@kren006 Thanks for a great reply. That does help sort out the factors a bit more for me, and the percentage breakdown and the issue of "primary" vs. "secondary" system is also quite useful.
There are couple "in the weeds" factors which I need to research further. One is related to the media which may have more sticking power than we initially assume (because we’re swamped by the churn). I see vinyl resurging -- and even read an article on cassette tapes as still (somewhat) viable (more skeptical on that one, given the magnetic adhesion factor). Another is the sticking power for the delivery technology. As I watch standards for USB, or wifi routers, or codecs change, I get flashbacks of the "betamax" vs. "vhs" thing. I just recycled a bunch of "firewire" cords and have numerous old hard drives sitting in my closet. All that stuff seems more outdated than the CDs I own, despite the fact that they’re all about the same age, more or less.
Meanwhile, my AR 48s from 1983 are great. My Adcom separates from 1993 still make music. And I still have a Thorens TD166 from the 1980s, too. Those all are just examples of the point you made. I want to improve on them, but they’re not *forcing* me to with the same necessity that some other elements are.
The last factor is about distinguishing among my own motivations. I'm quite ok with swapping out and improving gear because this is hobby and about learning through experimentation. (I mean, who doesn't like to try new restaurants or new kinds of food?) But there's an aspect to this area which leads to upgrade-itis, and that's part-and-parcel of the consumerist culture that's environmentally quite destructive and not related to music listening, which has to be the main goal. I want to know why I'm doing all this.
There are couple "in the weeds" factors which I need to research further. One is related to the media which may have more sticking power than we initially assume (because we’re swamped by the churn). I see vinyl resurging -- and even read an article on cassette tapes as still (somewhat) viable (more skeptical on that one, given the magnetic adhesion factor). Another is the sticking power for the delivery technology. As I watch standards for USB, or wifi routers, or codecs change, I get flashbacks of the "betamax" vs. "vhs" thing. I just recycled a bunch of "firewire" cords and have numerous old hard drives sitting in my closet. All that stuff seems more outdated than the CDs I own, despite the fact that they’re all about the same age, more or less.
Meanwhile, my AR 48s from 1983 are great. My Adcom separates from 1993 still make music. And I still have a Thorens TD166 from the 1980s, too. Those all are just examples of the point you made. I want to improve on them, but they’re not *forcing* me to with the same necessity that some other elements are.
The last factor is about distinguishing among my own motivations. I'm quite ok with swapping out and improving gear because this is hobby and about learning through experimentation. (I mean, who doesn't like to try new restaurants or new kinds of food?) But there's an aspect to this area which leads to upgrade-itis, and that's part-and-parcel of the consumerist culture that's environmentally quite destructive and not related to music listening, which has to be the main goal. I want to know why I'm doing all this.