Sound and Music

When the acoustic experience is right and when synergy between gear pieces is there as in my low cost well embedded system, which give me  pleasure by reaching the minimal  acoustical satisfaction threshold , you forgot sound and only music exist in ectasy...

Acoustics rule audio not price tags...

With a one 1000 bucks system am i deluded or deaf ?

No, many are deluded because they had not learned the basic  electrical, mechanical and acoustical facts... Their hobby is a race in gear expanse experience... My hobby was learning basic and once done listening music in sonic ectasy...

It is job done... 😊

Yes i am provocative... I want to motivate people to learn without giving money BEFORE  the  assimilation  of basic learning ..

I will admit to falling into the "trap" you've highlighted. After a long hiatus, I re-started my HiFi hobby; with all the new technological and evolutionary developments in gear since I last dabbled (some 25yrs ago), I was like a kid in a sweetshop. but, I didn't factor in that my sonic preferences, and musical tastes have also evolved.

I've chased high dynamic contrasts, and detail, but realised that while my system sounded impressive, it didn't really impart "soul", I found it dispassionate if that makes sense. But I have now, eventually, come out of the other side. What I find I'm actually looking for is to feel the music again. For instance, I've bought a pre-loved DAC, which I'm using in place of my main DAC at the moment; the reason being, it has a much more organic, lusher sound character which I find far more desirable.I did a similar thing with my integrated prior to this, for the same reasons.

We all enter this hobby with an innate love of music, but can get lost along the way, chasing an ideal that maybe doesn't exist, or if it does may actually not be what is desired to fulfil the musical yearning.

Recently added a pair of GanFET monoblocs to my system and doubt I will have to go any further. A sigh of relief.

Music only.

Although when I choose between 2 DAPs I pick the more involving one.

Speaker systems have additional factors for consideration.