WHY DO SOME AUDIOPHILES TRY TO TELL OTHERS WHAT THEY CAN OR CAN’T HEAR IN A SYSTEM?

About to become very close to the age of 80, I still find myself fighting the urge to upgrade or experiment.

@llg98ljk  - There's nothing wrong with wanting to experiment, at all, especially if your nature is to be a builder or DIY hobbyist.  I make my own speakers and I doubt I'll ever be "done" because it is fun to try new things.  If for instance an audiophile likes to cycle amps and speakers, or cartridges then sure, sounds fun. 

Lets have fun without turning into boors trying to impress others with the refinement of our ears.

I don’t think it’s my job to know everything possible between your ears and your brain.  It's certainly possible with proper training a neural network could pick out the difference in the number of strands of wire used between power cable X and Y.

However I do think it’s possible to be such a critic you lose the ability to enjoy fine equipment and fine music. I’d rather be some one who can have a great $12 bottle of wine and enjoy it than someone who endlessly critiques a $300 bottle. Worse yet, I’d hate to be someone who endlessly critiques a $5 bottle of wine either.

Along those lines, we seek out demanding speakers to pair them with excessive amplifier power for the sake of... well honestly I do not know.

We chase after a tiny difference and throw hundreds of dollars or more at the slightest difference without concern for whether it’s worth the asking price.

I have spent a great deal of my audiophile life listening for nuance and critiquing and now it’s time for me to listen to the musicians and I’m happy to do that with equipment far less expensive than whatever graces the cover of Stereophile.