Ups and downs of audio

Have you ever “upgraded” your system with a highly touted component, only to realize after a while that the sound is not as good as it was previously.  This has happened to me several times during the years.  After I finally figure out the “truth” I correct the problem by compensating for the imbalance with a new component.
Eventually I’ll get a brainstorm again to try something new, and the process starts all over again.
Right now, I’m in the phase of having corrected the problem created by new interconnects with changing the brand of tubes in a section of my preamp. I’m deliriously happy. Everything sounds great.
But I’m  beginning to wonder if it sounds better now than it did before the upgrade.