I see uberwaltz's observation and double it. To me, it's the music that is the obsession. From the material itself to the means of reproducing it...and that includes playing a couple...okay, more than a couple...of musical instruments.
The quest for sound vs. music
The quest for perfect sound Is so voracious that it devours the enjoyment of music.
After you’ve reached a point where you can enjoy music on your system, no more tweaks are necessary. Any further improvements are superfluous. The problem Is, if Hifi is your hobby you want to actively involve yourself in it. You can’t sit back and leave it alone. If you stop twiddling with it, it ceases to be an active hobby. That’s where the contradiction is. The enjoyment of music ceases to be the goal. The “hobby” predominates.
If you can listen for the music, everything falls into place. The work you’ve done assembling your system has paid off and you can revel in how beautiful the music is.
But, your hobby is over.
After you’ve reached a point where you can enjoy music on your system, no more tweaks are necessary. Any further improvements are superfluous. The problem Is, if Hifi is your hobby you want to actively involve yourself in it. You can’t sit back and leave it alone. If you stop twiddling with it, it ceases to be an active hobby. That’s where the contradiction is. The enjoyment of music ceases to be the goal. The “hobby” predominates.
If you can listen for the music, everything falls into place. The work you’ve done assembling your system has paid off and you can revel in how beautiful the music is.
But, your hobby is over.