If there’s an audiophile exit ramp, this ain’t it…

Stop listening to your monkey brain. Sit back, close your eyes and go with the flow!

Solder slinging as therapy.....nice.  It could work.  The simple of it is having what you love and loving what you have.  So much of marketing is creation of dissatisfaction with current status and then.....magically providing a consumption solution.

I am in this very moment listening to engrossing musical performances and not equipment.  Not analyzing, tweaking or repositioning.  Just enjoying the fruits of previous labor..  It can be that Zen.  3 hours of perusing uninterrupted the great artists.

Judging by your comments and equipment this has been a pretty quick trip for you. A lot of us have spent fifty years or more getting to our dream systems. Every ones personality is different. So underlying reasons could be different than my guess at them. But clearly you have purchased extraordinary equipment. However, is it possible that it is not engaging? You can get enormous detail and quiet soundstage… etc and still miss on musical engagement. 

Putting together a satisfying system can take a long time and it requires patience and skill. I noticed you called Stereophile cryptic. This means you may not be fully versed in the language and nuances sonic performance and technology.

I recommend getting a copy of Robert Haley’s “The Complete Guide to High End Audio”. Relax, get a cup of coffee, put on some music and read. Don’t be in a hurry. It may help you understand the sonic characteristics that make the components you own so great, and may point to changing setup and other things to get your system to be engaging.

When I sit down in front of my system, I get captivated and have a hard time pulling myself away… it evokes an emotional connection in me. It has taken me a very long time to understand the underlying variables that make that possible and incorporate them in my system.

I ask my wife to always remind me why I got into this hobby when I start talking about new components. "You told me to remind you that it's music first and gear second." We all get caught up in the allure of the latest shiny object and wonder if it will make any difference. Perfection is unattainable. 

I think the suggestions of solder / diy therapy is a fantastic idea. I will follow that advice by acquiring a Bottlehead 300b amp and preamp the next time my monkey brain starts to crave new shiny objects. A much simpler system that relies on my skills to work properly.

Cheers!