John, thanks for being a light that illuminates the path for those following you in the search of such a satisfaction through the music.
Thank you sir.
Thank you for a fantastic read, and sage advice!
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I truly look forward to reading the replies but this was wonderful and inspiring and useful to read. Thank you!
As a junior member of the same part-time obsession an almost every respect, I appreciate your post big time. You have saved me a couple a decades!
A demented Roon senior walked into a bar and…
I first want to thank you for your post. I’m a 73-year-old musician (jazz & classical pianist) who has in the last 5 years greatly expanded both my collection and my listening arrangements (most recently, a pair of Harbeth 30.2s, fantastic!). My ears are still in good shape, thank God. My collection is about 2/3 digital FLAC files and 1/3 vinyl, freshly washed and played on a Rega P6 thru a Rega phono preamp to a PrimaLuna EVO 300. I’ve been thinking I’m kind of old to be spending so much energy on building up my collection, but you have stoked my ambitions!
I see that some of your top favorites are mine as well - Uchida’s Schubert sonatas, transcendent! - and Angela Hewitt’s Bach Suites. I will chase down other on your list that interest me. And I commend you on your full-speed-ahead attitude, and will use it for inspiration as I push ahead with my own collecting and listening: no end in sight!
A couple of newer recordings to recommend, while we’re here: Vikingur Olafsson’s Goldbergs are fresh and worthwhile. And Ambrose Akinmusire’s Owl Song is a quiet meditation worthy of repeated listenings.
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A further note, since you mentioned Topping gear… For the last four years, I’ve been quite happy with my sub-$200 Topping D50S DAC for FLAC playbacks off my laptop. I recently had the loan of a Gustard R26, a $1600 unit (it turns out, from the same Shenzhen manufacturer!), for comparative listening, and found minimal differences and no improvement. I’m happy with my existing, cheaper setup.
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Just ticked you over to 100 
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I trust that you have a family member that you are grooming to take this over when you no longer have the ability to manage some of it. If not then do start…you have a pretty good handle on the drawings at least…and while I can only hope you enjoy it for many years to come - sadly we cant last for ever - I just lost my mum at 98.5yrs young.
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One serious omission from my list was trumpeter Alison Balsom. And I’m a huge fan of Martha Argerich, particularly her Lugano recordings.
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Thank you John, a tremendous starting post, and I have enjoyed re-reading and learning from both it and the subsequent posts.
I have yet to find my way into headphone listening, apart from earbuds when travelling - my family are patient and accommodating of my ongoing life-long “hifi habit”, and at the moment I can still stick with my preference for the 'speaker experience via various systems in the house.
Maybe i could find a place for a good headphone system, but suspect I no longer have the time to wander another long path nor the funds to find the right set of system components…time better spent investigating your recommendations and listening to the music 
Thank you John, your message makes me feel less weird as a 77 year old female who continues to feel the newest recording might be a lovely surprise. I also suffer from audiophilia that I contracted after my husband wanted something better, and then I did. I started with an ancient machine of my parents with tubes that glowed enticingly and then died, leaving us without music until my mother bought, with coupons, one of those all-in-one record players that unfolded from a suitcase, and a set of Reader’s Digest Light Classics. Then I received my own clock radio. Later I had my own record player. CDs arrived and I loved the change since my record player was hardly good and records could not compete with the little shiny disks on so many moves. Then my husband wanted better sound and we bought a set of big AR speakers in 1985 and a Harmon Kardon amp and a cd player. Later the cd player died and the speakers had crumbled inside and were repaired and the amp was repaired repeatedly. We replaced the cd player, then the amp, then the speakers. I’m afraid the process didn’t stop. I just went through my library on Roon, again, tidying. And yes, my hearing is now defective, and I have tinnitus in one ear, but I still got caught today wanting a different recording of a Mozart concerto. I am so pleased to hear that there is company out there. At the same time, some of my best experiences of music were with the clock radio…
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Hi Susan
I guess I’m fortunate in not suffering bad tinnitis although my hearing is not great for high frequencies. That said most of the music is in the vital midrange so we seniors still can appreciate the subtleties of reproduced music.
And I have wasted thousands of dollars on gear only to discover that the latest Chinese items can do as well as components which cost an arm and a leg. I’m about to get a Topping DX9 after experiencing the musical quality that firm produced with their DX7 PRO +. The quality of reproduced sound via the Topping is frighteningly close to that of my expensive Audio-gd R8/Master 9 combo so anticipate hearing nice things from the DX9. And yes, I posted earlier I was cured and had finished “upgrading” only to turn round a few days later and do just that!! Audiophilia is obviously incurable.
How exciting, John. I looked up the Topping DX9 and of course I want one too! But I can’t figure out how to use one. I am listening through Sennheiser HD800S to a a MacBook pro 2021. I could have better sound with a Topping DAC, but can’t quite figure out how, with all the cables, which is why I am listening straight from my computer.
The Toppy has a USB input so perhaps you could use that? I personally dislike USB and prefer AES/EBU inputs to the Toppy but that involves more complex and expensive items.
You are quite right about the cables and I think have some but of course they don’t connect to the laptop. Then there is the power cord. By the time I am compromising on the cables I certainly shouldn’t get more than a DX7 Pro+ or less. I’ll think about it. I could also simply plug the headphones into the PSAudio pre-amp’s headphone jack (very nice tubes in the pre-amp) and use Roon, but then I am not so comfortable… sigh. I suppose frustration is part of the illness?
I ordered the DX9 this morning so I guess my DX7 PRO + will have to be sold. New they are $1022 to near $1100 but I could not see any used ones FS to see what a fair price would be. The earlier model is selling used for around $650 but the PRO + was much improved so I guess I should ask around the $850 mark. Let me know if you are interested Susan.
Afterthought: Silly me is assuming you are in Australia!!
I think I have to go with something portable if I want better sound but not more cables. But thanks.
Good idea Susan. I’ve used SONY NW players with a HD800S to listen to very nice sound. A Gumtree search might find a nice used one although the last time I looked there were no bargains around. But sometimes Cash Converters offers good bargains. Some are quite expensive but the same rule applies - twice as expensive might only mean 10% “better” even if you are capable of detecting that. I’ve never been impressed with iPods.
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Hello John,
I really enjoyed read your music journey! Do you mind share some pictures of your system? I’m really interested in the first part aka Auralic Bridge > Powered splitter > Passive splitter.
Can you point to the exact Henry engineering product?