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).
If there’s an audiophile exit ramp, this ain’t it…
Audiogon and the audio press, I mean. I finally have the system I was aiming for and had imagined for my future, as conjured from the cryptic pages of stereophile etc. — incredible transparency, scale, and ‘realness’ — 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.
Im ready for the audiophile exit ramp, and this ain’t it…
Im ready for the audiophile exit ramp, and this ain’t it…