Perfectionist Audio

Hang on. Let's put things in perspective here. It's not that I'm dissatisfied. Some people collect spoons. There's only a couple pieces I'm not happy with. I don't listen to the same few CDs over and over either. Nor am I constantly tweaking. Thousands of dollars on adjustments is not minor. Rolling gear is a lot more fun. I only have one set of ICs and speaker cable. But I'm about to try out my new Bedini Analog Vector Spacial Processor I picked up on the Bay. I just got off the phone a little while ago with Gary at Bedini who informed me this thing is one of a few prototypes that got away. Apparently with this, you "can" walk around the room and identify point source imaging in space. You are right inside the stereo image. So now the fun begins all over again.

I believe the pursuit of perfectionist audio is different than perfect audio. One is an end and the other a process. Rephrasing my OP, when did we go from an end, purchasing good/better/best audio equipment, to a never ending process, the pursuit of perfectionist audio?

I would have originally thought it coincided with the rise of subjectivist reviewing, but the link with spreading internet use is undeniably a factor. A site like Audiogon allows a person to benchmark himself vs. other audiophiles. In a consumer oriented society keeping up with Joneses is a powerful motivation. Then there's the constant barrage of "something new has just transformed my system" posts. And finally there are the posts where people tell you outright that it (presumably the hobby) is a journey and that the journey should be enjoyed.

WARNING! WARNING! CAR ANALOGY COMING...

What part of owning a sports car is enjoyable? Doing the research, test drives, negotiating the price, insuring it, waiting for delivery, reading the owner's manual service recommendations or driving it on a winding road on a beautiful day?

My take away from this incredibly insightful analogy is listening to and enjoying music is several orders magnitude more rewarding than messing around with equipment.

Onhwy61, the pleasure and goal for many may well be driving a sports car on a winding road on a pretty day (with the top down, and why not have a pretty blond next to you as well for this fantasy), but consider it is all for not if you don't have the road! :-)

Roads are imperfect. Sterilize them too!

Maybe not the blonde. What does she look like?

The music is always there. Whether it's playing on your system or just in your head. If you like music, this is a given. Subconsciously or otherwise. Attaching a hobby to it doesn't denigrate or lower it's value. In turn, having numerous sports cars doesn't diminish one's enjoyment during an excursion when sports cars happen to be your hobby. But it's only a journey if you're in a car. If it's music, you're already there. It's what brought you here. I don't think a whole lot of us fit into the OP's categories. I think it's still good/better/best. I don't recall seeing the word perfect being used all that often here on Audiogon.