HOW DID YOU END UP WITH YOUR DREAM SYSTEM?

It started over 35 years ago.  Had little money, so I would work to earn enough to buy the highest ranked equipment in Stereophile that I could afford. Mostly class C, maybe B.  I had three boys and the house was too noisy for any serious listening, so the hobby went on the backburner for many years. 

We moved about 3 years ago and I now have a better listening environment and no noisy kids (occasionally Grandkids).  I now have more disposable income and my components had aged.  I began the process of upgrading everything starting with speakers.  Then dac, then amp, then preamp.  A second upgrade of dac and various cables throughout the process. I'm at a happy spot.

Final touch is a new Salamander rack which delivers next week.  I'm still using a $100 rack that's 30 years old. 

with me at 73 yrs old it started in 90's and purchasing first set of speakers from Bryn Mawr Stereo and going back and forth 3 times until salesman realized I was serious about speakers and needed up with Mirage M3..and had them for 23 years..And buying 4 Solid State Amps from 90's till 2019...Then saw a ad for Raven Audio and I know from speakers you can not listen in showroom and come home and hear what your heard in showroom with acoustics of your home..So did the 45 day trial and never heard so much musical details in music from any solid-state I owned previously..And my old Mirages needed to be replaced and tried Raven Audios Speakers.. This was a whole new world of sound for me... So since 2019 I have steeped up from a Black Hawk test Amp to Osprey owned for 5 yrs to recently purchased the Reflection and Corvus Speakers and I am set for rest of my listening days ...Wish You well into your finding your  musical happiness..

Do any of us really have the end game dream system? At least for me, it's an endless upgrade. Every tweak leads to yet another tweak, or new part. Feel like our systems are just a moment in time, are always evolving. 

My system started very modestly, mostly at the time interested in the overall look to fit the room. After a couple months, sound became much more important, the deep dive started with searching for the next best piece, and so on and so on. 

My system today, will not be the same system next year. But very happy with my current system, but always looking for "more".

calvinj

I finally decided I wanted to listen more to my music, and it GREATLY helps with my mental health (I'm bi-polar)....along with the proper medication, meditation, etc. My wife consented to giving me the living room for a listening room.

I had been out of touch with audio for about a decade, I joined several forums, found members that have similar tastes I do, and read silently for about a year. I found a handful of reviewers I liked (and their reviews matched my taste), and followed their reviews. I talked to as many of my music loving and/or audiophile friends as I could, and listened to their systems. We ended up with an informal private audiophile group of some music lovers, and 5 years later it now has around 20ish people.....and it is great because a good number have or were/are purchasing "aspirational" systems

I didn't buy anything until I researched it thoroughly and listened to as many of my options as possible.

My existing gear at that time: Tubes4hifi VTA ST-120 KT120 tube amp, Thiel CS 2.3 speakers, and a Denon C-7030 CD player. I had crap for cables all the way around except for some OG Vampire Wire speaker cables

My purchases have mostly been direct to consumer brands (Denafrips DAC, DDC, preamp, and amp (the amp and preamp are since sold) Buchardt Audio speakers, Clayton Shaw speakers, Aric Audio amp and preamp, Anti-Cables-Morrow Audio-Zavfino-Veritas-etc cables. I bought a CODA S5.5 from Audio Archon dealer this year.

The Buchardt S400 KI and Clayton Shaw Caladan speakers, Aric Audio Motherldoe XL pre and Transcend "Push Pull" EL34 amp, CODA S5.5, Denafrips Pontus II DAC and Iris DDC have all been home runs and ridiculous values for their purchase price.

No, I am nowhere near at my end game system. In 2025 I will finish my dedicated listening room in my basement. I will (money dependent) upgrade the Pontus II DAC, add a very high end streamer, and add another pair of speakers. I will also be building a LOT of DIY cables that I've bought parts for over the last 18 months.

Golf and my audio system, make me very happy.....have a few years left until retirement

A life of crime.