Jay's "Ugly Truth" video

I thought the video was pretty good, although I did skim through some of it. I’ve never watched any of his other ones. Being of an addictive nature anyway, I do have to remind myself on and off that it’s about the music for one and two, it’s supposed to be a hobby to play with and tweak my system (as I have an electronics background, in high end audio). I can relate to laying down to go to sleep at night sometimes, and still reading on my phone about the next good parts I need to buy, or interconnect cable, etc., etc. Fortunately, I’m retired now and don’t have kids in the house. My wife works a few nights a week so I get to have time in front of the stereo without any problems and fortunately she understands my love for it. I remember as my kids were growing up I pretty much set all of my audio needs to the side and rarely listened to the system.
At times in my marriage we’ve had those “conversations” about the money I’ve spent on my equipment or music, or the time I’m spending working on it compulsively. So I do understand that compulsive area very well. There’s always some better equipment, better capacitors, better, interconnects, better isolation feet/base, better AC filtering, needing new tubes, always looking for a better sounding tube, etc. So yes, it is a real problem for somebody with an addictive nature anyway. A hobby where you have to constantly tell yourself to stop, it’s enough for now, just listen to the music!

I try to balance consumption-based hobbies, like audiophilia, with creation-based hobbies, like woodworking. Usually the remedy for obsession and burn out in one is picking the other back up. The cycles usually last several months, and there's always something to do.

Our time on this planet is short and I see no harm in being obsessed with things that bring joy and a sense of personal enrichment--within reason. If you're not stealing from your kids' plates and futures, neglecting your wife, and mortgaging your house for audio equipment that costs more than it, knock yourself out. If you are, stop.

Never been able to truly enjoy overspending. It's like somethings telling me Im.oit of line. I appreciate seeing a carefully cobbled together system that punches above it's weight. Many of the virtual systems here reflect a well thought out process leading to an enjoyable experience to the user.

Have often thought how nice it would be to take a tour from system to system and appreciate the myriad results  music lovers have achieved. As far as going down the rabbit hole some care should be taken.  

Audio hobby isn't for those who wishes to be under heels all life.

I will repeat something that is not obvious for most...

The audio engineering vocabulary and concepts are not the acoustic and psycho-acoustic vocabulary and concepts and neither of those are the musical vocabulary and concepts ...We had three musketeers here who are four really because psycho-acoustics is not reducible to physical acoustics...

The word "details" here will mean three different aspect of the potential experience of perceived "details"... It will be the same for the word "musical" with three different meanings and experiences ... And it is the same trichotomy for any other concepts...

Then it is not purchasing an upgrade that will teach you how to distinguish and relate this three different conceptual perspectives , it will be the task to optimize and study the mechanical,electrical and acoustical embeddings of any gear you already own in their rightful optimal synergetical working dimensions...

Audiophile experience means learning how to make converge these three (four) conceptual perspectives in ONE meaningful experience... This had nothing to do with buying 40 amplifiers, 40 dacs, and forty pair of speakers...

Musicians and acousticians upgrade less...😁😊 Why ?

They care less about the brand names and more about their ears experience and how to improve it with no need very often for upgrade... Save the necessary one upgrade when all that is possible have been done  with what we already own... Not before...