Getting into the music

Thanks... Very well said ...

About this matter and in a nmore neurological way there is a writer that can be mentioned , if we think about awareness direction and attention modes , as related to two complemented but competing polarities of the brain as with the left and right hemispheres ... One part directed toward details and the other directed toward the wholeness of a situation etc ,,, The books of Iain McGilchrist are very interesting ...

Anyway thanks for these interesting posts hilde45 ...

Especially important sentence for any audio thread:

The ideal of “the absolute sound” is, in a sense, promising something it cannot deliver — a feeling which is generated by the meanings of music. In this sense, sonic equipment is like every other marketer’s genie — offering salvation but only delivering enslavement.

Yes. That particular quote is very incisive.  
 

@rvpiano , Stagnation in discovery of new artists/music can lead to the above mentioned. The thrill of new music discovery tends to save me from all the cons of audiophilia OCD.

Deep_333

you have a good point.

@rvpiano I’ve experienced exactly what you’re describing. The first time I hit the wall I stopped listening to my system for several years. I had a very musically engaging system with B&W N803 speakers, Audio Research CD3 player, ARC LS-25 tube preamp and Pass Labs X250.5 amp. I then “upgraded” to Dynaudio speakers, sold the ARC components and went DAC direct to amp with Mac Mini as a source with my entire CD library ripped to it an external drive. And few months in I reached the point you’re at now. It was all about listening to how the system sounds and listening to and purely appreciating music became difficult. I took a long break and when I came back to listening I figured out what the issue was. I changed the speakers, DAC, got the separates again and began the journey of getting it all back on track.

My recommendation would be to first take a break and then reassess your components. Looking at your system with the Benchmark DAC and amp, that could be a potential starting point. I owned a few Benchmark DACs (DAC 3 HGC was the last one) over time and found the Benchmark house sound to be geared more towards honest albeit cold and analytical presentation. It’s going to show you what’s on the recording but won’t engage you emotionally. Never heard their amps but I’m pretty sure they adhere to the same principles.
Another potential issue is streaming. This is a controversial topic and I’m expecting others to jump in and tell me that I’m wrong, but comparing streaming to physical media when we’re talking low end to mid-fi at best streaming components, you’ll not be getting the level of musicality and engagement you can get into by spinning vinyl and CDs. Not saying streaming sounds bad, it’s just not going to compete with similarly priced CD player or transport in this category.
There are many good DACs out there that will beat the Benchmark in the same price range. Streaming is super convenient and gives you access to amazing music library but it is a sonic compromise. My $0.02.