Have you reached your end point with this addictive hobby?

@drrsutliff   it sounds like you’ve had a great ride in this enjoyable hobby!

Yes, we are likely close in age. I turned 65 this past summer and enjoy music more now than I ever have; even if my hearing is no longer what it once was. 

Every once in awhile i’ll find an old ad or a two sided  brochure from companies like Tech Hi-Fi,  with color pictures of a typical audio system of the time; a turntable, receiver, cassette deck, reel to reel and a pair of speakers. 

All those colorful lights were a visual feast for the eyes, and of course these audio systems offered us a gateway into what would eventuallly become the wonderful memories of first discovering music!

I always seem to screw things up by upgrading when I have my system sounding the best. 

That sucks!

I refer to this point in time not as 'the end point' or 'endgame' but as 'hobbyist maturity', as this can happen with other hobbies as well...

Basically, it's the realization of 3 key facts all coming together at the same time:

1) There will ALWAYS be something 'better' out there... it's just a question of having the (financial) resources and the desire / time / effort to continuously upgrade;

2) You have reached the point in the hobby where the improvements achieved by  an upgrade or change are growing smaller and smaller in terms of measurable / listenable improvements... while simultaneously growing exponentially more expensive and / or difficult / time consuming to implement;

3) The blissful acknowledgement that "what I have now is really pretty damn good!" 

A little bittersweet, as that dopamine rush you used to get when you scored a great piece of gear is now gone... but, if you embrace #3... you replace it with contentment and actual ENJOYMENT of your system in ways not experienced before...

@carlso63    +1    Well said.