The only Latin I can remember is:
‘Martella est in horto stat.’
Only useful to alert my wife should I find a strange Mediterranean woman in my garden.
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She just wants to travel, Katz.
Quod erat demonstrandum
(Don’t imagine an American pronounciation please).
I’m not sure that is grammatically correct, that should be either
Martella est in horto (Martella is in the garden)
or;
Martella in horto stat (Martella stands in the garden)
Otherwise the translation would become ‘Martella is in the garden stands’ 
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Yeah, Latin was never my strong point!
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How did we get from a holographic soundstage to Latin grammar?
Don’t get them started! What have the Romans ever done for us?
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The aqueduct.
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I understand what you are saying and I experience a similar heightened enjoyment with my newer speakers. I just don’t know if that is actually any different than any earlier system I have owned. What I know for sure is that No neurological response matched that of being 16 and listening to rage against the machine through cheap ass headphones on the bus on the way to school!!
What would be interesting would be to monitor the neurological response of people listening to their systems to find out if expensive equipment actually results in a more intense response. What springs to mind is the example of the crack head that needs a bigger dose to get the same hit. I’m not calling those with really expensive equipment crack heads, their financial ceiling is just higher than others. I just feel that our neurological response will level out and provide the same response after a while of ownership. Only at a higher level of hifi performance. Much in the same way that people with more money aren’t necessarily any happier than those with less.
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Yes! Becoming an audiophile is the quest for youth.
The only thing that has reproduced feeling 16 is the Bartok with headphones. Could literally feel my neurons rapidly firing as if my brain were still young and developing. I called it a neurogasm. Very similar to how I remember experiencing holding hands with my girlfriend when I was in high school.
If you want to feel young again, the Bartok might be the price of entry. Not sure if my experience is typical. Also I have a damaged brain and probably have a high threshold for this type of experience. I’ve heard many dacs that sound good but the Bartok is the first that ever felt good. Maybe this is what people refer to as “emotional connection” to the music? Bartok is probably the closest I’ll ever come Agin to experiencing the feeling of young love. Definitely worth whatever they decide to charge.
I’m now a believer in the capabilities of at least some very expensive components. After I get a headphone amp for the Rossini I’ll see if it’s even more pronounced. What would it be worth to get the feeling from music that is equivalent to that first time you “got to Xth base”? 
But…. and a big but. Your new equipment is exactly that. NEW. You have taken some pretty large steps so your enjoyment level may have too. I’d say you need to wait a year or more and see if you get the same response. As I said before, I got this same feeling when I finished the build of my new speakers and appreciating its advantages. However, that was months ago and i can feel it beginning to become the norm. I still love listening to them but obviously you start wonder what it would sound like if you just had this component or that one. The novelty wears off over time obviously. Hence my now setting my sights on source and pre upgrades. I suppose in the world of hifi there’s always a next level though. All I’m saying is don’t burn through all your options too quickly. Contentment is key to enjoyment.
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I agree with you. When you get used, the enjoyment is nearly the same.
But what else
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Sanitation, but let’s not go there.
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All I’m claiming is that Bartok is the only piece of hifi equipment that has ever elicited a neurological response exceeding my experiences from music in my late teens. To me it’s no longer a question that it is possible… for me.
Never claimed or suggested it would always have same impact. My only assertion is that the Bartok produced a neurophysiological response I’ve not felt with intensity since my 20’s. Nothing else in the past 20 years has ever made me feel “17 again”. Even if it’s for a few minutes at a time for a few months or a year, its a small price to pay… for me. Primarily because I understand and fully accept my motivations.
Many people outright reject a hypothesis that “being an audiophile is an attempt to feel young again”. If it were really about “the music”, we’d all listen via iPhones with earbuds and/or Bluetooth speakers. Which, if I had them at 16, would’ve been mind blowingly amazing. Why is hifi >90% men? Don’t women like music? My theory is that men want to relive the experience of excessive desire and women focus on the experience of being desired. Hifi is the male equivalent of the cosmetic/skin care/fashion/plastic surgery industries. Industries with $30k preamps & $1,500 skin care products can not exist because people “like music” and “nice skin”. They both exist due the prominence of neurotic defense mechanisms in the “modern mind”.
The continuous upgrade cycle is, as you’ve opined, the brain becoming bored with the present and desiring a different future. These are conscious steps towards the typically subconscious goal of feeling young. Never achieving the real goal is the underlying cause for the discontentment upon which the industry is based. Unfortunately, like you’ve suggested, the brain continues to adapt and no experience will feel new for long. The best evidence I’ve heard for this is obviously anecdotal but still interesting.
In February I was talking with the guy who created the Berkeley Audio company. Having spoken with him many times over the years, my impression is he’s passionate about his designs while open to criticism. This conversation was about possibility of upgrading Reference to Reference 3. The total cost to upgrade exceeds the cost to buy a new Reference 3. Was considering a new Reference 3 but wanted his view on best steamer for their dac. This led to the idea of creating a streaming dac à la dCS designs. Shot story long… he told m about a guy with a full Vivaldi stack who, upon hearing the reference 3, sold Vivaldi and bought the Berkeley. Even though this person believes his design is the best red book dac available, he concluded that the two dacs are primarily just different. Which might just be a polite feint praise of the competition but I believe his story is true and it points to the futility of seeking contentment from the material world. The state of being content is always transient due it being a product of a constantly changing brain. The goal, IMO, isn’t to be content but to rid the mind of the state of discontent.
For me… the bartok was the beginning of the transition from seeking a state of content to being relieved of discontent. It didn’t happen overnight. It required significant concentration and meditation on the meaning of “sound quality”. It was during my “Atom HE v Bartok showdown” that I spent considerable time questioning my motivations, preferences, needs, and desires. This process culminated in a profound insight into the nature of existence. Like all the dots were finally connected making evident the illusion of objective reality. With this my discontent evaporated along with my desire a different future.
As pure coincidence, my new Rossini arrived shortly after this shift in worldview. The dealer took the bartok in trade and installed the Rossini in its place. The clock, which I also purchased in July, is still sitting in its shipping box in the middle of the room. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I’ve had no desire to install it. The Rossini is a massive improvement vs Bartok and I’m told the clock is a significant upgrade to the Rossini. Fortunately the act of embracing the purely subjective nature of existence has greatly decreased my attachment to music. The absence of desire is the only path not ending in discontent.
In summary… my experience is yes it is possible for some people to have a response to some hifi devices which is similar to the 16 year old brain listening to music on a crappy portable device. If you want that experience maybe try a bartok.
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“The builders of theaters in the Roman Empire were no less anxious than their predecessors to create buildings which provide excellent conditions for the hearing of voice and instruments. They did not only try, by various means, to prevent the direct sounds from weakening between the artists who emitted them and the spectators who listened to them. They also sought to avoid late echoes and even to create architectural forms and mobile equipment that amplify sounds.”
Editions Faton . Dossiers d’archéologie.
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What a fab place this is. Loved those last two posts.
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You’ve certainly set out on a long journey - possibly in the wrong direction?
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Which abbey do you consider?