Just wondering about other people’s attitudes and approaches once the main thrust of system development is past and you’re more into a mature system state.
One way is avoiding temptation in the first place, e.g. by not reading hifi magazines - though that may be difficult if the subject overall is of interest and you simply want to know what is going on. So what happens when you do suddenly see something that sets upgrade thoughts running?
This is an invitation for stories or confessions or tips, whether how to avoid, how you have avoided, or how you had intended to avoid but succumbed!
In my case there is one perennial niggle, which is would a Chord MScaler be as wonderful a sounding thing to have as some people suggest? Every now and then something triggers it: most recently an observation in one of the cable threads that a particular dealer currently was offering at a remarkably good price. I was tempted enough to go to the dealer’s website and look - and almost ordered. But I managed to convince myself I would at least need to audition first to see if I agreed how good it is, and ask myself whether it would really make a difference to my enjoyment. I resisted, but I know that one will come back - I may succumb to hearing, but not until the time comes to change my store/renderer, which might in itself have a bearing on the effect.
Another temptation was last week seeing on eBay a truly serious active speaker system, an identical setup to the system that PMC’s owner uses himself at home, with a very good starting price. Far from cheap, but then it is about £75k value system. It was interesting enough to look into shipping costs. And there sat the temptation. Could I afford it? At the starting price yes, though less money for other desires when I retire next year - just a matter of priorities, and I only needed to consider the net cost after selling my existing amps and speakers making the cost of change more palatable. Could I fit it in the home? Just about, though somewhat over-bearing in present room, but planned house move after retirement means it could be factored in.
So should I bid, on the remote chance that no-one else does, and get a remarkable setup at an amazingly low cost? Oh it was so tempting. In the end I resisted, on the basis that other people would inevitably bid a lot more, and I do really have other things to do with money, and really my system sounds fantastic anyway. But it was touch and go. (And afterwards I found out that had I bid I would now be awaiting delivery…!)