I am much less worried about wire, cable, and electrons holding hands and smiling. There ARE differences, and the biggest one for me now is dealing with what I know is a bit of hearing loss. In spite of that however, this hobby remains my mainstay, and for any mods that I make to other people's equipment is now intended for their pleasure and to further this great interest of all things audio. My hearing, for most of my life, has been fascinating, almost miraculous to me. The fact that I have lost even a little bit still gives me the satisfaction of all the successful 'experiments' of the past.