The argument against upgrading

An additional observation i could add relates to novelty.  Whenever I add a new component that makes a good bit of difference I revel in that change for a short while.  Then as time goes on the sound becomes the new normal. My aural memory of the old sound fades. I’m left wondering if I had helped my overall musical satisfaction.

I find a true upgrade, which by definition is an improvement, is always sonically and musically a good thing...of course we each have different ideas about what constitutes an improvement, and how much time and money it is  worth spending...I think it is important to enjoy what you have, and upgrades can be fun...though my days of getting on the floor to change cables and carry heavy amps are done...

“Then as time goes on the sound becomes the new normal. My aural memory of the old sound fades. I’m left wondering if I had helped my overall musical satisfaction.”

@skinzy - That is exactly when you want to reinsert the former component back into your system to verify whether the new component was actually an “upgrade”. From there, you can try shorter duration A/B comparisons to verify your decision.

Upgrade Definition:

1, I really like the different way I perceive how the End Sound is being delivered, even though the other design being used was capable of doing quite a good job also.

2, I am quite impressed with how this new design is able to influence the created End Sound. Only a few hours of the new experience is enough to convince me, I am not interesting to returning to what was previously being experienced as the design.

3, I am now very confident the design selected is a substantial change and one that has shown me much more of what is to be extracted from the recording. The entirety of the listening experience, creates the perception that the recordings embedded data has been revealed in the End Sound, in a way better than any other heard before.

A Home Audio System and the Environment being used in. Especially the Space  selected as dedicated to having the experience of produced End Sound is part of the Holistic Approach to Upgrading the Audio Experience.

The Electronics in use are one area to concern oneself about, but certainly not the sole concern.

There are other concerns to consider, in what measure will only be revealed when more is learnt about the influences present.

Mechanical Interfaces and energy control of released mechanical energies must be considered.

Creating a Space that is optimised to manage the End Sound produced along with other noise created through sound energy being present is another that must be under consideration.

In differing proportions both are upgradable and will have a significant influence on how both Sound and Noise are created and perceived when heard ad the End Sound.

Electronic Devices are only an End Sound when the electrical energy they are responsible for transferring is converted by the Transducer (Speaker). All what is before this transducer conversion of energy. Is source created energy, converted to electrical energy, with the source conversion produced electrical energy undergoing stages of adding gain across electronic devices (at this stage it is not Sound in any manifestation). 

How sound is assessed has a lot more to do with the environment it is being generated in and how the individual responds to that sound. There is very very little, if nothing to do with how Sound Assessment, using added gain to a electrical energy as the basis for the assessment.

Most wish for sound and they get it, where in nearly all cases that is satisfactory and classed as the enjoyment on offer.

There is much more available from engineered designs than mere production of a sound.

There are on offer End Sound perceptions that can be attained, that will become a stimulus quite unusual but extremely attractive to know it has been encountered. Using Words are weak as the method to describe such an experience, it is just that something needed to be experienced to be understood.

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It makes absolutely no sense to most people that audiophiles put so much effort into fancy systems when it is perfectly possible to enjoy music on a humble bluetooth speaker. Yet clearly we enjoy listening to better quality sound. This is the contradiction at the heart of my worry that we are not achieving anything with our upgrades. I don’t necessarily think we are wasting our time. It’s more I think we should be cautious, especially as the upgrades become more expensive.

@newton_john - high-end audio is simply a hobby, and like all hobbies it’s goal is “Personal Enjoyment” (which can be the process) and not achievement   If you are trying to establish some sort of “value”, you’ll never get there