I may have cured upgradeitus
Jan 19, 2012 at 11:06 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20

LithoJazoSphere

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For the first time since landing on this black hole, I don't feel a pressing need for anything anymore.  I have an assortment of cans for different purposes, adequate portable and desktop amplification, and plenty of music to enjoy it all on.  Sure, down the road maybe I'll get a really high-end headphone and some really nice amps, but not before a lot more research, and it's hardly urgent.  I'm sure that if I keep reading here and particularly going to a meet at the end of the month I have the potential to find other things I want, but for now I'm fairly satisfied.  It's taken a significant outlay of cash to get there, but my appetite seems to have been sated for now.
 
Can anyone more experienced relate to this?  Is this a common plateau/phase?  Most hobbies have points like this, and I know that with exploration in music I general I reached it a number of years back, where I felt I had finally hit the point where I didn't need to keep exploring and trying everything I could get my ears on with so much intensity, and could enjoy what I already had and just go on milder spurts of research and exploration occasionally. 
 
Jan 19, 2012 at 1:36 PM Post #3 of 20
How many days since you've reach this level of enlightenment? 
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Jan 19, 2012 at 1:52 PM Post #4 of 20
My personal cutoff point came after auditioning the latest flagships and preferring my current setup over them.
 
While this may seem like a positive result that would certainly save me a lot of money, it's a bit disheartening having been in this hobby over 6 years and coming to an end. Listening to new sounds and achieving higher levels in sound quality is a wonderful journey for anyone interested in music, this is what keeps us all searching for the next best thing. Coming to a proverbial end without any of the so called flagships gives me the same feeling of those touting cables, you can spend more but you might not necessarily expand your sound quality and increase your enjoyment.
 
Jan 19, 2012 at 1:53 PM Post #5 of 20
I found a more immediate cure - a six-shooter with single bullet in the chamber. Spin and pull, until the madness recedes.
 
Jan 19, 2012 at 9:02 PM Post #8 of 20
Upgradeitis is never completely cured, but it can go into prolonged remission. Events years after the onset of remission can trigger a new episode, often even worse than the first bout. 
 
One day at a time.
 
Jan 20, 2012 at 11:39 AM Post #9 of 20
I think my "cure" was when I got an SR-202 + SRM-212 to replace my vintage SR-Lambda (modified) + SRD-7/SB + old receiver and actually found the sound a bit unrefined by comparison, not to mention liking the new headband/arc design a bit less.
 
I'm still seeking a stock Normal bias SR-Lambda, but once I have it, I'm done as far as audio upgrades go (unless I want to simplify the amp part of the chain to a Stax amp with a Normal bias jack).
 
Video-related upgraditis, on the other hand...I don't think I'll ever be cured of that. Increasingly demanding games, new graphics cards, new displays (maybe one of which will finally be worthy of succeeding CRTs for gaming and general image quality alike without the tradeoffs that LCDs bring), colorimeters and spectrophotometers, capture cards that will take anything from 240p RGB to 720p component to 1920x1200 DVI and save me the hassle of having to keep one or two extra displays for the consoles while also being able to record them in the best quality possible...so much want, but my wallet can't take it!
 
Jan 20, 2012 at 8:37 PM Post #13 of 20
I don't think audiophiles are ever cured of upgraditis.  I think they are in remission, or at least X days sober.
 
Jan 20, 2012 at 8:46 PM Post #15 of 20
I have had two periods of remission, both lasting 2 years, in which I was satisfied with my setup. However both times it was broken by a friend asking for recommendation on headphones to buy. It is cyclical and I hope to go back into remission soon.
 

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