What I used to think was pretty anemic-sounding audio just was the fact that I was listening through neutral headphones, and I actually preferred a V-shaped sound signature. I mainly use or EQ to U-shaped, since I tend to like a bit more forward mid-range nowadays.
Some elements you don’t want to hear, just feel (like a tambourine playing steady 16th notes SUPER QUIETLY in the background, gently propelling the momentum of a song forward, while the drummer plays quarter notes on the cymbals). Some elements you don’t want to hear CLEARLY, but rather hear how they blend in with other elements and how those things complement each other (like the relationships between kick drum and bass guitar, and bass guitar and regular guitar).
In a similar vein to that, I used to think that soundstage width and instrument separation (and the type of tuning that facilitates that) = better. While that might benefit something like a live-recording, cohesion is just as, if not more important as an element to the overall sound. I’ve found that really apparent listening to old recordings being Dolby Atmos -ified and sounding absolutely dreadful. Where I used to undervalue imaging accuracy, I find a lot more valuable nowadays (over sheer soundstage width & depth.)
Leaning more music (less audio stuff), I used to write off a lot of songs as “shit” for being really derivative or not being up to whatever “melodic” standards I had. Once I actually researched and traced the cultural roots and the type of “derivations” taking place, it became more apparent that it was just a different way of doing things. For some genres it’s a matter of respect to the greats, a nod to a previous creator. I used to think music that utilized plunderphonics was plagiaristic, but there’s a lot more thought put in than one might think (ex. Dub’s relation to Reggae or Vaporwave’s to 80’s Hits).