Wasted Years.

Music is life. Your system is a hobby.  Music comes first.  You make it great with a great system.

Given the choice, I would much rather listen to music I like on cheap quality gear than music I don't like on the most expensive sound system in existence. Gear doesn't 'make my toes tap' - music does. 

I’ve done a similar thing with listening to my system for years and slowly losing interest in the music. I got to the point I would not buy music unless it was perfectly recorded etc. My system and the level of detail etc. was what I was looking for. Slowly I stopped listening to music, I’d go a week and only have listened to two or three records. Listening sessions went from hours to minutes etc.

Recently I’ve sold off much of the hi dollar equipment and focused on musicality and engagement in my new equipment. I stopped chasing the big dollar items. This is at odds with the pursuit of the ultimate sound I was chasing, and many of my audio friends still are. But the long and short of it I’m listening to more music again. Equipment that’s musically engaging with emotional response is king now, not how much it cost or the newest thing /version on the block.

 I’ve stopped worrying about detail and looking for engagement and musicality. Was a hard step but when you realise the chase for ultimate detail etc. is a chase in the wrong direction you soon move back to all the music you’ve missed. I know some are still engaged in the hi detail systems but I find it tiresome long term.

Some of us come to that realization early on and stop chasing the next best thing (and losing a lot of money doing so) Welcome to the club.

I think we tend to look for sophisticated sounding ways to express the simple fact that it’s a matter of delivering sound to your ears in a way that you find the most enjoyable. That’s different for everybody, and sometimes the descriptions can be a bit condescending, forgetting that it is different for everybody. For me, I want to hear what is on the recording and I don’t want it distorted or mellowed or artificial. But then again, I like my coffee black while other others take it with cream and sugar. Who’s right and who’s wrong? We all are if we have what we like.

I think I finally got there with my system after realizing that I could do better than the compromises I accepted. I love my system, it gets me over the line, but it may not do it for you. Nothing wrong with that.
 

I don’t worry about what the artist intended because I don’t know the artist. I don’t worry about trying to replicate a live performance because that’s impossible with reproduced music through electronic components. I just worry about the sound that brings me the most enjoyment. Sounds like that’s where the OP is now and that’s the right place.