyone's attention.

Hi Fi and music are two completely separate issues that just happen to interact. Hi Fi is analytical. Music is emotional. 

Soldering is easy. The key is a hot iron and speed. You want to complete the connection before you burn everything. Wiring is an artform. Watch this http://www.atma-sphere.com/en/index.html. 

Many of us do this a-s end backwards. We make changes expecting something, anything to improve. It is best to analyze the situation, identify problems and formulate fixes for these specific problems. Institute the fix and see if the problem goes away. You are done when you have no more problems.