If there’s an audiophile exit ramp, this ain’t it…

"I just want to enjoy the music."

Are you sure? You just want to be passive?

When I reflect, I see two different reasons I keep reading about audio.

One is the desire for "perfection." That's a trap. Avoid it. Tvad had good advice.

The other is the desire to do stuff with audio. So...tweak, DIY, change things around -- have fun by doing stuff without feeding a consumeristic habit.

(Why is the ideal often portrayed as just doing nothing? That's not human nature. We need interaction. Nothing wrong with it and calling it "OCD" is not accurate.)

I like to tinker. Many on this Forum do. In a nut shell that’s it.

Sometimes a new purchase is thrilling until it’s not.

tvad is right. Stop reading all this (in hopes of mining a golden life changing kernel of knowledge). For many, albeit slowly and expensively, this Forum is helpful and fun to learn about other equipment or share something we are passionate about.

Some of my top takeaways.

0.) Everyone here is a music lover and their zeal drives all of this.

1.) Whole house sure protector.

2.) Deal with dirty power and RF inference.

3.) Move your speakers

4.) Nothing wrong with vinyl or digital if done right. Each to their own taste.

  but whenever I’m drawn to these sites/pages, as I have been for two years, I am confronted again with doubt and a vague longing for ‘perfection’ in a new purchase. I just want to enjoy the music.

The choice is yours. As Nike says, "Just do it". At this point I am in the same predicament. I have added more to my system in the last 2 yrs than I have the previous 15. My system sounds fantastic. Yet I know of a few more tweaks, etc that are I want to do. But I need to  listen for a few months in order to get my bearings and see what is needed.

many ways to enjoy the hobby, the pursuit of music and its reproduction

last night, first time in two years, i attended a live concert at sfjazz, with a nice dinner out beforehand

reminded me what live music sounds like, amplified and unamplified

gives a rather different take on what my hifi sounds like as i turn it on today