How do you know when you are done?

I prefer to think in terms of information retrieval and presentation over “resolution”.

Well, in general, for audiophiles "resolution" has a precise and specific meaning. Your definition just blurs it, as usual. We addressed it several times. WBF has freedom of speak. I was not addressing resolution in my previous post.
 
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I think the myth of “Sisyphus” pretty much applies to most of us, once we finally get that boulder to the top of the hill and achieve our goal it gets away from us and crashes back down to the bottom making us start all over again.

Curiously the particulars of the myth of Sisyphus have many connections with audiophile debates, a good tittle for a thread! But one aspect must be noted, the drama of audiophiles is not returning back, it is mainly that the goal is evolving. IMO we can't consider our hobby as absurd.
 
Well, in general, for audiophiles "resolution" has a precise and specific meaning. Your definition just blurs it, as usual. We addressed it several times. WBF has freedom of speak. I was not addressing resolution in my previous post.

Yes, certainly. Many are dependent upon Audio file glossary of terms. I am moving towards a language that is easy to understand. You are free to disagree.

Cartridges extract information from the record grooves. That information goes through the system and out the speakers into the room, hopefully with as a little corruption as possible.
 
Curiously the particulars of the myth of Sisyphus have many connections with audiophile debates, a good tittle for a thread! But one aspect must be noted, the drama of audiophiles is not returning back, it is mainly that the goal is evolving. IMO we can't consider our hobby as absurd.
Going up and down the hill, pushing the heavy boulder back up again because of “evolving” goals doesn’t mean the process isn’t absurd, only that one prefers the research, coveting and process more than attaining an ultimate music replay system and stopping.
 
I think the myth of “Sisyphus” pretty much applies to most of us, once we finally get that boulder to the top of the hill and achieve our goal it gets away from us and crashes back down to the bottom making us start all over again. But we don’t mind, seemingly enjoying the process over the goal. We ignore the teachings of Buddha, where we are forever reincarnated in this world until we stop seeking that next upgrade to find enlightenment by letting go?

In the beginning, and petty much throughout, I read reviews, upgraded, was not satisfied, read reviews, upgraded, was not satisfied, and again ad nauseam, each time feeling stupid for believing the reviewers and blowing my hard-earned money. In the early 80’s when CD’s (perfect sound) arrived, I sold my records and bought a Sony portable CD player and Sennhieser headphones. This little kit kept me happy for awhile, but there was something missing. I decided I needed to buy a better (more expensive) kit and see if that does it.

After a series of upgrades I realised that despite buying the latest and greatest upgrades, I wasn’t getting the enjoyment from music that I used to get from records and cassettes. I decided to reverse direction and go back to vinyl. More upgrades.

After a lifetime of trial and error, I have learned that, for my ears, a good turntable, arm and low-gain low-impedance MC cartridge into SUTs and a decent phono stage driving a well-designed flea-watt SETs without a pre-amp if possible (less components in signal path) into vintage horn speakers with AlNiCo magnets playing simply-recorded minimally-processed pure analogue recordings gets me closest to my ideal. Because I am also impaired by humble means, I must build, or modify used equipment to meet the design criteria I have learned sounds best, buying new where my skills just aren’t up to the task.

I thought I had finished, that I was “done”, but then my phono stage started rolling off treble and I heard a 2.3 watt Decware Zen in my system which sounded better than my 20 watt Ongaku copy. I am sending my Ypsilon back to the factory to get checked out and am on the waiting list for a new top-of-the-line Decware 25th anniversary Zen Triode Amplifier … sorry Buddha, I can’t let go, pushing that bloody boulder back up that blasted hill.
Yes Buddha would also council us to be present in this moment appreciating everything we currently have/are and not worrying about the future and what it might bring and how it might be “better”.
 
Yes Buddha would also council us to be present in this moment appreciating everything we currently have/are and not worrying about the future
...if he had electricity and a hifi under that bodhi tree, who knows how things might have turned out.
 
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Rensselaer said:
I think the myth of “Sisyphus” pretty much applies to most of us, once we finally get that boulder to the top of the hill and achieve our goal it gets away from us and crashes back down to the bottom making us start all over again.

Curiously the particulars of the myth of Sisyphus have many connections with audiophile debates, a good tittle for a thread! But one aspect must be noted, the drama of audiophiles is not returning back, it is mainly that the goal is evolving. IMO we can't consider our hobby as absurd.
i PERSONALLY think the worthy task we want to ultimately lose ourselves in IS the listening. NOT the system building process.

even when i worked 50+ hours a week, i still listened 30 hours a week. so listening has ALWAYS been my thing for decades. it's nothing new.

i dreamed of being retired and able to listen as much as i wanted to, and having my system at a point where i did not NEED to push that further. i count myself lucky that i continue to be hungry to listen and i continue to be fulfilled by it. i never take it for granted.

not that life does not present other endeavors too.

for some it might be different. BUT no less worthy. some get bored with the listening. and when they reach the top of where they want to go with their system, which had been the focus, or tire of the process, it's somewhat over.

the whole viewpoint on what the task is.....is very individual.
 
