I had two separate systems of high-$$$ equipment. My "main" system was the one I listened to 90% of the time. I had great equipment that I replaced originally but couldn't bear to part with some of the pieces, so I made a 2nd system. After two-years of barely using it (used it mainly for background music while working from home) it was a shame to let this stuff sit, so I sold it and have never looked back. While if you can afford to have really good equipment in multiple areas of your home that may be nice, however I've found that for most of my listening enjoyment, my reference system is what pleases me. And... When I sold the 2nd system pieces, I had more discretionary $$$ to purchase upgrades or additional pieces to enhance my reference system listening experience.
2nd systems- who’s got one?
How prevalent are 2nd systems? My sense is that a fair number of folks have a 2nd system. I put together a very nice bedroom system- NAD 316 bee V2, Node (n130) and Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 on Monoprice stands. Cabling is DH labs (IC), Supra (speaker) and Audioquest (pc on Node). Frankly, I’d have been thrilled as a teen to have a system that sounds as good as my bedroom system