I need help with my Equipment addiction

Macdad - Pretty humourous thread but I'll make a serious suggestion. You're obviously a project- and goal-oriented person. Instead of trying to refine your system by a smidgen, why not spend that $800 for an preamp upgrade and buy a bad used piano and start picking out the music on it? That'll intensify your attention and enjoyment of the music way more than some audio tweak.

Or here's another idea: I suspect I have a similar personality as yours (as well as the same speaker brand) and what I do is set active listening projects for myself. A couple of months ago, I decided I had a ridiculously undeveloped knowledge of the Mozart operas. So, over the next 9-12 months, I'm going to listen extensively to many of them and really remedy that. So you don't know enough about 30s Delta Blues? The music of the band Triumph? Jacques Brel? Dive into it in an organized way.

There - two self-help ideas in a single post. Cheers.

I suggest keep buying stuff. You'll know you've got it right when you're not thinking about your system and listening to the music.

Macdaddy, ill venture a guess and say that your system probably sounds pretty f*in good right now.

Sadly, it does. But I'm working on messing it up so it needs more work.

Hi Macdadtexas,

just to add to your audiophile pain, and as an ex maggie owner and maggie lover who was there too, Audio Research+Magnepan=happiness. Just how long the happiness lasts is another question.

As I said earlier, buy more music as it helps to stop the habit of comparing the same recording from one night to another. A computer does help as a source, as you can have instant access to huge amounts of music with the press of a key. No more searching the shelves for that elusive CD or LP. Your listening habits will change.