Well As the Cheap Audio Man (YouTube) says...It's part of the richual ..Handling the CD or Vinal ..lifting the dust cover for your record or ejecting the tray to insert you disc. Then setting the knobs on your Vintage Hi Fi Receiver or separates and getting ready to sit back and enjoy the sound.
One of the problems is ..most Mfg's have removed the balance controls and the Loudness button and treble and Mid and Bass Knobs. Som equipment may give you a remote which might have these controls. A lot do not.
No more pretty Blue "VU" meters signal indicators ..power output meters ..Etc. Now you get a shiny Black Box with a power switch and a Volume control.
Or you get one of those fire hazard Tube amps with High voltage that can kill you.
Of course I joke. I'm still an old vintage Hi Fi guy who Plays CD's through my Marantz Separates. And my 4th order Butterworth tuned 4 Sentry III ported speakers.
What must be taken into account is that everyone hears differently as you also see color differently.Our paly back rooms are different, The acoustic treatment and speaker placement is all different depending on our other half. The source material is all not recorded the same. The CD master makers are all different...and so on.
So what's it all comes down to? YOU. whatever sounds best to you is the system and method of device you play it on. There is no such thing as the perfect sound.
I know what real live sound ....sounds like. I worked with Frank Sinatra and have stood in front not 15 feet away from a 43 piece orchestra during rehearsal . That is Real Live sound at concert level.
So enjoy what you have and Turn it up.
Mark R