With my near SOTA set up in a custom built listening room, with 61,100 CDs/LPs/78s/R2R recordings, the quality of the sonics vary but have improved to such an extent that fewer than 10% of my recordings sound less than good and enjoyable. Even among those drenched in reverb or poorly miked/mixed or dating back to 1900, there is musical enjoyment to be found. I've disposed of 18,000 records and still have to cull another 10,000 (for performance reasons). It is shocking how much fun and enjoyment there is throughout my collection. For over 60 years I also determined based on lesser equipment what was great, not so great, okay and truly awful to listen to. Now, it is rare to find an awful sounding recording in my collection. A great audio system in a decent room will provide an endless abundance of musical and sonic pleasure (I don't stream much as 85% of streaming quality is inferior to my recordings and maybe 50% unavailable to stream).
And the biggest influence on sound quality is...
The quality of the recording itself.
Then the room, the setup, the speakers, and lastly the front end.
I've got recordings that make my system sound horrible, and I've got recordings that make my system sound absolutely wonderful.
None of the gear changes have had that much impact on sound quality.