Downgrading

There's downgrading and there's simplifying. They are distinct. Your high fidelity system is nothing more than a possession. At different points in one's life your ideas and feeling toward your possessions can change, sometimes dramatically. It actually would be somewhat strange if over time your opinions and feelings didn't change. Of course, as audiophiles our systems are a reflection of those opinions and feelings.

A wise man changes his mind, a fool never.

Facts change and as a result, the way I see things change. Conceivably, I can see myself never listening to a quality rig again. As circumstances and fortunes change, one has to adapt. Granted, these are extremes I am alluding to but, somewhere in the middle of those extremes, there is room to go one way or the other and still have satisfying sound.

All the best,
Nonoise

There is a feeling of uncertainty in the air and not just because it is an election year. Everyone is aware the economy is not getting any better as deindustrialization sets in, unemployment increases and taxes continue to rise. It does not matter how low the interest rates go, people will continue to become more conservative with their purchases and continue to scale down to a more manageable household economy. The question is, how low can you go?

By downgrading do you mean a cheaper system? At one time I had a system whose retail worth was $100,000. My current system is $18,000. The current system sounds much better in every way. So i have downgraded the cost but upgraded the performance.
Alan

I agree with Onhwy61 and Nonoise. The more enthusiastic you become the more infantile mistakes you make. Your strive for better performance and sound builds your addiction and leads you to an unjustified expenses that are very similar to Gambling Compulsive Disorder and once you're there, it's hard to convince You, the victim.
I would certainly recommend to use term Rebudgeting instead of Downgrading.