Is it possible to be an audiophile and be happy with what you have


It seems like audiophiles are always looking to upgrade. From something as minor as a fuse to upgrading all their components. Music lovers on the other hand seem content with what equipment they have and just want to experience new music. So I ask you, can a audiophile just be happy with what they have? Or is that just not possible being an audiophile?

taters
For a minority yes, for the majority no.
A large part of the enjoyment for many is tweaking and moving up the chain to produce more realistic sound.

I must have been looking for a downgrade, not an upgrade. I found solace from moving down the chain, not up the chain. I broke free of the chain of command.  Lol I unloaded my Sennheiser 600s and all tube Class A headphone amp with WWII Tung Sol rectifier and ’52 Sylvania Badboys and uber modded Oppo 103 for the peace and harmony of a vintage Sony Walkman cassette player and Walkman CD player and Sony ultralight headphones. And never looked back. No more power cords, house AC, interconnects, big honking transformers, fuses, grounding issues, break in or warm up. No more stress from wall outlets, outlet covers, room treatments, capacitor rolling, EMI/RFI, tube rolling, No more teacher’s dirty looks.
Wow! That's a first for me. I have heard of people downgrading but never to that extent.

I did the same thing geoff, except took it one step further. I now only collect and listen to wind-up music boxes that only play one song at a time. They use no electricity, look cool, easy to store, require vertually no maintanance and fun for all ages. The downside is, by the time I get back to the listening position from the music box stand, some of the song has already played. I guess I could listen near-field. BTW: I found a good sand filled 24" stand works best.