Background: I have a Cambridge Audio CX stack (CXA81, transport, streamer) connected to a pair of Jamo C97II and a Jamo sub. Initially, the CXA81 and the Jamos were a bit bright compared to when I was using the AXR100. With time, the combination seemed to mellow out and sound pretty nice. The center imaging is amazing and the soundstage is solid. About a year ago, I did audition a pair of KEF R3 non-Meta and after some A/B testing, we both preferred the Jamo setup. But that didn’t quell the desire to upgrade, and after hearing the KEF R11 Meta in-store, I was blown away.
How do you fight the urge to upgrade? As I approach 50, I find myself looking at things with a certain finality aspect. I want to buy things that I’ll be happy with having for the rest of my life. The R11s are within my budget, but am I really going to experience that much of a huge difference? Or do you find that you give in more often than not?
You can fill that time and energy with other kinds of research about the music than the equipment. Spend some time learning a little music theory, until you can maybe play a few chord progressions and bass lines on a keyboard or guitar and your immersion in the sound will grow more than any amount of equipment change, especially given that you already have a setup that’s good enough for almost anyone’s ears in terms of fidelity.
Once you “hear” more because you have some musical knowledge, (and it’s not nearly as hard as people think. The amount of time a lot of us spend on audiophile and equipment forums and comparing products is way more than enough time to learn how to play through the changes on a jazz standard or figure out the chords to a classic rock song) you will just not care about an incremental increase in frequency or clean-ness or warm-ness, etc. You will have more fun things to hear and think about.