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


Audiogon and the audio press, I mean. I finally have the system I was aiming for and had imagined for my future, as conjured from the cryptic pages of stereophile etc. — incredible transparency, scale, and ‘realness’ — but whenever I’m drawn to these sites/pages, as I have been for two years, I am confronted again with doubt and a vague longing for ‘perfection’ in a new purchase. I just want to enjoy the music.

Im ready for the audiophile exit ramp, and this ain’t it…
redwoodaudio
I’m with you.

I have an approach to audio that hasn’t changed in 53 years: efficient tube analog. The equipment improved with my income over the years. The system I have now - except for the room - has stayed essentially the same since 1985. The room was added 3 years ago. It lifted the system to a place where I don’t really need to improve it.

I guess I sorta hang out here for reasons of fomo. But my fomo is fairly mild. I’m getting old: so I do think in terms of not complicating my life by chasing my tail.

See 

https://www.theaudioatticvinylsundays.com/about
@redwoodaudio & others, one thing you could try that might be therapeutic is entering your music media into a collection on discogs.com.
I've just completed this project which kept me busy for a few months, doing a bit most evenings.  While initially a tedious process, I emerged with many takeaways:
- Wow, my collection is worth far more than I expected
- Which albums/artists are highly valued and in demand vs. under-appreciated
- An insurance valuation 
- A reminder of some great albums that deserve more listens
- Some surprising revelations & reminders about who played on & helped make various recordings
- A better understanding of mysterious dead wax etchings & stampings
- Realization of numerous multiple copies that could be purged/sold
- A portable tool for Wishlists and to avoid buying albums I already have

Cheers,
Spencer
If you looking for perfection, you will never find it....especially here.New stuff comes out ,and new performances of perfection begin again.Just try and be Happy....
I have almost always maintained that once you reach whatever you consider as perfection and have no interest in moving forward, it is no longer a hobby. Whatever it is becomes a possession that you use but no longer strive to work with and further perfect. I think a hobby is something that occupies your time, your involvement and your interest to move forward with whatever the endeavor happens to be. A stamp collector that no longer collects stamps is no longer a stamp collector but rather becomes a person with a stamp collection.
@pmiller115

I have almost always maintained that once you reach whatever you consider as perfection and have no interest in moving forward, it is no longer a hobby. Whatever it is becomes a possession that you use but no longer strive to work with and further perfect. I think a hobby is something that occupies your time, your involvement and your interest to move forward with whatever the endeavor happens to be. A stamp collector that no longer collects stamps is no longer a stamp collector but rather becomes a person with a stamp collection.

what you say above is doubtlessly correct

as a point of discussion though, one can justifiably debate whether hifi (the gear) is the hobby, or whether music (the content) is the hobby -- in the latter case one can get off the equipment merry go round and still experience much joy in searching out new music, new performances ...