Passion, or ..... Precision?

Ozzy, Rainbow, Lizzy and my beloved Status Quo etc. Their early material just doesn’t ’cut it’ on a high end system (IMO) and I find it more fatiguing to listen to. Modern technology and attention to detail in the recording studio has really dated some of my favourite bands to the point I find it harder to listen to them.

Get yourself a pair of 70s speakers for a couple hundred dollars and listen to Ozzy and his brethren through those speakers. They should be sufficiently non-audiophile for you to enjoy your music. If that doesn’t do it, try buying a 70s receiver next.

"Does anybody else share this experience?"

No.

I am 59 and grew up on the same music the OP did. My solution was to build an "out of the box system" that can still play my old favorites to a higher standard than most, but also can send shivers down the spine with the newer recordings. There is plenty of newer rock being recorded today that most rock lovers can really get behind. Nothing but Thieves / Broken Machine is one example.

I agree that much old rock, particularly hard rock/metal isn't recorded well and often sounds thin and compressed. The way you have your gear set upight be making it worse though. Even though you're running all very high end stuff, running your DAC directly into your amps might not be aggravating your experience. Yes, you'll get incredible details but very often , despite having a monster DAC, that approach can produce fatiguing sound. I've read that many people elect to put a preamp in their system for just that reason, to bring some warmth and soul to the sound. Might be something worth considering. 

This is a great post. @markprice I too sometimes find myself analyzing rather than hearing. Hard to get out of that behavior as @pesky_wabbit said…I remember I read something on here posted by @millercarbon. I forget the musician who said it but it goes “Musicians use their systems to listen to our music. Audiophiles use our music to listen to their systems”.

So true in some cases huh? But I will say that even when I drift down that rabbit hole of listening to my system, I am ear to ear smiling at how incredible it sounds🤷🏼‍♂️…

You know what I do find is after a glass of wine or 2 I float right back up that rabbit hole as I’m listening to Rush or early U2, Yes, Iron Maiden (which really allows me to appreciate that unique mesmerizing sound Steve Harris gets out of that bass guitar on my system) and all of a sudden I’m 15 again and transported back in time in the way that only music can provide