If there’s an audiophile exit ramp, this ain’t it…

@sumaato,
My off-ramp was to get off where I began!
The story ended where it began.
Obviously, my audio taste, both aurally and aesthetically was formed 52 years ago



These are all comments that strike a resonance with me too.

One evening some 40 odd years ago I heard a record playing system blasting out of a window whilst I was playing outdoors.

It must have been set on repeat as I remember the same acoustic songs cinjng round again and again.
There was something so colourful about the tonality that it seemed to pierce into my mind.

With each passing decade I'm becoming increasingly convinced that my entire audio journey has been mainly about recapturing a similar sensation as experienced that evening.

Of course, like any seasoned audiophile, I like to tell myself that I'm primarily interested in good source materials/mastering, loudspeakers with good frequency/impulse response/bandwidth/spatial effects/ dispersion etc.

However, in the end it always comes back to timbre and tonality. The very two things that I fell in love with all those years ago.

Your post certainly made me reflect. I guess that at least for some of us it's not always easy to know just what it is that we are really looking for.

So thank you for sharing your story.

However, in the end it always comes back to timbre and tonality. The very two things that I fell in love with all those years ago.

@cd318 Yes, I agree and those fine qualities have been around in audio,  for a long time. I'm glad you resonated with my post. 

I've never been beholden or loyal to nostalgia or systems/components in my past. I also trust that my ears are still good enough and that my exposure to live unamplified instruments still happens often enough to keep my ears in reasonably proper tune. I'm also immensely happy with what my system currently delivers. Sure, it ain't live but it still still delivers enough to make listening to the system an eminently pleasurable experience.

I’m with you.

I have an approach to audio that hasn’t changed in 53 years: efficient tube analog. The equipment improved with my income over the years. The system I have now - except for the room - has stayed essentially the same since 1985. The room was added 3 years ago. It lifted the system to a place where I don’t really need to improve it.

I guess I sorta hang out here for reasons of fomo. But my fomo is fairly mild. I’m getting old: so I do think in terms of not complicating my life by chasing my tail.

See 

https://www.theaudioatticvinylsundays.com/about

@redwoodaudio & others, one thing you could try that might be therapeutic is entering your music media into a collection on discogs.com.
I've just completed this project which kept me busy for a few months, doing a bit most evenings.  While initially a tedious process, I emerged with many takeaways:
- Wow, my collection is worth far more than I expected
- Which albums/artists are highly valued and in demand vs. under-appreciated
- An insurance valuation 
- A reminder of some great albums that deserve more listens
- Some surprising revelations & reminders about who played on & helped make various recordings
- A better understanding of mysterious dead wax etchings & stampings
- Realization of numerous multiple copies that could be purged/sold
- A portable tool for Wishlists and to avoid buying albums I already have

Cheers,
Spencer