I'm there, I got there by:
Amps: Krell>Pass Labs>Manley>AES(Cary)>Odyssey>AES(Cary)
Speakers: B&W>Paradigm>Forest>GMA
CDP: Sony>Jolida>Resolution Audio>Jolida
Cables: AudioQuest>VH Audio>VirtualDynamics
Budget~$8-10k
All my selections were done in my room with my system, it is the only way I have found to have a clear conscience on my selection. In a couple of instances, I chose a new piece over an existing piece only to learn that the new piece just didn't sustain my interest like I remembered the old piece to and I returned to the old piece, my amps were one such example. The speakers are what I built it around, I believe in finding those first, then building around them, they just had that sound, that decay, that air that I like. The other great breakthrough for me was the addition of a preamp in my system vs. running my old CDP direct to my amps (with analog volume control). I'm going on two years with my amps and speakers and about a year on all other components.
Amps: Krell>Pass Labs>Manley>AES(Cary)>Odyssey>AES(Cary)
Speakers: B&W>Paradigm>Forest>GMA
CDP: Sony>Jolida>Resolution Audio>Jolida
Cables: AudioQuest>VH Audio>VirtualDynamics
Budget~$8-10k
All my selections were done in my room with my system, it is the only way I have found to have a clear conscience on my selection. In a couple of instances, I chose a new piece over an existing piece only to learn that the new piece just didn't sustain my interest like I remembered the old piece to and I returned to the old piece, my amps were one such example. The speakers are what I built it around, I believe in finding those first, then building around them, they just had that sound, that decay, that air that I like. The other great breakthrough for me was the addition of a preamp in my system vs. running my old CDP direct to my amps (with analog volume control). I'm going on two years with my amps and speakers and about a year on all other components.