200 posts
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This is what I mean by a desire to constantly change gear. I can never leave good enough alone.
I think for me I “wonder” how a certain speaker will sound in my current room since not all my speakers have made their way into the system. Or wonder how one of my speakers will sound with whichever amp is currently supplying the juice.
@audiodwebe there must be a layman’s pop psychology forum better suited to diagnose you 😜
I suspect @bigtwin is pretty close for the typical circumstance - rotating gear seems a likely surrogate for a shopaholic fix and could also justify buying even more, at least periodically. I don’t like buying electronic stuff, and I don’t think I’m the “norm” in that regard. Nothing might sound definitively better than the rest for too long if you like buying stuff.
A maybe-relevant counterpoint is that I focus on inquiry-based research outside my stereo hobby, perhaps that’s why I have limited wish to exercise similar behavior towards my music listening setup. I “get my fill” elsewhere? I used inquiry-based approach on my stereo setup in defining and devising what I wanted from my listening experience early on. Whether it was more luck or learning that got me what I wanted seems irrelevant. The curiosity many audiophiles have for kit-swapping has always struck me as an exercise of fun with pseudoscience: casual experimentation without proper controls or full understanding of the process, selectively including the bits that enhance their enjoyment of said process. I think this is a frequent basis of the “I trust my ears only” camp. And as long as their takeaway doesn’t result in pushing self-concocted rules onto others about stuff that has not been demonstrated (e.g. sonic differences in cables), I see no harm in it. As least provided all bills get paid 😅
”There’s no perfect solution” also isn’t limited to one’s opinion, but depends on the physics of how your playback kit handles different masters of music. Those are all engineers’ / artisans’ impressions on what sounded “correct” via a multitude of studio setups and a handful of personal opinions. It’s very unlikely that one specific chain will get all specific masters’ tracks and instruments/effects to sound equally ideal for a person who listens to/for things I sometimes consider sonic minutia. Stereo mixing and the unending plethora of hifi kit devices to throw at it are quicksand to stasis in satisfaction for certain folks’ personalities. Who gives a flying flock (of feathers)? If you don’t, then literally no worries, eh? 😉
One psychological size fits all doesn’t seem to apply in this hobby no matter what some folks might tell ya otherwise.