How serious are you?

I am not sure what defines "serious," or whether you are asking about the music or about home audio reproduction specifically, but in terms of dollars invested and system optimization, most would probably say I am at least a little serious.

From my perspective, I am fortunate to have a nice sounding system and to be done with the urge to upgrade. I enjoy listening to music whether reproduced or live, and lately I enjoy whichever system I am listening to, but I am not obsessed about any of it.

When I was building my system, I was probably a 9, but since then I've eased off to a 4.

I had tongue cancer surgery in April 2021 followed up with chemo and radiation.  I have been into audio since the 1970 but lost all interest in everything.  My music did nothing for me, I had no interest in my 'retirement Porsche' and my wife and I had to put any travel plans on hold.

Fast forward to the last 4 months and there has been a significant change in my interest and mental attitudes. I am all in enjoying my music and I actually find joy in it once again.  I'm glad to be a part of this community.

I’m probably a 9. I got way too invested. Loved it so much I became a dealer to help others. I am taking a point away because I do have friends and customers who spend way more money than me on it. While I have some upper echelon gear, I’m not spending my life savings away on it like some people. I probably spend 1-2hrs listening daily for myself (used to be before I had my business) and about 4 hours / day helping others on it and working on growing my own dealership business. 

I am probably a 8. It has been a continuous passion for over fifty years… taking precedence over but not exclusively of other sedentary pursuits. It has not prevented me from traveling the world, SCUBA diving, riding my bicycles all over the continent around 100,000 miles, backpacking, rafting the Grand Canyon collecting and reading thousands of books, taking care of my disabled partner. My system is the second largest asset I own, after my house and before my two cars, and sporting equipment. While it has been a major expense, it did not bankrupt us or prevent enjoying other aspects of life. In retirement all the work and expense has really paying back in enjoyment.