Ugrade-itis - is there a cure?

If anyone cares to read the opinion of an old timer, I will offer my two cents. Building a sound system is not about achieving the "ultimate sound system" as one might believe. Rather, it is the pursuit of that imaginary system that provides the rush. Years ago, when "Stereo Review" was published, there was a monthly cartoon from a fellow named Rodriguez. He once drew a cartoon of two men in lab coats holding RCA cables that had the diameter of a fire hose in company CEO's office. The caption read something like: "And sir, after extensive and exhaustive testing, we found these X45AXZ  cables to sound....a little better." Admittedly, it is more a visual, but you get the idea.

As we age, our hearing changes and musical detail diminishes. Cold, but true. I could never afford to chase upgrades even when I was much younger due to financial reasons although I have listened to some truly esoteric sound systems. However, after one investment in a stem to stern rebuild/cleaning/maintenance, my Pioneer SX 838 still "shines" in my ears. (I can hear some of you laughing!) The point is, obtain what you need to fulfil your own musical tastes. And, above all, don't chase you own shadow because you will never catch it. 

Kindest regards to everyone,


Toi

I like the analogy to photography that someone else made. 

I've been "serious" about that hobby longer than this one and after buying a lot of bodies, lenses, lighting gear, etc. finally reached a point where I feel like I have everything I need and that it's all good enough.  Mind you, I don't shoot with top of the line Canon or Nikon gear where the body alone costs a few thousand dollars.  Most of my photographer friends have "better" more expensive bodies and lenses than I do. 

My goal is to enjoy myself and to create the best images I can with the gear at hand and not put myself in debt.  It's about the experience and making sure I have tools that are good enough to achieve the results I want without spending beyond my means.

I say all that because it gives me hope that I'll get to that point with this hobby.  I'm not there yet, I have been continuously trying out new pieces and building multiple systems and would like that to end at some point.  I don't think I've spent more than around $3,000 on a single piece and buy most of my gear second hand so that I can sell it without losing much if anything if I decide I like something better. 

I've been doing a lot more experimentation lately, moving pieces back and forth from one system to another and trying to find the right synergy between pieces.  I really want to experiment with acoustic treatments, but I'm not super handy and have some space challenges, but I think that's the next direction for me.  

I doubt that I'll ever get to the point where my system is better than anything else I've ever heard, but I'm at a point now where I've only heard a handful of systems that sound better and more importantly, it sounds better to me than I could have previously imagined. 

I hope I can apply the ethos of doing more with "less" (in terms of expenditures) I have with photography to this hobby as well and arrive at a point where the upgrades will be few and far between.

To sum up, I think I'm a little bit of both #1 and #2 in the OP - I buy a lot of stuff, but it's in the pursuit of finding out whether different pieces can have a substantial impact (they can!) and to better understand what I like and what fits in best with my system.

I agree with @geoffkait that one addiction is often dealt with by replacing it with another (the shrinks can weigh in on that one).
The solution I proposed-- chasing records (whatever your medium) at least gives you more to feed the machine and is aimed at what I think is the whole purpose of this hobby- to reproduce music for enjoyment. At least that's how I got off the hamster wheel. (I still change cartridges, replace worn tubes, etc. but I'm not seeking equipment).
Maybe I'm an oddity in this- I will put together a system and once it is 'good' in my estimation, I'm not really in the market. Over the years, I have assembled a number of systems, but it's not like I'm constantly on the search for the latest and greatest. I've kept most of my stuff in these systems a long time. 

"Ugrade-itis - is there a cure?"

Sure. A budget. Lack of funds. 

A budget?! Are you out of mind?