Seems I'm really done!

Hello John,
You posted words of wisdom  based on many years of listening  experience. One pertinent factor for long term contentment with one's system is what is the ultimate objective?  You mention that you were perfectly happy with a system set up but then you become bored. 

If genuinely happy  why the boredom rather than continued happiness with a  well conceived system?  My humble guess is perhaps the goal was perfect sound as opposed to pure music listening enjoyment  and emotional involvement. If the objective is the latter then once reached there should be no sense of boredom.  If the goal is the former then long term contentment remains elusive  (something is always better just around the corner ). I absolutely recognize that for some the pursuit of the unobtainable perfect sound/system is what motivates them. No right of wrong choice,  but people need to define what is their end game. 
Charles, 

Hi David,
We all can agree that actually listening to something is the best method to make a sure buying decision. However this isn’t always practical or possible. I’ve been able to obtain first rate products based on impressions posted by trusted experienced members of this site. The SR Black fuses being the most recent example in my case. Current discussion of the SR Black and Cerious Graphene cords has caught my attention.

Just fine tuning for a system that has been intact nearly 7 years (source, electronics and speakers ). I have no plans to change the system foundation, just tweak it. It's funny but very rewarding that replacing stock AC wall receptacles and component fuses with better quality versions truly matter. 
Charles,

If genuinely happy  why the boredom rather than continued happiness with a  well conceived system?

Good question Charles. I don't know if boredom is the correct word. I know myself, and over the decades I have found that I can remain happy for a longer time if I 'leave' the audiophile community. For me, glossy rags and audio forums drive the desire to upgraditis. That feeling that something new has come along and audio now is better than ever. I feel in many ways, ignorance is bliss. Many folks live for decades very happy with one set audio system. Those folks tend to not read audio magazines or frequent audio forums.

Those who know me know that perfect sound is not my goal, at least not the highest possible resolution. Like any other audiophile, I like to balance the sound to my tastes which lean just slightly to the warmer side of neutral. From what I have read, I would say the majority of members here tend to like more definition and analytical sound then I do. Some like it warmer than I do.

At it's core, I think it is man's nature to be a hunter, finding ways to seek 'better'. Whether that is a better car, job, audio, whatever. I feel that most of us on these forums are hunters, few are happy nesters, at least in the audio realm. I have been married for over 32 years, so I'm not hunting women, or homes, or cars. Audio is an outlet where I find it difficult to settle down though. Eventually, I find my way back to the forums, and soon find the idea churning that I am missing out on something.

Of course not all of my audio happiness has been disrupted by 'boredom'. I have had to disassemble systems I was perfectly happy with due to unforeseen economic disturbances as well. When the well runs dry, many times priorities change. Not fun, but life does go on.

John,
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I was curious about your specific audio goal.  I assume that you're satisfied with your current system ☺
Charles, 

Charles,

My specific audio goal is to make the music as enjoyable as possible to me, within my constraints of budget and room parameters. Obviously many factors figure into designing a well organized system, and many of us have certain restrictions to work with.

After many  years of playing, I am now of the mindset that all of my goals cannot be accomplished with a single system. Since so much depends on the quality of the recording, and the genre of the music. Trying to find just one system that will perform best with all types of recordings/music has lead me to believe that one system simply cannot do it all. Perhaps if my musical tastes were more limited, this would be feasible.

I have been to the home of other audiophiles who are fortunate enough to have 2, 3, or even 4 systems. Ones where they can adapt different systems for different types of music as well as different quality of recordings. SET/Horns for small intimate quartet music, large dynamic speakers driven by solid state amps for large orchestral/rock music, etc., etc.

In my opinion, this would be the way to go if I had the rooms/money. Unfortunately I do not. So I try to balance one system the best that I can to suit my tastes, which vary from rock, jazz, blues, classical, and more. 
A difficult, if not impossible task. 

I would say that I am not satisfied with my system in it's current iteration. I recently changed my front end analog and digital components, which of course requires more tuning with cables/cords/fuses, etc. 
I am in the process of tuning the system now. I have done this several times over the decades. Hopefully, this time, when I finally have it all dialed in to suit the majority of the music I listen to, I hope to leave it alone.
Accepting that it is impossible for any one system to do all things perfectly is the first step to accepting limitations of a system. 
The key is to not touch anything once you have a system performing up to your expectations. Once happy, do not change ANYTHING, not even a fuse. In my experience, ALL changes have ripple effects that may (usually do) require other changes to be made.

Cheers,
John