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Mine was sounding great last night. Best it's ever been. CD and some ew LPad resistors are blending well.
I am sitting fairly cloee to the floor to couple the bass. And I am a little off axis of a diect shot down the throat of the horn. I see about 2/3 of the tbroat over the horn flair.

Dynamics and punch are amazing. Detail is very high. Very alive and natural.

Still not done. I am still going to try and biamp the woofers.
 
No it’s not, it it a total reflection of you as a person, what your goals are, are you a sucker or not, do you have class in taste or not, what your temperament is when your choices are challenged, how thorough are you in researching things you are interested in, do you have consistency in why you buy and what you justify, and did you buy to look cool in pics or to sound good on videos and in person
So if you don’t BUY a hifi then you don’t have to worry about how it reflects on you as a person, or worry about being judged as a sucker, or whether you have “class in taste”. Lightbulb moment!
 
However I believe it would be a mistake to argue with those audiophiles who prefer sound quality, based upon measurements or interesting engineering details, as IMHO, they have no direct relationship.
My experience says there is a direct relationship, once you understand how the ear perceives sound and what measurements are actually important.
I agree that some measurements are necessary, but you can’t predict the sound of any given piece of equipment by comparing measurements.
This is my point: actually you can if you know what to measure and understand its implications. Certainly designing for best square wave response isn't it.
I think the myth of “Sisyphus” pretty much applies to most of us, once we finally get that boulder to the top of the hill and achieve our goal it gets away from us and crashes back down to the bottom making us start all over again.
Eventually the boulder is a bit of sand and not so hard to move. Plus the hill wears down too.
 
Am I done?

1. No, in the sense of which upgrades I would still pursue in the future with sufficient cash flow.

These are:
a) exchanging all my, already excellent, ZenWave D4 interconnects for ZenWave Kumihimo interconnects (except for the subwoofers). I more or less know the worthwhile sonic result this would yield.

b) while I have a bunch of ASC IsoThermal TubeTraps, I still have four regular TubeTraps in my room. I would like to exchange those as well for IsoThermal ones. I more or less know what the result would be there, too.

All set with CD transport, 10 MHz clock, DAC, preamp, amp, speakers, subwoofers. Also all electrical/power.

***

2. Yes, I am done in the sense of being satisfied and not *needing* upgrades anymore. I am thrilled with how my system sounds.
 
I don't know we get the stone to the top of the hill, only to crash down and change it all. Its more like we hit a plateau and find we have a little further to climb. Or maybe like chasing a Mirage.
 
Nice. Maybe he would have reached his enlightenment without all the travels.
...many people know Siddhartha Gautama was a prince before his enlightenment. However, what is less well-known is that he was a big-box speaker guy around the palace. Precursors to the big Wilsons and such. And all vinyl, at the time.

It is told that upon seeing the "four signs" he began his spiritual enlightenment in earnest. Also little known, and perhaps squashed for political reasons, there was a fifth sign: a giant horn.

That was the true beginning of enlightenment. He gave up the big boxes and moved to horns exclusively. That tradition persists even until today:
IMG_3584.jpeg
Seen here: testing near-field concepts at the palace. Some critics reported top-end was a bit "shouty" but most adored the detail, driven by flea-watt monks.

I have thus far been unable to confirm H.H.'s position on streaming, or vinyl vs. digital. Expect a full report as details unfold.
 
...many people know Siddhartha Gautama was a prince before his enlightenment. However, what is less well-known is that he was a big-box speaker guy around the palace. Precursors to the big Wilsons and such. And all vinyl, at the time.

It is told that upon seeing the "four signs" he began his spiritual enlightenment in earnest. Also little known, and perhaps squashed for political reasons, there was a fifth sign: a giant horn.

That was the true beginning of enlightenment. He gave up the big boxes and moved to horns exclusively. That tradition persists even until today:
View attachment 159222
Seen here: testing near-field concepts at the palace. Some critics reported top-end was a bit "shouty" but most adored the detail, driven by flea-watt monks.

I have thus far been unable to confirm H.H.'s position on streaming, or vinyl vs. digital. Expect a full report as details unfold.
Wow. Speechless. Who knew?
 
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I like the stone imagery, but for my setup it was more like this:

1759900437774.png
 

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