[prepress]

This AM I was in the laundromat, and as usual take something light along to read/look at. Today it was the new Music Direct catalog, and as I was looking through it I would see things that appealed to me which were within reasonable striking distance financially. "That would be nice to have," I'd think on several items. I soon realized what was happening: I'm creating a mindset that tells me I have to pursue these things simply because they appeal to me and they'd be cool; I'm on the road to talking myself into buying something that would serve no purpose within the parameters I've set already. Until the NY Audio Show, I wasn't as hyped about a new turntable as I am right now. Or power cords, until I saw the high praise the Venom NRs are getting. Or music servers, having dropped the idea initially. Curiosity grows into an obsession; one must be careful with obsessions. I was all but set on a Sota Sapphire, then I was reminded of the Luxman PD-151, which is just within my financial wheelhouse and looks as good as the PD-171A, and my mind was off to the races again. I was looking at the McIntosh MR-87 tuner, and thinking I'd like to try one, despite having a Magnum Dynalab MD102 I haven't used in months.

The solution may be to find/make time to play the system I have, to remind myself of how good it is. Maybe disengage from the the forums and magazines for a week or two, or the research I've been doing. Stressing myself out over this stuff is no way to conduct business, as it were. What do I really want, which of the proposed system changes makes the most sense, these are questions to consider rather than being wowed by the next thing that turns my head. Who knows, I may end up buying nothing! Unlikely, but one never knows!

We'll see if I can do this. "See it, want it" is a dangerous place to be!