OK-- I think I get it, now...

@nonoise:

Patience is not one of my strong points but I'm pretty good when it comes to obssession  ;o)  or, "persistence: (a less pathological term).

I've had quite a few guitars in and out of my hands over the course of 45 years or so and I guess that same  drive to find satisfying tonality got transferred over to audio.  Still need to get the interconnects right but yes, this is indeed, lots of fun

@jafant:

Always good to hear from you, J. A.!

 @noromance:

No. I haven't, because I know it's bound to be more forward than my Aqua. The Hegel can sound a bit lean in the mids with some CDs, using my current A. Zen silver ICs. I'm expecting delivery tomorrow of some A. Zen Absolute Coppers that should provide fuller mids and will try the on-board DAC with those in the system. 

I'll be very surprised if I prefer the on-board DAC, based upon reviewers comments but we'll see...

Do you mean listen to the on-board DAC without eq...or ???

.. 

I think even if you yourself had not  acknowledged  crossing over to the dark side, the community would have tagged you. Your description of the new amp hits all points of jargon that leave many wondering what their definition is(timber, color, dynamic etc etc). Yes there are many that think the “audiophile” title has multiple levels bases on dollars spent. Just as a $30,000 car can perform the same basic functions as a $400,000 one they are much different in other ways. I still feel it is all about the enjoyment of the music and discovery of new music first and foremost and there are many paths to this journey. I love music and am in a financial position to have nice gear but I will never critique someone with a lesser system as long as they enjoy the music. If this is my ticket to be labeled an audiophile so be it. The only ears I have to impress are my own.

@sgreg1:

I appreciate your thoughtful observations. This is by far the most I've ever spent on a component--- even though its open box status lowered my cost. There is a lot of discussion here about fairly pricey gear. This can lead to a feeling of alienation for those of us who might come to believe we are merely beggars camped outside the castle walls who'll likely never have the means to  acquire the "keys to the kingdom". It's easy to forget that the real "key" is, as you assert, focusing on enjoyment of the music, not on shiny metal boxes or depth of sound-stage. At the same time, it's not productive to dismiss those who have the resources to chase the nth degree of resolution as merely gear-whores who are deaf to the music. Looking back, I see now that I fell into this as a sort of coping mechanism. 

It's becoming increasingly evident to me that this hobby (such a benign word for something that can so easily get so out of hand) requires a fairly delicate mental balancing act, if one is to remain sane. 

And of course, the degree of sonic revelation I'm now experiencing is very much relative to my own experience. I have little doubt that many here, were they to hear my system, would be a good deal less impressed, simply because they've heard better, which leads nicely to your final point about your ears being the only ones you need to impress. 

I've found your comments helpful-- thanks!  

Well done, and welcome aboard! I never intended to care so much about SQ, but every upgrade opened my ears, and now it matters to me. There’s a certain level of realism we each need to convince our brain and ears that there’s music in the room. In the end, you really only need to satisfy yourself, so go with it!

The good news is that after years of chasing the sound I wanted on what I could afford, I'm now enjoying both the system and the music more than ever. :-)

I'm definitely on the opposite spectrum.  Being an audiophile brings along a series of expectations others want to put on me and I could not care to be bothered.  Either about what tweaks I care about or how much money I spend.  I just don't care about the labels. 

There are some technological things and musical things I am interested and like to chat about with others and some things I don't.  Hopefully I make more friends than enemies along the way.