However, the ostensibly stated goal of audiophiles is it find the "highest fidelity" reproduction system.

Debatable. I enjoy finding different and new ways to experience sound at home. Fidelity is part of that (all the intentional sounds recorded should be playable, if not necessarily played), but fidelity alone may not be sufficient for an enjoyable experience. Technically perfect high separation classic rock can be great, but I don't necessarily want to listen as though I'm in the middle of the band.

Also important is the search for particular kinds of distortion that make audio more personally enjoyable in different ways. I enjoy the type of wide sound provided by what used to be called "instrument speakers" which employ drivers and horns with narrower ranges than modern loudspeakers. I also enjoy fiddling to get the sound to resemble different kinds of music spaces, including wide concert halls, cozy underground jazz clubs, and occasionally, an outdoor stadium or field, where, in all cases, the best outcome comes from managing and working with reflections, not necessarily by muting them,

If I could achieve those kinds of experience without worrying about power buses, galvanically isolating parts of the signal chain, or repairing/modifying kit, I would consider simpler alternatives. As it stands, for the speaker systems I use, cheap vintage < 50 WPC solid state monoblocks have power designs that better allow classical piano solos to be played at decent volumes without clipping than modern $$$$ solid state amps rated at 200+ WPC.

Advanced technology is great. I love listening to 24-bit 96 kHz FLACs that random internet strangers produced from vinyl records, but I also enjoy occasionally uncovering the 3009. I also enjoy being able to configure the system so that it can make the best of a high fidelity recording, a YouTube video, or a 4-track tape, or an nth generation transfer from a wire or wax recording.