How do you know when you are done?

When you run out of money! ;-)

Seriously, as with most things in life, it depends on your preferences and what life throws at you.

For me, I've made some big audio system changes over the last five years. I've come much farther than I thought I would and am amazed and often enthralled with the sound I've achieved. Much is the system and probably as much is via the room treatment and subwoofers' integration. I'll never stop loving music, listening as a musician, as a non - musician and as an audiophile. So will I stop loving music?, no, am I heading to a point of slowing big purchases, yes.

It's more about the song than the sound. Happy Listening!
 
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I'm someone on a Napa California Wine budget with Leroy Domaine d'Auvenay taste. So, no, I'm not done. Plus I love the chase too much. Building a system from fairly humble building blocks to sound like the big boys (according to my own sonic priorities), using my own design smarts and an open curious mind is my shortcut. While I get there in certain aspects, there are always compromises.

For instance, I did get to a point of real satisfaction with my digital system a few months ago. I would be a fool to change it. However, I need to change my system to allow for an all analog pathway as well, so I can setup a killer vinyl system. The change necessitates substituting digital for analog EQ (which replaces crossovers in my system). The result has been hair raising so far, and it will probably be a year plus of experimentation to either figure it out or give up. This will require a few trial pieces of gear, which will require me to play the game to get them in my system. Then if that works out, there is the vinyl front end to figure out.

So practically, I don't think I will ever hit that point of overall satisfaction.
 
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By being “done” you deny your friends the enormous satisfaction of picking apart your system in long conversations when you are not there. Why deny your friends these simple life’s pleasures by not making mistakes anymore?! As the saying goes: “one man’s hastily bought amplifier is another man’s temporary sense of mental wellbeing.”
 
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Mike Lavigne said:
but mostly health and time permitting; solid forum participants will stick around even when their acquisition days are behind them.
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In my experience, this is not correct. If you’re still spending time combing forums, you’re not done.

In my own case, I can assert that “I am done for now.” How do I know? I know because every time I sit down and listen, I’m still thrilled. I’m not dissatisfied with the sound of any of my sources. I no longer regularly go to demos because over the last two years, demos have sounded good, but when I get home, I like my sound better. So … I have no current motivation to “not be done.”

Five years from now, maybe I’ll feel differently. Obviously I’m still posting, but it’s at a much lower frequency than when I was actively searching for “the next big thing.”
 
Another Johnson said:
Said the man who bought the forum, opened a business, and will never be done no matter how much he disdains the “box swappers.”
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What in the world does any of this have to do with your confident claim that no content audiophile might peruse WBF just for fun?
 
Done? As @luca.pelliccioli mentioned I’m way too curious about things to ever be done.

I’m at the point I don’t want to change anything incase I lose what the system is doing right now. Every time I go in to switch on the system I know I have something special. Close my eyes and time disappears as I’m lost listening to music.

No major equipment changes for sure. I’m still curious, different footers? Sure I’m going to try. New tube released? Maybe. New cartridge? Sure but not motivated. Change my speakers? Hell no! I’m so happy with the sound day in day out why would I? Well… I am curious about the Voxativ AC-X field coil… I don’t think that would be a radical change though, even if it is a lot of money. I can afford it but is it ~$14K is it worth the money? Someday I’ll find out, I’m too curious.

I don’t want to churn equipment. I want to find what I love and stick with it, slowly keeping everything in balance as I explore things. The idea of reviewing equipment changing equipment on a regular basis has no appeal to me if it means interrupting my system. If I had a work system and MY system that would be interesting.

For now I’m happy floating along in the music.
 
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I am 45 years old and I am done in terms of making any fundamental changes to the composition of my system.

More than that, I was mostly done 10 years ago, when by a combination of desire, curiosity, financial circumstances and a bit of courage I ordered and took delivery of my 1.5+ tonnes 5-way horn Cessaro Gamma speaker system from Ralph.

A year ago I moved to a different house, and as you might imagine the most stressful thing I experienced during the whole process was getting the Cessaros safely into the new place. Thanks God, the operation went perfectly, and I continue to enjoy them in a new better more befitting them hall.

