Rung in lobe and stapes

As you struggle on your audiophile ladder does it consist of infinite rungs, an attainable top rung, or maybe a ladder with no rungs at all? Do you climb the ladder upwards adding more and more along its journey? Or do you travel downwards removing the non-essential achieving zen-like purity? Could your ladder even be a connecting circle where you meet yourself in either rapture, disgust, or even laughter?
Brought to you by R2R and Ganges #9.