Dream Amps I Could Not Afford 20 Years Ago Now Undesirable

After hearing one, I lusted after the Classe DR3 VHC for some years.  Eventually, over time I acquired three of them (that's just over 2% of the total production).  I have them in two systems, but run a tube amp in my main system.

When I lived in the UK I lusted after a Krell KAV300i. It was popular in the audio press and I really, really wanted one. It was 3500 GBP back then and I couldn't justify the cost. 

When I moved to the USA a few years later I found an open box 300i at HiFi Heaven in Green Bay WI and snagged it off Jim for $1700. With the exchange rate, it came in at less than a third of what I would've paid back in blighty.

The amp was a POC and I couldn't wait to dump it. Be careful what you wish for and lust after ;)

When I was a college student in the late 1980s I dreamed of a pair of Apogee Caliper or Celestion SL600, and Martin Logan CLS. I also dreamed of a Linn LP12/Ittok/Koetsu Rosewood. I was a part time salesperson in college in an audio store and the Onkyo M508 and Perreaux amplifiers always called to me. 

Now I am 57 and I have had the chance to acquire some of these pieces but chose not to. Some cannot be serviced and restored to their glory. Some of the gear has voicing that I think can be improved upon with modern gear. 

However I have acquired some vintage pieces or their modern equivilent and thoroughly enjoy it. 

Martin Logan CLX ART speakers, they are a dream come true. 

SOTA Cosmos Eclipse with SME V arm. Always dreamed of the SOTA since the first Star Sapphire, and same with the SME. 

Ortofon MC2000 cartridge with T2000 transformer. Recieved a new diamond last year and a tune up, and the magic is there

Kiseki Blackheart. I am so fortunate to find one in OEM condition, and the magic is indeed there. Not the most neutral of cartridges, but it's a treat to experience. 

In some ways the past has been a road map for my current audio travels. Yet in other ways modern gear like my Classe Omega monoblocks and Trinov Amethyst preamp are unique experiences. 

@neonknight 

That sounds like a great system. I don't think that you're missing anything.

I wanted Wilson WATT / Puppies back in the 1990s. Then I wanted Klipschorns, which I got and still have, and don't listen to much anymore. Now I want to try new and unorthodox things, so DIY is required, and I've lost interest in owning off-the-shelf complete speakers, although new things could come along so I watch with interest. 

I was interested in a DEQX for years, but after enough reading of reviews and experimenting myself with the kinds of phase adjustments and time aligning it might be able to do, I feel I've moved past the need for anything like that. 

The TACT stuff looked interesting to me for a while, more recently Trinnov. I'm no longer convinced that I'd be getting that stuff to do what I want any better than what I've already got. 

The latest object of interest was the BAACH system. After trying active XTC I've decided that while I'm a big fan of crosstalk reduction, I'm getting as much as I need for now with what I've got. You can push it too far.

Now what's on my mind is to set up a double bass array, so I guess I want a bunch of woofers to place on opposite walls. I've got all the electronics to pull it off other than all the woofers. It might be great. Or maybe it won't make much difference over what I've already got. Or maybe worse. It's more an issue of curiosity to try it rather than a desire to have it.