@golden210- So, you were last involved in 1974, and are only now just getting back into it due to your love of music and want to get your bearings?
First, nothing happened between 1974 and now. :) Record manufacturing declined, the audiophile market expanded beyond a handful of expensive brands to a lot of expensive brands as well as a lot of hype. Numerous factions developed- the tube v transistor schools, the analog v. digital schools, the explosion of ancillaries, from cable to various resonance and isolation devices. Perhaps most significant, the Internet happened, and people no longer rely on their monthly dose of "informed entertainment" via commercial magazines to glean information.
You should go hear some systems. In my experience, home listening and live performance are very different worlds, and though we have come quite far since 1974 in some ways, I’m not sure the gap between live and reproduced has closed that much, though hi-fi has gotten much better in many respects. At the same time, many people- not just fringe retro-geeks, have taken to vintage equipment, from rim or idler drive or direct drive turntables, to SET amps and horns, old Western Electric hook up wire, and other antediluvian technologies.
How does this relate to music? That one’s on you. I found the "audiophile" approved listening diet to be far too limiting- sonics over musical quality. It took me a while to break through that but once I did, my level of enjoyment increased as the range of what I listen to expanded into genres and artists I missed or ignored. Streaming is very good (though I don’t do it) to access a wide range of material. Ultimately, you can get recommendations, but aside from sonics (and even opinions on that vary), the choice of music and performance is a very personal one.
I treat it like an adventure of exploration. One thing the Internet can do is help you with research on recordings, artists, bands and history. I buy a considerable amount of older records and the hunt is fun, as is knowledge about different pressings. Record cleaning is important and that has also improved since 1974 when, apart from the Discwasher and a couple of dry brush devices, the only machine was a Monks, something that few people had access to.
Enjoy the journey-- we are approximately the same age- I stayed plugged in to a degree throughout the years, but what has changed most for me isn’t the equipment but my interest in pursuing different genres and recordings.
Welcome back to the fold.
