Has it all been worth it?

That's why I kind of laugh it off when some audiophiles claim that the gold standard of audiophile authenticity is the live performance. 

The vast majority of concerts I have attended are hopelessly unbalanced - too loud (like you mentioned), poor room acoustics, no optimal seating position really existing in the venue... etc etc. And yes, this applies even to jazz concerts.

If I need ear plugs for something (and I have sensitive ears and often need ear plugs) it means the distortion in the live music is through the roof and in no way sets any audio standard.

Mind you, of course it's *fun* to attend and experience one's favorite artists live, which is why I continue to go. 

But that's why I remain convinced in over 95% of cases I get a far superior "audiophile" experience at home.

I should also note that I kept my first truly audiophile components, which I proudly procured as a young engineer around 1994. German speakers that cost about $5k in today’s money, and a Luxman LV integrated amp.
A few times, for fun, I have set them up and used a source with a 2010-ish edition DAC (Squeezebox Touch) to feed them... and honestly, if I had to, I could be quite happy with that. While any truly noticeable SQ improvement is awesome, the improvements have truly adhered to the law of diminishing results. At least IMO.

Having been an audiophile for many decades there's been many ups and downs. Failures certainly frustrating but I never recall longer term regret, perhaps short term, eventually I'd come back to the realization building audio systems is as much about process and learning as it is an end goal. I thoroughly enjoyed the discovery phase of audio, so much to learn, so many variables, so much complexity! Lately I've been looking through my old audiophile magazines, brings back memories of those days, going to shows, dealers, having in depth discussions with other audiophiles along the way, just completely immersed in the learning process. What an adventure it was!

Also, in regard to goals, the greater the goal the more one strives to reach it, desire is a great motivator.

Over the past few years I feel as though I'm in a perfect place, I both admire the sound quality of my system and effortlessly become fully immersed in the illusion of real live artists performing great music in my room. This has all been totally worth it, having been OCD for so many years paid off big time!

As for ends, I'm still an audiophile, my interest in adding possible new gear remains But more relaxed times, not always feeling the need to fix some weak link allows this. Now I'm simply curious as to what some new item could bring to the table, perhaps another accent on what I already have.

Been on a long audio journey for many years. Finally had the opportunity and finances to get the system I wanted. And yes it was worth it. Enjoying the best audio experience of my life every day. 

Where the listening chair intersects with the analyst's couch