How serious are you?

@mapman Every hobby has that potential to go the way of the slippery slope. I call it an obsession based on what I myself went through and am so relieved to be satisfied to the point of not even calling it a hobby anymore.

It's now more of a fulfillment and my ears have thanked me. 😉

All the best,
Nonoise

I didn't have the interest or financial means to focus my capacity for obsession on audio until about 15 years ago, so I never got as far down the rabbit hole as I might've been, had circumstances been different. 

At this point, I'm approaching the end in terms of  feeding the desire for better and better SQ. 

My system, in its present state, is "good enough". Significant improvement in sound-stage depth was the tipping point for me and ironically, I didn't have to spend a cent to achieve it -- I just played around with speaker positioning -- call it my "last gasp" of obsession     :o)

I find I no longer enjoy being obsessed. Chasing "better" is inherently a state of dissatisfaction -- a sort of  "nagging emptiness" demanding to be filled. While I once experienced this state as enlivening, now, it just feels exhausting. To be fair, I do have a tendency for OCD. Those in this hobby who are not so afflicted  may not relate to my sense of relief associated with withdrawing from "upgrade fever".  

Given the above, I'm grateful that I couldn't afford what it would cost to take my system to "the next level" and that, even if I could, the fact that my listening room is my living room would inevitably constrain the return on such an investment.   

Listening to music an 8 to 10.  Equipment about a 2.  Equipment setup around a 5 to 7.

I'm serious to a 10. But I'm not obsessed, it's just that music and audio have always been important. It's a lifestyle. Some guys care about sports or big trucks or fancy guns. Those things mean nothing to me. I'm into music.

My "interest level" has ebbed and waned over the 42 years I’ve been doing this...I’d guess somewhere between an 8 and 10, depending on what’s happening in life. I prefer to call it a passion more than an obsession, because it’s simply my activity of choice most of the time. I’ll admit it was more of an obsession early on, and I didn’t enjoy it as much until I finally got a system that took me where I needed to go. I’m much happier now, use it daily, and enjoy it immensely. 😎

When the kids were younger I obviously couldn’t spend as much time or money. Now that they’re older, I definitely spend more time on it, but since having a very small working budget from the start, that’s pretty much remained my mantra...."poor man’s highend". It takes more time to build or modify gear than to buy a new piece, and takes patience and time to buy the right used gear. So, yeah, I still spend on a lot of time listening and plotting and scheming my next move, and that’s what keeps me interested.