Being grateful for what we have

I think that Mark Twain's famous popularization of an earlier saying says it best:

"Moderation in all things, including moderation!"

Enjoy!

-- Al

I'm with Schipo, music enjoyment is my first and only priority. Room and tweaks come second, and the rig is a laggard at third place. Life is too short and important to be wasted on someone's subjective worries.

Only if I am sure something can be improved to meet my expectations.

There is something to be said for being a perfectionist....but that too should be in moderation as Almarg points out.

There's more to life than audio or any hobby or area of enjoyment for that matter. But I do think when somebody cares about something, they should strive to do it well, whatever it is.

Nothing wrong with being curious about what works, what doesn't and why. That's the basis of progress in any area.

Just take a chill pill if needed and enjoy! Life is too short to do otherwise!

What's your current system? Maybe there is a way to get across the finish line sooner rather than later?

Well... you can spend your life pursuing adventure - and end up dead or crippled up later in life(i.e. extreme skiers, mountain climbers, etc.)

Or, you can spend your life toiling for the green, and end up with a dead marriage, broken home, alienated kids or no kids at all, etc.

Or, you can spend your life playing sports, and end up in great shape when you die.

Or, you can be a bookworm or TV-aholic, and have no social life, missing out on great relationships that aren't virtual.

or, you can be an audiophile who balances time spent in social/religious causes, family, work and listening. ;)

One has to determine if they are an audiophile or a system builder, or both. The system builder loves the gear as much as the music. I do, and I make absolutely no apologies for it, and neither should anyone else who loves the gear. I have a fascination with how systems sound, and I'm driven to put different systems together to hear the results. I have been this way since a teen. It's no more improper to do so than for the person who blows tons of money on media who never watches it or plays it. To me, it is every bit as rich an experience to hear beloved music in different ways (systems) than having to get new music just to stay interested in the hobby. People with thousands of CDs and Albums have blown a LOT of money, and their time collecting all that music is just as questionably spent. Especially with the radical improvements in streaming audio and HiFi!

My wife, when she chats with others about the involvement I have in audio, says, "At least he's not on the street..." She's only half-joking. She knows how many pitfalls there are for people in life. Being a homebody with a stereo certainly is not the worst of it. :)

It seems to me that most humans have some form of excess or imbalance in life. I don't know that I've ever meet anyone who was perfectly balanced, who had no area in life which was not excessive. We seem to fall prey to mania quite easily. It may be a function of passion or love, motivations to immerse ourselves in things we enjoy.

Schipo! I agree that the room brings a big bang for the buck; I added value to my home by building it while vastly improving the experience! But that hardly precludes huge improvements by system building. Your attitude is like saying the kitchen is the most important part of cooking, while giving marginal consideration to the ingredients! :)