Nowhere near retirement, but over these last years have seen my setup going from passive to outboard active configuration and from hifi to pro/studio/cinema segment gear, with my DAC/preamp now being the only member of the bunch that's non-pro (although it was initially aimed at studio use as well). That new gear approach is in service of a more allout physics-first route with a different set of criteria, although merging with and even further building upon these pre-existing values from the "audiophile" camp. Hifi generally became too "flimsy" for me, too brand oriented, too expensive, too "taking the steps up (or down) the hierarchy ladder," too much function-follows-form (and not vice versa), etc. Sometimes you have to unlearn, throw it all overboard and more or less start from scratch. I'm glad I took the jump.
Has Your Hobby Changed?
I have found that in the last couple of years my audiophile hobby has changed. It started with gear, then the focus shifted to the room and now I’m where I was headed at the start, listening to the music. It’s been a long road to audio nirvana but I wouldn’t change a thing. Every step of the process was interesting, enlightening and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to years of listening pleasure. To everyone on this platform that answered my questions and made suggestions, thank you for your help. It is appreciated. Enjoy the music everyone!