Many seem to be talking about their last system .

Both! Time to focus on the music more than the sound. The limiting factor is the source material, and it is what it is. There comes a point where good enough is good enough.

There are folks, like myself, who are in their 60's and looking at retirement in a few years, most likely reduced incomes, potentially much smaller living spaces, and unfortunately, either less acute hearing or more serious medical conditions to contend with or both.

Not to be a downer, but individual components that cost more than say $2K become very unnecessary after awhile.  

I like my current systems a lot, but I recognize that the components I like best are going on 15 years old and may be nearing the end of their useful lives.  So when I replace them, I am thinking this will be the last time I make the purchase.  

My focus now is making sure I have back-up in case something breaks down or can not be repaired.  I have a veritable boatload of CDs and zero desire to stream or convert to files.  So, I have 2 CD players, new in the box, on the shelf, so I am covered for the next 20 years.  

As for all these stunning $5K+ components, that time has passed for me at least.  They just don't make sense anymore.  It is a hobby after all.  


Rich 

I’ve thought a lot about this in the past couple of years (turning 60 was sobering to say the least). I’m now 61 and am indeed interested in the end game. I think @rar1 nailed it with this:

There are folks, like myself, who are in their 60's and looking at retirement in a few years, most likely reduced incomes, potentially much smaller living spaces, and unfortunately, either less acute hearing or more serious medical conditions to contend with or both.

I’ve tried more than my share of component/speaker combinations over the years and my current system, which I began to acquire 2 years ago, came about from a long-standing curiosity finally realized. I’m incredibly happy with this system, thankfully, as I’m tired of the seeming endless search and upgrades. Over the years, instead of selling all of the gear I moved on from I stored much of it and have enough in storage for 3 systems (and then some). It’s nice to have back-ups if/when something breaks or boredom strikes.

As for all these stunning $5K+ components, that time has passed for me at least.  They just don't make sense anymore.  It is a hobby after all.  

+1