I'm sorry you feel that way. One of the main reasons I visit this site is the variety of personalities here. I first encountered your posts in the gallery and I was impressed with what your were putting together. I was also a little surprised. The systems you were putting together were a little more expensive than those of the average poster here. But again it's the variety of personalities here that make this place interesting for me. There's quite a bit of wit bantered about here in addition to the very practical information.

When I first saw your pics in the gallery, my gut reaction was that you could share some of your experiences with the really best gear but that you probably would not get much in return. I guess that's how it turned out for you with a couple of caveats. I think in some cases you've mistaken attacks for poor attempts at light-hearted wit or humor. I'll admit that my main event post in the steel cage is not as funny as I originally thought. If it had been funny and friendly to you and RGA then maybe one of you would have responded.

On the other hand, I think you may need to find that line between passion and obsession. It may be the langauge barrier that prevents you from being a little more light-hearted, but I think it's probably your obsessiveness. One day when you have time, pick up a copy of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. If you've already read it, then read it again. I think it provides a very accurate description of the differences between obsession and passion - obsessed by the girl and passionate for bullfighting. The interesting thing is that the passionate or the afficiando likes to commune with others having the same passion, but they rarely discuss that thing they are passionate about. But when they do, it's a sense of like-minded euphoria with very little disagreement. If that's what you're looking for, then great! But I'm not sure it is.

I do see your point though. I had a system for almost 12 years and never gave much thought to its quality. When my amp started to go bad I decided to get a new system. I found this site and received some excellent advice about current products. But I took the wrong approach. I got what I thought would be the best system for the least amount of money without going to circuit city or bestbuy. I'm getting ready to replace my 2channel stereo system. I'm still a minimalist at heart, but I can be a minimalist without being cheap. My plans are to get a pair of low watt tube monoblocks, a tube preamp, a tube cd player (or maybe a seperate dac - no tubes), a better turntable/cartridge combo, and a pair of relatively high-effiency bookshelf speakers that are extended as possible in both frequency ranges. This won't be "cheap" for me, but based on my listening experiences it will suit my tastes, sound great to me and will be consistent with my "minimalist" worldview. I just hope my pursuit remains a passion rather than becoming an obsession.