Basically, I’m semi-deaf, constant ringing in the ears, so pretty much anything and everything I use would be considered mid-range, but I want to get into the more technical side of audiophile equipment, but I have zero clue how, or what brands are considered a safe bet for a noob.
I have considerable high frequency hearing loss and wear hearing aids but have always love high quality audio systems. My wife (who has great hearing and a can play the piano by ear) and I did a bunch of a/b test when shopping for our system. Our notes when shared after we were done showed we generally agreed on what sounded best.
Even if your hearing is bad, listen to a lot of equipment and buy what sounds best to you.