Human nature is highly critical, never satisfied, wants continual change and variety. So after working so hard and spending a fair sum, the system in place is actually quite good. So why not enjoy the smell of the roses, which are perfectly satisfying, nature knows what we like.
sure i will likely do more but the quality of whats here is at a very high level. Took alot of work and so i can be satisfied, not easy. Its ok not to want things to be better all the time. Go against the grain of human nature.
Having been without my power amplifier for a few months, getting to listen again is a luxury. I think it sounds better than one would guess given the brands I use. If I knew people who would come by for a listen I bet they would be too (given its comprised of mid-fi gear) but I always welcome input and suggestions. Always
It took years, but my extensive system is at a point where it's not feasible to try to upgrade any more. Enough of it has been around long enough that equipment has to be replaced due to so much daily use over time.
Replacing failed equipment is about all I can do anymore, but maybe ignorance is bliss, as my daily listening always make me appreciate what I do have, all I want to do is listen and enjoy what it gives me.
A great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment is what my system provides for me. It's all I need.
Yes, it has taken me 35+ years to get where I am at. I am seriously happy, if I were to buy what I have at all new prices, I would not be able to have what I have. Bought a lot of what I have used, and could not be happier. For me, my stereo is very nice, and bests everyone in my family, even my old cousins who started me out on this darn hobby!
My 2 cousins appreciate coming and listening to music with me. They appreciate a good sound, nice bass, smooth mids &;treble. **some friends, have no clue about audio, or prices, etc, or don’t care or even know about speakers, amps, etc etc and could care less about a new CD player, or amp, anything. I don’t boast to them,as they don’t care anyway. My cousins love to hear my system with good music and some cold hop soup & good company! As long as I love what I have, I don’t care what anyone else thinks!
If you love what you have, .....a average receiver with average speakers, or some 100K - 500K$ uber MBL setup, listen and enjoy it. Some have a 150K system, n think it’s mediocre. Drop the needles and enjoy music w friends!
It is a good sign having many components in my set up for some time now. Yes i am happy from what i have, i visit it daily, I know my limits, but i can hear other limits in different places. There is always room for a minor or a major upgrade but only when the time is right. Evolution like human nature.
As akgwhiz mentions, I don't have anything to reference my system to so I can't tell how amazing it is. I do feel, however, that I may not be an audiophile since I have never been "gob-smacked" or amazed by the sound of a piece of equipment that other audiophiles seem to find amazing. The components of my system may be rated favorably but I am always left feeling that I'm missing something. On the other hand, maybe I'm actually ultra-discerning and will always hear deficiencies in the sound, no matter what the system is. Whatever the reason, I have come to accept that what I have is good enough.
We want to 'upgrade' or improve nearly everything else in our lives---iPhones, cars, appliances, etc. So why not our audio systems? It's fun to try something new. If you're happy with your system, good for you. If you want to shop around, go for it. It's not a marriage.
I've had the same power amp, pre-amp and speakers for decades. I've heard other equipment, some of it quite good, but not so good that I've been compelled to sell or trade up. Part of it has to do with age. When you enter your 70s as I have, new and/or "bigger and better" doesn't have the allure it once did. You appreciate more what you've got and discard the rest.
xcool...you are right with your last sentence 👍🏼. The quest can go on and on if one doesn’t say „stop“ to oneself at a certain point. And the „problem“ is also that when you change one component it oftentimes pulls further new cables or other components behind. When the chain plays harmonically there is always a certain risk to change any link ... Enjoy the music that’s the main thing 😎
For many years, I enjoyed my system very much. I kept my components for years, and hardly ever change them. Most of the time, I'd keep them until they break before buying new ones.
This all changed, however, after I upgraded my speakers last years. Every since then, I've been buying new components, and always wondering what else I can do to improve the sound. I need to get back to appreciating my system, and enjoying music for what it is, and not what it can be. I'm partly blaming this on COVID-19, because I'm stuck at home everyday, and my system becomes an outlet for me.
Thoughtful thread. I see, and here many of the same points made. I lack reference and exposure to top systems due to location. But damn it if my system doesn't fail to impress me at its modest level. Gleaning what I can, especially from eavesdropping on so many Agon threads, it's come together nicely in a few years. We are spoiled for choice and technology.
I like mahjister's comment about finding a new hobby. I've found that while he may embark on a new hobbie for "peanuts" as he's wont to say, the rest of this crowd and I are hopelessly obsessive and they all end up costing $$$ Lol. Just as my wife.
I've been asking myself that same question. Likely because I doubt my ears critical listening evaluating abilities. I've got an excellent and revealing system but I just don't know exactly what to listen for.
And I don't know anyone who can give me an evaluation.
I'm content and could care less what others think. Someday I may upgrade to something newer (just the integrated and SACD player) but stay within the confines of my system.
I try to live with the philosophy ‘want what you have’
I enjoy my system and I am sure it can be improved and others would prefer something else. And I even question if it was worth the time and money - most days I would say yes and the other days would have me downsize to live out of a suitcase.
I am now retired and just before I did retire I got myself a very expensive headphone and computer system . I built a bespoke computer for myself using the best components I could source and it and the headphones and phone Amp cost a fortune. I was so pleased with my new system that it totally blew my standard hi fi rig right out of the water . The levels of detail were so astonishing that I sold my old stuff which paid for my new headphone rig and even had enough for a classic motorcycle also. I now am totally happy with what I have and not had the urge to buy anything else for years. I am happy in the knowledge that I am hearing much more information than people with equipment in 5 or even 6 figures.
Good observation. My own system sounds good to me, but of course experience at shows and audio salons has shown me that more and better is of course possible. Even so, when I listen in the evening by myself, I always come around to the same realization that the particular strength of my current system is that I almost never think of the electronics or the speakers (even though they are large). I just feel like the music is being recreated before me, and I rarely think of the electro-mechanical process. This has been even more true since I have started using a Schumann generator.
My system is totally amazing. I see it. I hear it. I know it. And I tell everyone about it.
At the same time I know it is not perfect. I can see all kinds of ways it can be even better.
The second does not in any way detract from the first.
It's okay to enjoy what you have. It's okay to want things to be better. Don't know about human nature, but it's okay to go against the crowd. Matter of fact that probably is human nature. The creatures that only go with the crowd are cattle, sheep, lemmings.
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