The Psychology of Constant (Equipment) Change


Anybody have an answer?

I have a decent selection of preamps, amps, integrateds and speakers to choose from and I find myself swapping out gear constantly.  And it's not because anything sounds bad.  Quite contrary, really.

After most swapping sessions, I'm generally really satisfied and quite enjoy the sound quality.  But within a few weeks I'm swapping stuff out again.

What would be the diagnosis for my condition?

 

128x128audiodwebe

Many things can become an addiction taken to an e extreme. Looking for the next “high” to try to momentarily satisfy the urge. As long as the need for the funds for the hifi gear doesn’t force you to do bad things, cool. It can be a nice source for good quality stuff on the used market too. 

During my youth I got the hifi bug. Buying, building and trading my way to a decent system. Then came my working years and I didn’t have the time to enjoy hifi anywhere near as much. Well now I am retired and I have rebuilt my system twice in the last couple of years and for some reason, I don’t feel as if I’m done yet.😀

There are many factors to consider including age, health issues, hearing capabilities, finances, time, etc. Then there are responsibilities and commitments. So based on these and many other factors audio can be a hobby some and for others it can be the only meaningful thing in life. There is no right or wrong here, just that some are very fortunate to be able to spend and keep "improving" their hifi audio reproduction. Others are fortunate enough to put a system together within their means and commitments.

It is difficult to say there is something inherretly wrong with the desire to change equipment as opposed to those who have put together their dream system don't see the need to change any further. In the end we all get to enjoy what we can afford.

@deep_333 Agreed. I think you reach a point where, you become so used to a particular sound that the thrill is diminished. That's when you begin thinking about changing it up again.

I run my system as a "playback studio" that enables me to change it up 9 different ways from Sunday, to borrow an old cliche. This way I can alter the presentation in any way I like electronically, instead of swapping equipment around. The only equipment changes I've made in the past several years was to replace failed or failing components.