Back In the Day

For many "listeners" the gear has become the main attraction, and the music secondary. When I was first getting into the hobby the gear was a means to an end. With the exception of the occasional "Stereo Spectacular" (or something like that) LP release, how many "Audiophile" recordings where there back in the day? Not many, to the best of my recollection. Certainly not nearly as many as became available around the same time that there was the explosion in the number of gear manufacturers . I remember when owning that rare recording on HP's "Super List" had as much cachet (or more) as having the latest offering from Koetsu. Remember the articles in TAS about the great concert halls of the world, the great pipe organs of the world, etc.? Remember how many more pages of every issue was devoted to record reviews than is now? When was the last time you attended a gathering of audiophiles and someone made an intelligent comment about why Carlos Kleiber was a great conductor? Man, do I feel old; and I'm only (?) 54.

That's the problem - too many choices. At just about any price point, so many want to find the best they can. This is almost endless, of course, but understandable. And if you start playing with cables..
I also think that for many it all became a fashion, both equipment and music.

Amen, Frogman, amen. There is very little discussion of music and musicians on this site, for that matter. There is more on the asylum, but they have a dedicated forum for it. I have always wondered why there wasn't one here. Of course, even when there is discussion of such things, the choices of most audiophile's favorite performers or conductors are almost always based on which recordings sound better, rather than on the actual performance/interpretation. Sigh....

if you have achieved a sound from your stereo that pleases you why replace components ?

There are far more product categories to upgrade in now, so that's a big factor. Depending on how far back in the day you go, digital was not part of the system, nor were high-end cables, room treatments, outboard power supplies, vibration control, platforms, purpose-built racks, and so on. Then again, there were tuners.