How do you know when you are done?

[mtemur]

If you think you’re done just because you’ve got certain products from certain brands, you were never really into this hobby in the first place.

It’s like being in love, you can never know when you’ve reached the top or the end.

 

[Brian Walsh]

Pretty much.
Come for a listen.
Bring vinyl
https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/coppe...e-legendary-hill-plasmatronics-loudspeakers-4

Phono cartridge setup road trips to the Southeast and east coast soon.

 

[Three quid]

The question is how do you know when you are done. I’ve been an audiophile for 50+ years and heard a lot of stuff, most of which never did it for me. I am nearing that point where I know I’m done. I thought I had reached it with my tricked-out Garrard 301, linear tracking Reed, Phasemation cartridge and SUT, Ypsilon phono amp, modified Altec A7 VOT speakers and Ongaku copy (in copper) SET amplifier. That is until I heard a 2.3 watt Decware Zen swapped in. I was shocked by how nice my system sounded with that change and have changed my order on the Decware waiting list from a 300B Sarah to a zen UFO 25th anniversary amp. When I get that, I’ll be done (system-wise or life-wise).

Wow, what did you hear with the decware that you weren’t getting with the ongaku clone?

 

[Lee]

You are done when the music sounds effortless.

 

[Iamrael]

When you get banned from WBF and don’t give a ****.

 

[Rensselaer]

Wow, what did you hear with the decware that you weren’t getting with the ongaku clone?

Air around each note, no background hum, more real sounding, better sound stage.

 

[A-Line]

For me when I stopped listening to the equipment and started listening to the music I knew that I was done. Just my casual observation and opinion.

 

[213Cobra]

You're done with the hifi treadmill when you stop looking for what's next. You might be open to stumbling on something but the next upgrade is no longer a quest. The new thing didn't make you any happier. I don't need a better speaker than Zu Definition 6; I don't need better amplification than Absolare Altius 845; I don't need a better DAC than a Bricasti M21 Platinum; I don't need a better phono cartridge than Ortofon SPU; I don't need a better turntable than a modded Luxman PD-444; I don't need better tonearms than the six I have; I don't need a better phono pre than a Nagra. Unless something breaks, I'm not looking. I don't need better anything anymore to enjoy music as much as ever.

You might also be done when something deeply disruptive upends your life. Other developments can, without warning, render hifi a trivial pursuit even if it makes music even more essential.

Every gear-oriented interest comes with the same problem. First world problems. When is a car fast, quick or agile enough? When are the guitars you have enough to satisfy? When does it stop being satisfying to spend more money on watches? When is a camera the last one? When does an amateur astronomer decide optics are perfect enough or they must draw a line against striving for more aperture? In the moment these pursuits all make sense somehow, but if your life gets struck by a meteor, you'd listen to music and care a lot less what you play it through. You're done when something elemental changes your perspective & priorities, or it no longer makes financial sense to keep running the game.

Phil

 

[Pallen]

You're done with the hifi treadmill when you stop looking for what's next. You might be open to stumbling on something but the next upgrade is no longer a quest. The new thing didn't make you any happier. I don't need a better speaker than Zu Definition 6; I don't need better amplification than Absolare Altius 845; I don't need a better DAC than a Bricasti M21 Platinum; I don't need a better phono cartridge than Ortofon SPU; I don't need a better turntable than a modded Luxman PD-444; I don't need better tonearms than the six I have; I don't need a better phono pre than a Nagra. Unless something breaks, I'm not looking. I don't need better anything anymore to enjoy music as much as ever.

You might also be done when something deeply disruptive upends your life. Other developments can, without warning, render hifi a trivial pursuit even if it makes music even more essential.

Every gear-oriented interest comes with the same problem. First world problems. When is a car fast, quick or agile enough? When are the guitars you have enough to satisfy? When does it stop being satisfying to spend more money on watches? When is a camera the last one? When does an amateur astronomer decide optics are perfect enough or they must draw a line against striving for more aperture? In the moment these pursuits all make sense somehow, but if your life gets struck by a meteor, you'd listen to music and care a lot less what you play it through. You're done when something elemental changes your perspective & priorities, or it no longer makes financial sense to keep running the game.

Phil

Great post Phil.