[sacd lover]

Magic 77, I do the same thing and often what I upgrade to isnt as satisfying as what I had.Sometimes(rarely) the upgrade is a real improvement.The real key is hearing the gear enough to know if you really like it. Cost isnt always an indicator of quality nor is hype.I HAVE CERTAIN GEAR I AM ALWAYS DELIGHTED TO HEAR. Decide what you have you really enjoy and keep it.See what you dont use or dislike and sell it or give it away to someone. The money you lost wont be so frustrating when you give it to someone who will truely appreciates,say those headphones that sound good except they have no bass.Furthermore,the gear will be out of sight and out of mind.
Then the next time you want to upgrade be sure you are considering all options and dont fall prey to hype. Hype always gets me.I imagine I am missing out. Audition the gear and see if its really better. Often this is immediately apparent. Even when its not listen and see how quickly the magic wears off.If it doesnt , BUY IT! Dont try to cheap out. I will say my favorite gear is the most expensive in the majority of cases but diminishing returns is evident.Also,try to demo and make sure you can return a product.I am going to try to compare at some of these trade shows or head-fi meetings.In the end, then you will know you made the best choice.

 

[kerelybonto]

I like your use of whitespace, sacd lover.

Magic77, you should try to go out and demo the most expensive -- or whatever you think would be the best -- setup you can find. Then compare it to what you have and ask yourself if it's really that much better. Whatever your answer you won't be able to worry about all the other equipment out there.

I'm listening to some low-rate MP3s straight out of my computer's soundcard right now. Sounds like ****. I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

kerelybonto

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magic77 OK; I listen to 90% Jazz(Acoustic, Avant-Garde,Free Jazz & Fusion). I also listen to some Prog-Rock; King Crimson, Yes, Dream Theater, etc. I guess my problem is that I tend to "waste" a lot of money trying to attain the quality that I really want. In other words; I have bought several different amps, interconnects, headphones, surge protectors etc...

Maybe you should think of "wasting" some more money on music instead. Since you like free jazz, buy some Evan Parker. Or Ken Vandermark (he seems to release at least two CDs a week). Or Marty Ehrlich. Or Myra Melford. There's some interesting Muhal Richard Abrams stuff right now on ebay. Bid on that (except the ones that I'm interested in, of course

).

In any case, enjoy the music. It's what this is all about.

 

[Magic77]

Hey, you guys are 100% right; It's the Music that matters most. And that's exactly what you miss when you are constantly obsessed with the equipment and accessories. It's funny, I was never like this a few years ago. I always had equipment for a long time, and would never buy anything new unless something broke down.

I remember when I bought my first CD player in 1989. It was a Denon, and it lasted 10 years!! I even used the same Monster Cable interconnects for 10 years!! And now I remember; I always enjoyed my music.