Happy Scale

I totally agree. It is the difference between a "stereo" and a "Magic Music Machine."

Frank

Because we who have the FC tweaks know just how awesome they are. First, the system is elevated to a level never before thought possible. Then even more amazing, it turns out to be able to go far, far higher even than that. 

Where is the limit? There does not seem to be one. Even without component upgrades, it just seems there no longer is any limit. 

What this tells me is however close we think we are to "real" the reality is the gap is so wide it can be cut in half again and again and again. Only instead of what people think, that the halves keep getting smaller, they stay the same size- or sometimes seem to get even bigger! 

One of the most common assumptions is shattered. There is no such thing as diminishing returns. Quite the opposite. The more, the better. 

The other night one tiny little inch of fo.Q tape, only barely 1/4" wide, was added to the tone arm base. The improvement in presence was palpable. Not a huge difference, but not subtle either. Obvious. One inch. This of course is in a system already elevated to levels of clarity undreamed of by normal audiophiles. You know what I'm talking about. The rest no doubt chalk this up to yet more MC know it all arrogance. But you know. You- and a select few others. 

It may be that the one inch, minus the other stuff, the system would not be anywhere near resolving enough to notice. Possible. Doubtful. Hard to say. Doesn't matter. Point is, every one of these little mods and tweaks elevates and improves every bit as much now as back when there was half as much, or even one tenth as much, in the system.

This is me doing The Happy Dance! 

Could it be happiness is too often associated with a specific age or place?
Days of wine and roses. Music well done or blasted from a 73 Pinto, it is still music. Better by degrees but it is the appreciation that matters. I watched a nine year old experience my modest garage system this weekend while playing "her" music from Tidal. Watching her face light up was true happiness. And if tweaks rule your world maybe the tweaking is what brings you happiness.

OP... I understand the sentiment completely.  It's all about the timing!  For instance, when I was a junior in college (mountain lake country) I sold my car and purchases a ski boat and a sucky old truck to tow it with.  My parents were, well livid.  My future wife and my friends had so much fun with that boat for two years.  Every minute not in class was on the lake.  There were weeks that the boat was handed off between multiple friends and was not even taken out of the water.  We put about 10years use on that boat in 2 years and every minute was a 10 on the happy scale.  

After graduating I purchased a much nicer boat but never really had the kind of fun we had in college.  And the boat did not mean to me what it did in college.  Yes, it's all about the right thing at the right time in ones life.

Sharing the experience is the one thing missing. Yeah, she hears it through the floor but it’s not the same as that time we partied and sang our hearts out to Happy Christmas War Is Over from the Magnavox EL84s, holding hands. Teenagers in love. Or on the street corner sitting at 1am, post-drunk singing Space Oddity. Over and over, with dogs barking and curtains drawn. And her blue eyes glinted in love and light. I’ve never seen her since. Now we’re tired but the stereo sounds a hell of a lot better now.