How does one get off the merry-go-round?

I thought I would be remiss if I did not update my comments above. I only lasted about 6 months after I downsized. I found I could not live with the sound and had to go back from an integrated ss amp to tube separates. I now have sound that is "musically satisfying" and do not plan any upgrades unless something breaks. I have still been able to stick to a reasonably low budget and have been able to achieve 95% of the sound I used to have at about 40% of the investment level.

I don't know if I know how to get off. For me, the biggest improvement I ever heard in sound, was when I bought my first cartridge that was not a ceramic. Remember them? I grew up with them. Always a penny taped to the end of the tonearm. When I bought a Garrard turntable with an Empire cartridge it really WAS like night and day. Things were on my records that I never knew was there. It was my first shot of the drug. Since then, nothing has given me that much of an improvement. Sure, some things were better, but never that much better. I know some people that have had through re-hab for cocaine addiction, and they tell me that they never get the high they got the first time they used the drug, although that's what they're chasing from then on.

l listen to what you have and enjoy the attributes. update only when truly necessary. the latest isnt always the greatest. incremental gains arent worth ludicrous money. i was quite happy with my sys for a long time and then bought an arc sp3a1 used for cheeeeeep. BOING! the sound was so much better than the adcom 565 pre i was using which wasnt bad to start with. i sent it to minnesota where it was upgraded to sp3c. replaced my fried RIIs with spendor s3/5s. mmmmmmmmmm, goodie! snatched a vpi19III/smeIV/sumiko virtuoso talisman vdh for a grand (too good of a price to pass up). oyeah, i forgot the kimber 8tc 15' set for $50. bought a gorilla rack, an sacd player and b+k ht pre, the switching was crummy with 2 VCRs and a dvdp. these changes have been long in coming and long in happening. after i hook up all the amp channels and stuff, i will take it easy for about 5 years. or so i say.
i cruised with passive surround for about 10 years (actually have been doing it since the 70s on and off), now its time to step forward. music first of course.
actually a lot of time passes between my changes in system, i just had abot a couple of years of important changes. the sacd player actually doubles as a dvd, the other one was my daughters and she took it into her bedroom.

.......regards.......tom

Once you have decided to flee the merry-go-round: attach yourself to a sensible woman, one intolerant of aesthetic or other excess; seek a career keeping you on the move -- now nowhere to build a rig or lend your ear to proper gear --; force and circumstance failing, renounce, give your toys and coin away; in the absence of means no merry-go-round will prevail. Notwithstanding this, be free - enjoy!

if you enjoy your music system with the least expensive interconnects and speaker wire...congratulations,you are on terra firma again.