What improvements did you hear in going from entry level to high end Audio?

Noromance; I really like your definitions and your journey course. That defines for me the essence of the music. I just had a 4 hour listening session with my wife and our favorite red wine. We marvel at all the nuances of our private concerts in our home listening environment. Beginner or advanced, it's all a measure of the enjoyment you pull from the music. It truly is a journey which may or may not have an end in sight. 

@heardthat---you gotta wife who sits with you listening to music for four hours? Now THAT'S a keeper! Your system must sound real good too, especially at high frequencies. Women are more sensitive to hf distortion than many men, perhaps because we typically have hearing loss up there.

OP-    What improvements did you hear in going from entry level to high end Audio?

My wife could speak louder. "IT COST HOW MUCH?"

@marqmike it’s funny. Me and my buddy would laugh because our wives knew we were not stepping out on them because we would rather spend our money and Time on Audio. Lol. We were nuts in this hobby for about 10 years straight 

I remember when I was first shopping for audio, looking for my first "real" system. I asked the sales guy why I would but a separate preamp and amp and not a receiver. He said he would demonstrate.
He played a song on the receiver and then the separates, (Tracy Chapman Fast Car) that started with some simple guitar and vocals, and then a sort of crescendo with the full band coming in. I remember the biggest difference I heard was that with the receiver the crescendo sounded good but all the sounds blended together. With the separates I could hear all the voices and instruments much more distinctly. The rest, as they say, is history.