Dear mikelavigne,
CONGRATULATIONS! I say that as someone who spent "only" 10 years (two 5 year tours) in the car biz, and I retired last fall. 49 years is amazing...I couldn’t have done that (though I did some digging and learned you were in upper management, and I was just a grunt salesman).
I have followed your audio evolution with great vicarious interest, from the original article (Pos Feedback?) detailing the design and building of your listening room, to all the subsequent changes in it and your system. I have marveled not only at the time and energy invested (you are much better at A-B’ing and gear evals than I could ever be), but the investment too.
My system is modest, but with more free time I find that my interests have shifted back again to what they have always been primarily: listening to the music, and then doing many other things. I have never been a "gearhead" (and I don’t use the term disparagingly), making constant changes to my system, for several reasons: 1) budget, and 2) I am lazy and easily frustrated by comparing gear and making decisions. That doesn’t mean I don’t aspire to improving my system as I can, but gear is just the means to the end. I do wish I could figure out how to make an extra $20K a year very part-time from home, to pay the audio pusherman!
My listening may become more seasonal too, as when the weather is great, I want to be outside much of the day. Much more music listening and other "indoors sports" like cooking during the crappy cold, wet months. It is nice now to be able to listen during the day as loud and as much as I want when my wife is at work. In the evening, that’s a no-go, as my listening room is next to the living room.
So, you have reached a point where you have a world-class system and room, and have worked hard to achieve that. I hope that just listening to amazing music repro is satisfying, because you’ve reached Shangri-La maybe? I’d gladly make the trek from the Olympic Peninsula over to enjoy it with you! I’d bring lunch and libations. 😎 CHEERS