I am not surprised at all with your experience. SimAudio makes excellent sounding electronics, the top of the line are indeed pricey but worth pursuing. Having said that, $20K budget is still a good sum for a very decent system. If you do your research and ask recommendations here, you will end up with a great sounding system.
Let’s get you started, do you currently own a system that you can build on or are you starting from ground zero?
Enjoy the journey!