Is it all worth it?

Agreed. It's far more convenient (not to mention practical and cheaper) for me to play stuff off my phone via my Bluetooth speaker/headphones. 

With over a 1000 favourite songs or pieces to immediate hand my main system is relegated to one of two duties - firstly as an escape zone where I can wallow in the best sound quality I can attain, and secondly as a means of beefing up the sound from my TV whenever I want to immerse myself in a classic film. The Searchers is the next one on my list.

Yes, those obsessive days of endless contact cleaning, swapping cables and vainly looking for the next miraculous tweak that would bring that all too elusive sonic magic a little closer have truly gone. Looking back my LP12 ownership days still give me the shudders.

Now more wasting precious time on mere 'plateau upgrades' unless they are truly hugely significant ones. 

Thank God!

Always worth the extra effort.  Some of it is just the challenge to optimize your vinyl, but it pays off with something special...  Love my digital, which is very capable, but it doesn’t have the same magic.  Uber you know we are correct...

Everyone must make that decision for themselves.  If you don’t enjoy records and all that comes with them, by all means don’t go there.  For me, the obsession continues.  Music can be enjoyed in so many different ways.

Records are a nice switch.  Especially if you already own a bunch.

The setup, the cleaning regime, the $1000 plus cartridges that start their finite lifespan as soon as stylus first touches vinyl and spirals into less and less value with every play.

...the Soundsmith Hyperion with free re-tipping
https://sound-smith.com/cartridges/fixed-coil/hyperion