Unless there is a catastrophic failure of one of these TAD Beryllium drivers which are getting harder and harder to obtain, or God forbid there is an alien invasion or my house gets struck by a meteorite I expect and plan to continue listening to the Gammas as my main conduit for music for the decades to come.

One of the important things in getting closer to being “done” is to lay as strong a foundation to your system as you can strive to achieve.

The blocks in this foundation are by decreasing importance:

1. the room (house)
2. the speakers
3. And of course the power - pre-amp/amps and power supply.

I think when you are able to get these three in good order, as good or better than you can afford, you can consider yourself to be done.

Everything else may change - there is always a new DAC technology around the corner every few years, the TT carts degrade and need replacement, the clocks/Ethernet/filters become finer and better - but if you have the foundation above sorted out to the best of your knowledge and effort, things then really do not change much in terms of fundamentals.

To summarize - I consider myself to be done when I do not desire to change either house, speakers or amps.

P.S. I did actually choose between a Cessaro Gamma and a Ferrari back at that time. I did manage to get both ultimately, but the speakers were my first choice.
 
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italia said:
Like I said in my initial post, I'm a cyclical hobbiest. I enjoy finding new things to interest me, and often circle back to hobbies from the past.
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This is a good description. And audio allows us many cycles, one in each section of the chain, i.e. digital, amp, speaker, phono, cartridge, etc.

There are people who compare barbells and squat cages for no particular reason whatsoever, except that they have differences and there is a community that compares them so it gets interesting. There are people who collect barbells similar to cables because they have differences.

While the number of women who work out is high, almost all these geeky comparers are men and they crack similar jokes to audiophiles about wives accepting their madness.

It gets to be a hobby because there are enough differences that allow the exploration to be an interesting journey.

But they are not as deluded to think collecting barbells or buying most expensive ones will win you an Olympia or strongest man in the world, as compared to thinking buying expensive equipment will get you great sound. At least in their case they benefit in terms of health by spending time in that hobby

IMG_0992.jpeg

IMG_0993.jpeg
 
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Another Johnson said:
In my experience, this is not correct. If you’re still spending time combing forums, you’re not done.
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your above comment was a reaction to what i wrote just below.
Mike Lavigne said:
but mostly health and time permitting; solid forum participants will stick around even when their acquisition days are behind them.
Click to expand...
why do i feel that way? i could ask why you don't feel that way?

i suppose it comes down to why one comes to a hifi forum, and where the lasting value is from the forum to each person individually. maybe some are just here to get answers to questions, or to view the bling-bling, or just to post their acquisitions, or finding stimulating discussions. or other mostly impersonal reasons. but for many i think there is also the value of being a part of the community, meeting like minded people they can relate to and developing relationships and friendships. connecting for in person experiences, and just feeling of being a part of something that brings more joy and substance to their lives.

you get as much out of the forum as you put in. maybe something happens to cause hurt feelings or negativity regarding the forum from time to time but we get past those spots and the forum goes on and we get back into it. the forum is the members.

all that said the state of your system development is not the major issue in the value of the forum for those who embrace the community. i know for myself why would i ever end my enjoyment of the community and end interacting with my friends? i still have interest in the hobby and knowing what is going on in the community......even if i think or know i am done. maybe we are less passionate about the gear at some point. hopefully we continue to listen as much as we can after all our efforts to reach this 'done' level.
 
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Mike Lavigne said:
your above comment was a reaction to what i wrote just below.

why do i feel that way? i could ask why you don't feel that way?

i suppose it comes down to why one comes to a hifi forum, and where the lasting value is from the forum to each person individually. maybe some are just here to get answers to questions, or to view the bling-bling, or just to post their acquisitions, or finding stimulating discussions. or other mostly impersonal reasons. but for many i think there is also the value of being a part of the community, meeting like minded people they can relate to and developing relationships and friendships. connecting for in person experiences, and just feeling of being a part of something that brings more joy and substance to their lives.

you get as much out of the forum as you put in. maybe something happens to cause hurt feelings or negativity regarding the forum from time to time but we get past those spots and the forum goes on and we get back into it. the forum is the members.

all that said the state of your system development is not the major issue in the value of the forum for those who embrace the community. i know for myself why would i ever end my enjoyment of the community and end interacting with my friends? i still have interest in the hobby and knowing what is going on in the community......even if i think or know i am done. maybe we are less passionate about the gear at some point. hopefully we continue to listen as much as we can after all our efforts to reach this 'done' level.
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Great post Mike.
 
