Better system. Better streaming. Any changes?

High-quality playback and high-quality streaming has opened up a big, wide world to me

I had this experience with vinyl back in the early 2k when I began putting together a good playback system returned to vinyl after a 20 yr hiatus. Streaming makes iit easier today but i began to but albums by the lots and ended up with about 4k albums in a year or so. It took a lot of visits to the thrift shops but I bought most for anywhere between 10cents and a dollar. I bought everything from flamenco to classical to opera. And like you I found that music I had previously overlooked and outright disliked sounded a lot better on a good stereo playback system, whether the source is  vinyl or digital.. But I also believe any system is no better than its weakest link

Like @kennymacc I got rid of my vinyl a long time ago. I've kept my Oppo to use as a CD transport because, despite the huge selection on Qobuz, there are still a few things that haven't made it to streaming (and that mostly never will, like some CDs I've purchased in India or Southeast Asia).

But I'm 99.95% streaming, and I have discovered all manner of music that I never would have otherwise. It's a dream / miracle compared to 45 years ago...

you forgot to mention CBGB's

Streaming has opened up a world of records made in concert that I never would have been able to fully experience if I had to buy all of these concerts physically 

Same here. While I still find the sound of well pressed vinyl to be marginally "better" than streaming, the gap is narrow and the convenience and variety of streaming is amazing. I've discovered great artists that are now among my favorites that I would never have heard without streaming. It really is incredible to have millions of tunes immediately available in a high quality format .