Ken Fritz article

@carlsbad2 and @p05129 I knew there would likely be those that would respond as the two of you did with personal attacks because you likely see yourselves in what is being presented in the article. I feel sorry for you too.You have no idea my level of success in life; my profession or my athletic/musical abilities for that matter. Life is about balance something the two of you seem to not be able to grasp. I don’t need to brag about my level of income to me that is not what matters most having the love and respect of my wife and children is my most cherished achievement. I put four kids through college, 2 with masters degrees with no student debt attached to any of them, own my home outright. My wife and I take all our kids and grandkids on vacation for 1 week every year without fail to ensure connection remains in tact.When folks quote from how to be successful books I know they probably are not. I’ve never found much use in them other than to enrich the author. A mench is born not made,sorry.But I don’t put down those who did get a Phd I had to grind for mine (building a successful business),thats my story again no need to brag. My words of wisdom are cited from the book of my own life experience and hard work. To some my perspective may present as that of a mediocre loser, I’m ok with that.

This guys life is like a Rorschach test for frequent posters here.  Some who think his obsession was justifiable, and liken him to creative artists who were obsessively driven…and the rest of us.

  I could never justify this guy’s behavior as one would justify Da Vinci or Beethoven.  Creative Artists in a separate category than bibliotheca, stamp collectors, art collectors, and audiophiles.  Matching components and optimizing rooms, supposedly to optimize the reproduction of sounds created by someone else, is not comparable to creating those sounds in the first place.  Book collecting, music collecting, bottle top collecting may be worthwhile hobbies in and of their own, but ultimately they are of less value than what is being collected in the first place.  I would not have wanted to grow up or marry into that family.

  Everyone who knows me thinks that my obsession with sound and music is over the top.  My wife showed me the article on Fritz.  I told her that the value of his life was to make people like me appear sane by way of comparison 

I guess it all depends on your definition of "successful". This guy was successful in building the system of his dreams/everyone else's nightmare, but at the cost of a meaningful and fulfilling relationship with his family. My worry about my record cleaner finally kicking the bucket doesn't get in the way of even the most mundane family matter. My kids are 21 and 23 and I am 100% confident that we will never be estranged. I have a wonderful, honest and comfortable relationship with my wife of 25 years. I have a wide circle of friends, some of which are music/audio enthusiasts, and more which are not. As far as I am concerned, I am a tremendous success. 

If your definition of success is wealth, you have been duped. I think a lot of what we are calling "obsession" is just somebody being a self-absorbed jerk. 

There is so much wrong with this obsessive lifestyle of his, I wouldn't know where to start.

He is no different than many, many people who have a strong work ethic and are workaholics. He just happens to be obsessed with audio, rather than another vocation as others may be. It’s as @ p05129 said.