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

Getting hung up on detail, not music will keep one constantly wanting to upgrade to improve "sound" but will this improve the "music"?
Is detail musically important? How much detail is necessary? Can overemphasis on detail draw attention away from other important problems like driver integration, even frequency balance, or ear fatigue?
When auditioning I'm in "analytical mode" and judge a stereo on analytical sound. But then I get home and want to listen for enjoyment of music which may or may not be related to the analytical reasons I got the stereo.
Also I think justifying the sound on a price basis is a road to dissatisfaction. Like saying "For $8,000 this better blow me and all my friends away". It probably won't or won't for long. Then its on to the next "fix". I think spending the money should not be a bargaining point for sound quality. Spend what you feel comfortable with, not trying to justify anything.
I have also found that when my stereo sounds good and I want to make it better, I have a 50/50 chance. That is, I have as much chance of making the sound worse as making it better.

One December several years ago, I found myself with four or five of every type of component: amp, speakers, cables, preamp. Ok, just two turntables. No room for ME in my house! So I made a rule: I am not allowed to own more than two of two component categories. So if I have two amps and two pairs of speakers and I want to try a new pair of speaker cables, well, one of my other redundant components has to go.

It worked to a great extent. I can still suffer too much churn (buying a new cd player too often, for example, and yes selling the old one first), but this has not been much of a problem. Buying is easier psychologically than selling, as you probably have noticed.

My rule has made a HUGE difference, without eliminating the fun of the hobby.

Art

Art, That's a darn good idea. I may try that..

Well, here I am back for once, not for the hobby, but for the people and friends I shared this hobby with for quite a number of years. Yes I dropped out, partly because of outer circumstances, but more importantly because I became more and more convinced, that my fascination with equipment overrode my love for music, which I initially thought this, my quest was all about. As time went on, I was forced to realise, that my mind got more and more entrapped by the gear and less by the message the music might have to convey. This was not merely bad, because through this, I became more aware of that musical message, which managed to get through the audiophile smog, which made me forget my system and brought me back to the beginning of what my quest had been all about. The lesson learnt was an old one and is obvious and to those, who really read these few lines, I do not need to repeat it here. I am now back with the music and the means of reproduction do not matter, because the message, if it is valid, the mind, if it is receptive, will not even be aware of the medium, as poor as it may be.
Cheers to my old friends here, I miss you, the gear abandoned strangely not.....
Detlof

Detlof, my gosh I haven't seen you here in ages. Welcome back!

Time to hop on and start spending again!