Super-high sampling rates, bit depths past a certain point, and super-sonic frequencies that human beings just can’t hear are not among them.
(One friend calls these kinds of obsessions “Faith Based Audio.”)
Music on the other hand? That is worth obsessing over.
There are other things there worth obsessing over too: Like aesthetic choices. Like practicing music or developing new tools that fill real needs. Business decisions are worth spending time and mental energy on. So are interpersonal skills and devoting real time to real understanding of real science. (Not just predetermined conclusions and wishful thinking.) All of that is worth spending ample brain power on.
Sometimes you will even find answers. If you’re being realistic, you might recognize that some of those answers are unpleasant or not quite what we expect:
“Wow, most people over the age of 35 or so can’t hear much above 15kHz. Over 60 years old and they’re losing a ton of hearing above 10kHz, and often well into the midrange. And people in those age groups are going on about sampling rates and super-sonic frequencies? What gives?”
(Fortunately, music and sound are listening arts much more than hearing arts. Just ask Beethoven. And there are plenty of great older audio engineers who can perhaps “hear” less than the kids—especially at the extreme frequencies—but make up for it by listening far, far better.)
If you really want to obsess over something sciencey and audio related, try physics. Try electrical engineering. Try making great songs.
But please. Stop with sampling rates and the bit depths. Past a certain point, it begins to sound ignorant. Time and time again, it has been shown that it just doesn’t matter that much in the scheme of things.
Music is what matters. Big choices are what matter. Habits matter. (Even quirky ones.) So does developing a plan, rethinking your approach if needed, and making it sustainable.
Your heart is already in the right place. Make sure your head is, too. You have a finite amount of brain power each day. And you have a finite number of days on this earth. What are you spending your time obsessing over? And does it matter much in the end?
These are questions worth asking. Maybe even worth obsessing over.