Can the need for novelty and change be mitigated by rotation?

Just picked up a nice Fanfare FT1a tuner  and I'm rotating that in place of my MD102..  I finally have enough nice gear for 2 systems .  No room right now for two but I will keep rotating gear because its fun

Fun? I’m not reading where that is part of the audiophile equation. I might have to reconsider my choices of hobby. Or at least come up with some new name for it when fun is a thing.🧐

It was fun yes to rotate my headphones...Or my 2 Sansui amplifiers at some point in time...Or some pair of speakers or sone different facs, or different headphone amplifiers etc

But "fun" is not the right word for  this acoustical natural extasy when things are done right...

I will not call "fun" my listening experience now....

i will call it love....

By the way audio was not after all a "hobby" mainly for me, but a critical and survival path for my soul to access music on higher level through a better sound quality....

I believe that "audio nervosa" is real and plagues hobbyists to the extent that it robs them of the ability to enjoy what the machinery they own can reproduce.
I’m not following your peregrinations- every one of us who devotes time to consider, evaluate and address perceived shortcomings in their system has followed some path that, hopefully, has not left them at a dead end.
There is certainly a need for incremental improvements, large and small. But, the constant need to exchange equipment (whether for novelty value or some other reason) tells me that there is something wrong in the combination of components, their set up or a budget vs expectation premise that involves too many variables to mention. (identify one system among any who have posted thus far that is identical, let alone set up the same way, leaving to the side subjective preference, room, etc.).
There is certainly an analytical type of listening-for shortcomings or improvements in a system, or simply to compare two different pressings of the same record, but that’s work. Listening for enjoyment is something I equate with satisfaction, even if that is only a temporary state. But, despite however many decades I have been doing this, I haven’t been much of an equipment swapper on anything like a constant basis.
I have a vintage system that includes components currently running that I was running as early as 1973-75 and my main system, which has benefitted from some modest tweaking (more in power supply, set up, augmentation of bass, positioning in a new to me room, etc.- in other words, the normal sort of set up and maintenance any hobbyist would perform) has otherwise been stable for more than a decade and a half. I use tube equipment entirely in both audio only systems, with the exception of some woofers and subs in the main system.
If the question is how to get off the lab treadmill of churning equipment, I decided to explore my record collection.
I had accumulated about 17,000 LPs over the course of decades of shopping in the States, Western Europe, and by mail and eventually the internet, worldwide. I supplemented where I had gaps, and eventually learned about whole new genres of music which now bring me great joy-- this is far different than listening to "reference" records to make sure everything is OK. And my focus is on what’s happening in the music; the tension that develops in a composition, the empathy or power a performer brings to the moment (and sometimes, particularly with live recordings, those are otherwise lost) and appreciating what all this "stuff" ought to be about. I’m not arguing against gear-head ism, to the contrary I love the artifacts (mechanical especially, though a clean circuit can be a thing of beauty, as can some old tubes), but that we ought to appreciate at least some portion of what these devices are capable of reproducing--if you have moments where you are transported, or otherwise go beyond the machinations of your brain on the "thinking" side, the music can satisfy on a more emotional, primal level. (I never really understood "intellectual" music--I have to be moved). Enough words.
Bill Hart

Bill,
"Peregrinations", nice.

Wow, 17K in media. My first thought is, "Oh, man, what a system that could have bought!" I have mastered the Mediaphlie impulse, and it’s a good thing, because my budget won’t support both the love for the variety of systems and the desire to curate a prodigious collection of media. Kudos if you can pull off both! Well, more accurately, I have chosen not to support a large media collection in favor of pursuit of the variety of systems. I do, however, budget monthly and have reasonably built up the system over decades. Like you, it has been a labor of love and consistent progress. :)

Imo, variety is a function of one’s budget. It’s tougher to climb the ladder of sound quality - I see you have your ladder in place! - when allocating the funds across several potential systems. Budget audiophiles are particularly constrained in that endeavor.

The Audiophile Nervosa that I suffered was due to not building a high enough quality rig; it was a byproduct of my artificial budgetary constraints on the system, yet hearing significant shortcomings. I sensed that it was a result of my artificial ceiling on spending, too, but did not wish to admit it at that time. It was self-fulfilling nervosa! LOL

Then, when one gains higher end sensibility, it becomes even harder to scratch the itch for variety because every form of system has to be of the same caliber! Consequently, two variables, both potentially impinging upon the wallet, are in play (But, I like a self-imposed challenge)! :)

In several respects, the quest for variety has been a quest for audiophile truths, and a test for myself to see how far I can progress within my budgetary constraints. I suspect that is a latent variable in most participants’ activity here. For several years I have kept a system diary wherein I meticulously note the systems so that I can return to the reference for any speaker. It also ensures progress, as I can return to the actual previous reference for comparison. My flavor of listening is actually a fair bit of physical work, as I am often moving speakers, amps, etc. It’s not a couch-potato experience. I’m not active enough to replace workouts, but perhaps switching speakers means a minute or two less on the elliptical. Really, that’s the only reason I do it, for exercise. ;)