Ear buds. I've listened to dozens of high-end systems and logged in thousands of hours on my own ever-evolving system. If you really want to hear what's on a CD, pop one into your computer or portable player and listen through ear buds. Their tiny transducers replay with startling beauty and accuracy the most minute subtleties in a recording in a way no combination of components can ever achieve. They simply have no obstacles to overcome in the way of room acoustics and mechanical compromises. You'd be shocked at the beauty of recordings heretofore relegated to the back shelf because of "harshness" or other shortcomings when played through earbuds. That said, I still tinker with my system and enjoy it immensely. But I propose that he who creates a system that can reveal "truth" of what's on a recording as well as earbuds do will have discovered the audiophile equivalent of the unified field theory. If you don't believe me, invest ten bucks on a modestly expensive set of earbuds and listen for yourself.
The BEST system you've ever built !!!!
What is the best system that you have ever put together , from source to speakers including cables ??? After all the swaps and auditions I'm looking for the final "aahhh, that's the ticket" sound to you and what components took you to Audio Nirvana. {This is a survey of actual auditions, not what you read in a magazine} THANKS,