I used to tinker with Foobar2000, then got fed up with it - whatever I did, it always looked like a piece of software from the nineties. MB looks great and yes it does matter.
Like most of us, I guess, I spent quite a few hours to get the most of it, a. going on a hunt to locate the numerous settings, b. understanding what they did, and c. choosing the right ones for me, testing them. The forum has been hugely useful in that respect. Many thanks to all the contributors. Even with a bit of tweaking required, the overall experience feels much more straightforward and intuitive than using Foobar2000.
Of course, I swore when, upon rescanning all files the first time, artworks went berserk, then assumed it was a rite of passage as I found so many testimonies of the phenomenon from puzzled newbies in search results. At some point the smoke cleared, and I could finally enjoy my music again.
Let it be said that MB is truly a fine piece of software.