Are your current amps and other gear the best you've ever had?

I still have my 1980 SAE Two A14 integrated amp and 1981 Sherwood receiver. I’ve listened to MANY amps over the years and have never been left wanting.

The SAE was designed in USA, built in Japan. Smoothest, most liquid sounding SS amp I’ve come across in 41 years. A sleeper. Dual mono construction. Fabulous preamp, MC and MM separate inputs. I was wise enough to hold onto it.

Much as I love my Dynaudio Evokes (they've brought me much closer than the Excites did) I will always miss my Dynaudio Audience 82's. The Evoke 50's are pretty special for sure but the Audience 82's were just pure magical. Though in all fairness to the Evoke 50's I am now in a different house and a completely different room and I've now put another 20 years of hard miles on my ears (including 2 more Iron Maiden concerts) since my time with Audience. So it's not truly a fair comparison...But I miss them nonetheless...

Classe’ DR5 > Audioquest Lapis > Krell LSA250 > Symo cables > Apogee Duetta Signatures (then Stages). Nowadays, all that is sold off. I’ve downsized into a combo HT/2 channel system consisting of a Dual 701 turntable / DVD-CD / Media Server-Streamer > NAD M17V2i > M28 > Apogee Minor with Velodyne subs. I also have a set of B&W N805 on B&W stands and the matching HTM center channel speaker and they are outstanding although they might be getting sold someday soon. The B&Ws were class A products that are excelllent, maybe better than the Apogee Centaur Minors in my room (the most important component?). This ''man cave' room is also pretty small and that has a huge effect on the system, of course. BTW, the NAD M17V2i with Dirac live has made the single biggest difference in the system in years. It actually sounds remarkably better since I EQ'd the room with it - I’m REALLY happy I bought it and the M28, which is a clean, musical powerhouse of an amp.

I used to have Quad Electrostatics 57 model and twin Lecson AP3 monoblock power amps. So special. My current front end is streets ahead of what I had then though.

I’m sure my gear is one of the most inexpensive setups on this thread, but I’m enjoying it, and the mods helped:

Klipsch Belle Speakers
Mcintosh MX110z pre
Whammerdyne Integrated DGA1 SET amp
Denon 62dp-l turntable
Jena Labs SUT.
Jena labs cables/IC’s

Mods:

ALK crossovers
High end NOS tubes for the amps
Replaced stock power cords/phono cords on TT
Bass traps