[estreeter]

I'm sure that each of you could nominate your 'end-game' rig, but a quick look at many of the sigs on Head-Fi tells me that such a thing doesn't really exist, at least not while folk keep coming back here.   

 
I get the hobby/collector thing, but how many people (reviewers aside) wheel out 50kg+ floorstanders and the monoblock amps that drove them, just to experiment with new toys ? If anything, the prospect of messing with a combination that has taken years (and many thousands of dollars) to assemble seems to terrify many with high-end speaker rigs - its the reason companies like McIntosh keep making the 'same' amp. 
 
I dont live in that rarified space, but thats the impression I've gleaned from various interviews with people who have spent a lifetime assembling the 'perfect' system. The Stax Mafia might be the closest thing in the Head-Fi world, but I doubt that anyone here is 'terrified' by the prospect of spending more money on new kit, even if it doesnt gel with their existing setup. Its an addiction, no question, but any talk of 'getting off the merry-go-round' always evokes cynicism on my part - happy to hear from those who can tell me otherwise. Photos of unicorns also welcome. 
 
 

 

[Austin Morrow]

I don't think that there will ever be a "End-Game" headphone rig, so to speak. They all have different signatures, and it's fun to mix and match, which is why people keep coming back to Head-Fi. 

 

[Currawong]

Common sense ends up having it that one should be spending more money on music and less on gear, since that is the source of our satisfaction.
 
Many people end up bailing off the merry-go-round. We don't notice this as we only see posts from people still on it.

 

[ivanrocks321]

K1000

 

[Sil3nce]

K1000

Not even, and that's a can- not a rig.

As for the Op, maybe it's not the pursuit of sonic perfection that keeps us coming back.

Some of us just want to keep up to date on new products, contribute here and there with reviews, and tinker with new toys.

For those who are able to never look back, I personally believe they're missing the point.

For those that consider music an art, I quote here " The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium."

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

Photos of unicorns also welcome. 

 

[estreeter]

If that's a *photograph^ of a Unicorn, you must have one very special camera.  

 

[Timestretch]

I might swap my HE-6 for an LCD-3. *might*. I think it's more likely that this is my end-game headphone rig, and I will go for speakers now.

 

[Chefguru]

End game rig = when you don't care anymore about finding something better. I've concluded this is impossible until you stop showing up on head-fi lol.
 
I'm very content with my hp2(i) rig I have now but I have been having some, " should I get a blue hawaii Sr-009 " moments and it makes me realize nothing will ever satisfy that urge to upgrade outside of leaving the site. I think for many people here it is more about the gear and less about the music. Luckily for me the hp2(i) is essentially flawless, extremely neutral, absent of any harshness (or sibilance), musical, detailed and among the best midranges of any headphone period. I can happily tell myself "yes there may be something else great out there, but they will always lack something the hp2(i) has."
 
I think once I purchase my final piece of the system (getting a woo wa5-le hopefully!), it'll be time to vacate head-fi and live in bliss until another decade passes and some real reasons to upgrade emerge.
 

 

[dyl1dyl]

Quote:

End game rig = when you don't care anymore about finding something better. I've concluded this is impossible until you stop showing up on head-fi lol.

 
Haha, thats kinda true. I am pretty satisfied with my LCD-3s though as an end game headphone. however, I'm still on the look out for my end game amp and DACs.

 

[obzilla]

Quote:

Photos of unicorns also welcome.   
 

 

[estreeter]

Tiny dog lovers all over the world are fainting right around now - Photoshop has been good to you, hasnt it ?

 

[ardgedee]

Once you're done with the end game rig in your dedicated listening room, you've still got to set up the systems in the office, bedroom, living room...

 

[Hibuckhobby]

As long as people hold onto the idea that newer is always better and that the wonderful, near euphoric experience
they are seeking "may" be found in that new product, the end game will be a concept rather than a reality.  I've been
in the audio game for 45 years and even now...find myself wondering if I could reach that elusive next level if I bought 
something new.  I at times wonder if the words "better" and "different" shouldn't be used interchangeably here.
 
The only salvation found here is that you can get pretty close to the best available for 5k or so, depending on what you
regard as "best".  In home audio, you will spend more than that on a CD player or turntable alone.
Just sayin'
Hibuck...

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

 
The only salvation found here is that you can get pretty close to the best available for 5k or so, depending on what you
regard as "best".  In home audio, you will spend more than that on a CD player or turntable alone.
Just sayin'
Hibuck...

And that, right there, is where I have a problem. Assuming that you choose wisely, that CDP / turntable will last 10 years+ : I've been here for 3 and watched countless board members buy every new 'statement' headphone that comes down the pike, and frequently update their amp at the same time. Dont even get me started on DACs.
 
That 5k figure only holds water if you don't spend 5k repeatedly ............