Cost is not a great indicator of sound quality, and sound quality is highly subjective. It sounds like you’ve been around plenty of true high end sound, and know what music sounds like, so you have some advantages that many don’t even realize they don’t possess! Technology continues to improve, but there’s still a great deal of "art" involved with putting together a system....whether we can prove it not, or have a well paid review to back an opinion. My system isn’t modern, fancy, or trendy at all, and I often feel less than worthy in many discussions, but I know it sounds extremely good. (at least by my own standards)
The internet poses some interesting personality dynamics that may or may not correlate in real life. No worries if your online (or real life) personality simply puts you in the category of being quiet, patient, or an unobtrusive human being who’s not used to tooting his own horn publicly. Many folks may not type particularly well, and/or grew up in a much less socially confrontational environment. Many could very well be extremely gifted audio enthusiasts with outstanding systems that have been built over many years, but are simply not comfortable arguing a point online with people that can’t be seen, hear, or read personally, and have no idea of what their audio experience or abilities are. Some people are just more aggressive online, and lean towards being cyber bullies IMHO, especially about audio.
Yes, you belong!