Do you listen to equipment or music.

Universal problem, I think, for all serious audiophiles. We all do what you have done,to some degree or another, and we quit when we have optimized our systems potential, but , even then, when we put on a (new) disc the first thing that we notice is it’s audio quality. The real sickness begins when we can no longer listen to recordings that don’t live up to our systems potential even though the music is great.

Good point. I think 'listening to the equipment' comes and goes..   
Particularly when one has been buying new equipment!  
For example, I had the same basic setup for eight years, with Magnepan 3.6 speakers, The only changes over those years, were a few new interconnects.  Then I got the bug to maybe buy new speakers. So after thinking I went all out and bought the most expensive I could afford, Magnepan 20.7   
That got me started on a bunch of upgrades. And all the time listening TO THE EQUIPMENT.        
New CD spinner, whole new to me upgrading the duplex, all in even the conditioner internal duplex..     new PC cords   etc...    
Now almost a full year later, A year filled with lots of small upgrades after the two main upgrades: speaker and CD spinner..And finally I am down to just moving power cords around, adjusting the resistors on the speaker midrange. Still. always LISTENING TO THE EQUIPMENT. But close to stopping the nonsense of listening to the equipment, and just getting back to listening JUST to the Music.   
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++      
Now in-between, certainly I was enjoying the music, but also listening to how it sounded, so I could make some adjustments. LOTS of adjustments.   
SO I am getting back to JUST enjoying the music, finally.    
I think one has to occasionally listen to the equipment just to keep up on does it sound as good as it did? OK , But not too often. Seems more like noticing something is off.. What??    
And then like me, buying new stuff. One has to get it set up right. That requires listening to the equipment.     
There are folks who call 'listening to the equipment' a curse (I have!) where one gets stuck endlessly listening to the equipment, judging it, always. That is a problem for some folks. It is possible to stop.  
Then folks who claim they never do..  who somehow magically claim they have never listened to anything but the music. Maybe they have no stereo, and play in a band?? or orchestra??    
"Listening to the equipment' is an insult one audiophile tosses at another. SO it is recognized as a negative. But a necessary one at times.

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