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Johan K said:
Never tried. But I guess 25kg is the same regardless brand.
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I have 3 Eleiko bars in my home gym, 20kg Olympic Competition bar, 20kg Olympic Training bar and a 20kg Power lifting bar, I wasn't aware Eleiko manufactured a 25kg barbell.

I do have a 25kg Rogue Ohio Squat bar, but with a shaft diameter of 32mm I find it too unwieldy for any lift other than Squat.
 
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Although my system may sound the best that it ever has, had I disposable dollars I would continue experimenting with tweaks, cabling and various room acoustical devices. I say this, because much recent improvements have been brought on by “upgrades” in cables. Hijiri speaker cable, ic and power cords brought a somewhat sterile presentation to something closer to a true musical experience. Skogrand power cords and a single ic opened the soundstage up yet further. Fortuitously, I found these exorbitant cables at a price point I could swing. Playing with a few Vera-Fi tweaks and a couple Snake River cables (thanks Steve for the review) have sprung this system from its confined 14’ x 23’ room to a full deep and wide stage, with delineation and tonal accuracy and speed.
I would love to try CAT’s mono blocks, but the going rate will likely remain a castle in the sky. Another set of REL subs to stack on top may prove sublime, but then what about the full six pack. Undoubtably, this system can be taken further, but at what cost. I
I followed with awe and wonder at ML’s evolution as he has invested much time and money, in what is obviously a true passion to squeeze out the utmost musical experience in a home setting. I believe I would seek out similar progressions if the funds were available.
 
Mike Lavigne said:
your above comment was a reaction to what i wrote just below.

why do i feel that way? i could ask why you don't feel that way?

i suppose it comes down to why one comes to a hifi forum, and where the lasting value is from the forum to each person individually. maybe some are just here to get answers to questions, or to view the bling-bling, or just to post their acquisitions, or finding stimulating discussions. or other mostly impersonal reasons. but for many i think there is also the value of being a part of the community, meeting like minded people they can relate to and developing relationships and friendships. connecting for in person experiences, and just feeling of being a part of something that brings more joy and substance to their lives.

you get as much out of the forum as you put in. maybe something happens to cause hurt feelings or negativity regarding the forum from time to time but we get past those spots and the forum goes on and we get back into it. the forum is the members.

all that said the state of your system development is not the major issue in the value of the forum for those who embrace the community. i know for myself why would i ever end my enjoyment of the community and end interacting with my friends? i still have interest in the hobby and knowing what is going on in the community......even if i think or know i am done. maybe we are less passionate about the gear at some point. hopefully we continue to listen as much as we can after all our efforts to reach this 'done' level.
Click to expand...
I understand the idea that the social aspect has continuing value.

But I think how we view this is in our perception of what “done” means.

My reaction to the word done is literally “finished.” My life is not built around gear, or perceptions of gear. Until my ears fail, I will always be hardwired into the music scene. As a former member of NARAS, and as a friend of many musicians, music and musical artists are an important part of my life.

But the system building activity is no longer important to me. There are posts that interest me from time to time, but most threads (especially those that generate 20+ pages) are nearly impossible to glean for value.

Let’s just say that my perspective is a different one.

Sorting through this thread, have you gotten useful information to help you decide when you’re done?

I think the right answer is that you will know when you’re done.

When I was 62, I asked my main financial advisor (who had just told me that I could easily retire comfortably at any time) “When do you think I should retire?” He said “You’ll know.” He was right. I knew when it was time to be “done” with the work aspect of my life. I think this is similar. When you’re done, you will know.
 
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