Sigh. We're kidding ourselves. I too have a $20K system (mostly used prices) and I thought my sound was damn good but then this past weekend I heard the Scaena loudspeakers (smaller $44k+ version) with a Nova Physics Memory Player; amp was a ARS Emitter. When I got home and turned my system on I got very depressed. What's mine you ask?
FULLY BALANCED: Raysonic 168 with cryoed NOS Russians, Herbies Tube Dampeners siting on a sandwhich of large ER Audio Harmonizers with Machina Dynamic Springs. PC is a Morrow Audio MA 2.
Speakers are Magnepan 3.5Rs biamped with Wyred4Sound SX 500s and PS Audio GCC 250 (Level 2 Underwood HiFi mod) on the ribbons & a 500 wpc powered SVS sub. All running through an active XO. Speaker cables are Shotgun Clear Day Solid Core Silver. Interconnects a mix of DH Labs Revelation, and PS Audio Transcendent Silver. Electric is 20 amp dedicated line and PS Audio Premier Power Plant.
Alas, it might as well have been a table-top transistor radio. The good news is that a couple days later, it sounded good again, that is after I repositioned both the 3.5s and the sub- but still...
FULLY BALANCED: Raysonic 168 with cryoed NOS Russians, Herbies Tube Dampeners siting on a sandwhich of large ER Audio Harmonizers with Machina Dynamic Springs. PC is a Morrow Audio MA 2.
Speakers are Magnepan 3.5Rs biamped with Wyred4Sound SX 500s and PS Audio GCC 250 (Level 2 Underwood HiFi mod) on the ribbons & a 500 wpc powered SVS sub. All running through an active XO. Speaker cables are Shotgun Clear Day Solid Core Silver. Interconnects a mix of DH Labs Revelation, and PS Audio Transcendent Silver. Electric is 20 amp dedicated line and PS Audio Premier Power Plant.
Alas, it might as well have been a table-top transistor radio. The good news is that a couple days later, it sounded good again, that is after I repositioned both the 3.5s and the sub- but still...