Is it time to just quit?

Elizabeth.

I have never posted on this forum, or any other forum for that matter. But, I am a frequent reader of several audio and music forums from which I’ve learned boatloads about both system building and music. I want you to know I have found your comments insightful and useful in my exploration of this hobby and I feel certain other silent readers agree. Thank you. 

Like you, I’ve been through periods of malaise, frustrated by the elusiveness of that perfect note, as it were. Like others who have responded to your original comment, I turned several years ago from buying and selling principal components to focus largely on tweaks, which have improved my system significantly while offering opportunity to participate more actively and “creatively” in hobby. It’s been liberating, instructive and satisfying. Tweaking helped me understand that that perfect note is merely an idea we chase but never catch.

Finally now, I have determined that my system is finished. There likely will come a time when I again want to explore new technologies and equipment. But, for the moment, aware as I am of its limitations, I love my system and have turned to the “other side” of the hobby - listening.  Like Springsteen’s “spastic’s reelin’ perfection”, I’ve allowed myself the luxury of believin’ my reelin’ system is the perfect expression of the music I love.  And so I listen happily, forgiving the system its limitations and failings , as I do with all things I love. 

Cheers Elizabeth and again, thanks!

Because of the massive increases in 2 channel audio, I almost gave up myself. Almost gave up the hobby over money. The fun was waning. $20,000 turntables, $100,000 speakers, $30,000 amplifiers and these products have seemed to take over the audio mags.
But then I took a chance on 2 companies: Odyssey audio and Schiit Audio. Bought a 2 channel Odyssey Khartago power amp and the Schiit Audio Saga preamp. Cost for both combined, well under 2k. Added a used pair of B&W stand mount speakers for under $1K and a Pro-ject 6 perspex turntable and a Ortfon MC-3 turbo MC cartridge. Sounds great.

Then I attended the 2017 and 2018 Axpona shows, with my wife attending the 2018 show. 

After visiting the various rooms, I looked at my wife and told her that I never realized how good my home system was! I didn't come away from the show with a burning need to replace or upgrade anything.
I was happy, listening to music again and genuinely having fun again in this hobby.  Moral of this story: there's a ton of affordable gear that will bring back the fun, so you can let go of the feeling of needing, even wanting to buy more gear.
Now, all this said, if you want a nice little MM phono preamp, Schiit Audio has one called the Mani. It costs $129.00. I can live with this preamp if I needed to, but it's just too much fun and sounds great.
Don't give up.....companies like Schiit Audio ARE bringing back the fun!

Elizabeth,

I’m sorta new here with not even 200 posts, compared to the 1,000s by others.

That said, I think that if you’ve read enough of my meager input here, you would know that I got into high end audio at the age of 14, quickly learned what me ears preferred to hear, settled on the combination of components that pleased me by about 20 years later, and have changed almost nothing other than upgrades to the components that I already had since.

You can can drive yourself silly looking for the next greater and better thing. Much of that behavior sadly has more to do with conforming to the dictates of consumer capitalism than attention to the art of music and sound.

I hang around audiogon just out of curiosity, although Ramtubes at the moment is one of the few here who has a very informative thread going at the moment. Imho: Settle on what pleases you, then sit back relax and enjoy. It’s worked for me.

I've loved reading your stuff on AA.  Keep the faith :-)

As to burning out or whatever, as I approach 90 (next May), I keep buying stuff like there's no tomorrow.  In my case, hat's not just a turn of phrase.

Having been in Audio as a consumer as well as dealer in the past 
and having a 100k system and sold it for I found it much more challenging as well as rewarding to see how good you can find the gems out there for afaction of the price  case and point I am allways preaching  to bought. New or even more so a High quality
used product and just have it upgraded in electronics wiring top qualityresistors like Vishay naked super low .05 % distortion
top quality capacitors , even quality fuses, this too applies even more so to Loudspeakers since they by far give the highest distortions.  My uncle a 40 year master electronics technician 
showed me how to build a proper Zobel network that dramatically
lowrrs the high frequency distortions and also allows your amplifier 
to run much more efficient seeing a steady resistive load. I have been doing this mainly as a service to the Audio community when big companies buySyn Research I cut their open when one failed $30 in parts for $450  I use top quality parts . It is a shame people are so skeptical even when I give simple sound advise preople email me I have vastly more experience then over 95% ofAudiophiles .i just finished4 upgrades  1 Audiophile fuses  they work for a simple reason look up metal resistance stockfuses
steel- Zink conductor CSA SiverCopper 5x less earning removing lowlevel noise and bottleneck. 2 tweakslike Stabilant-22first clean Every contact with good alchohol including AC plugs so many people take littleto no time not even once a year. Stabilant is perfect over 22 years effectiveness look it up,  Bybee technologies make a internal purifier under $150 that absorbed magnetic energy
and RF ,just do a search ,no batteries , and cable upgrades.
icould not believe using the new Keith Eichmann Connectors
only conductor veryhigh purity copper- Silver much betterThen most gold over brass.and Neotech occ- 0 Crystal Silver Copper
interconnect Wire .mysubwoofer took on another level of articulation - Real tuneful Bass. Forlittle monies  these all made
a substantial increase in realism . I had already modified the Loudspeakers Xover ,and wiring which totally transformed  them
to speakers many times their cost. For low cost finishing touches
a Ifi Audio AC purifiers buy at least 2 at a time 3-4 highly recommended under $100 each , and have usb-3 purifier thathelpsout digital in several areas. That is my take on seeing
out cost effective but worthwild Audio product upgrades .