Was upgrading your light actually worth the money?

After about three years running a cheap blurple panel in my 3x3, I finally broke down and grabbed a mid-range quantum board setup. My wife's exact words were "you spent HOW much on a light." Anyway, I'm two runs in now and the canopy density is noticeably better, but I keep wondering if I'm just telling myself it was worth it because of the price tag.

For the people who made a similar jump, did you see a real difference in yield or quality, or was it more subtle than you expected? I'm talking same strain, same tent, same everything except the light.

I ask because a buddy of mine is still running that old blurple style and honestly his grows don't look bad at all. Makes me second guess whether the upgrade was a game changer or just a nice-to-have. Curious what the actual experience has been for other small tent growers here.