Older And Wiser or just Tighter and Deafer?

"Probably best I don't go,"

Go, it is so pleasantly overwhelming and lasts long enough that you really only want warm food and cold drink at the end of the day. I went for two shows within ten days this past fall. The last thing I was interested after them was some new piece of electronics, but I do not regret going for those shows.

A factor that has nothing to do with your age is your point of diminishing returns as far as your system goes.  For most of us who are possibly spending a bit more than we should but not emptying out the retirement account to buy gear, you're going to get to a level where you're just trying different flavors instead of actually upgrading.  For me at 60 my hearing is the worst it's ever been but I have the best system that I've ever had, and I can tell that by all of the details I'm hearing that I never paid attention to before; I'm just playing it a little louder.  I've been to a few audio stores and one show and really haven't heard anything that knocked me out so much that I've had to whip out the credit card to buy it right then and there (which, if you have to charge it because you don't have the money or you have other bills to pay, that's a warning sign to hold off all by itself).

An additional thought: with today's abundance of quality equipment there's absolutely no reason to spend gobs of money on new gear if it makes you queasy thinking about it.  You can put together quite a good system nowadays without taking out a second mortgage.

When I have this problem I ask my self how long are you dead? 

jl35:

make smart used purchases and you won't have to worry as the value
will remain fairly stable for a few years...

Hey, I never claimed to be smart!  If my history is my m.o., I tend to shop for discounted, new entry-level or slightly above.  I keep it years if I like it and it lasts (I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD-580's I bought new in '95.).  And if I don't like it, I want it gone.  (I bought a pair of Klipsch La Scala II's in late '07 and sold them in early '08.)  That said, I'm much less likely to spend, say...$3000 on a pair of speakers today than I was 20 or 30 years ago.  Today, I get queasy above maybe $1000, and it has nothing to do with my ability to pay.  It's...I don't know what it is!  I guess I'm back to the original question!  The scripture in the N.T. about the fellow who planned to tear down his barns to build greater, not knowing that his soul was soon to be required of him, I'm sure that plays into my thinking.  (If that gets me banned, its been a nice visit!)