I have also crossed into the stage of less critical listening and more enjoyable listening.
That elusive peace of mind probably what we’re all looking for.
I have read here of people who say that their system is ’good enough’ and that after a period of some years they no longer actively seek ’upgrades’.
That elusive feeling of being content with your system must also bring with it a sense of considerable relief.
In my own case I’d say that I’m 80% there and that I’d probably be happy to stop at 90 before things get stupidly difficult and expensive.
Barring a major, seismic technological advance, that’s as far as I’m liable to get anytime soon.
Unfortunately for me, even at this theoretical 80%, I can still regularly hear things wrong with my system. These are mainly audible in the time domain, particularly in the midbass when the music gets ’busy’.
Strangely enough, I don’t have any of these niggling problems with my car system whilst I’m driving.
Perhaps the driving itself is enough of a distraction in itself?
In the same way you might not worry about a lack of height/ too much height/ lack of hair/ too much hair/ being too young/ too old/ overweight/ underweight etc etc when you’re in good company.
Perhaps it’s because during those relatively carefree periods one’s mental landscape is temporarily transformed into a pleasant place to inhabit?
Or maybe it’s simply that’s just because my car system is relatively unambitious. It has no pretensions of sounding ’lifelike’ in scale and depth, and certainly none of any real world bass, but then again it also has no timing issues either.
Paul Gambaccini still sounds reassuringly like the Paul Gambaccini that I’m familiar with on Radio 2s Pick of the Pops.