Sidebar: How to Use the Listings
The classes each cover a wide range of performance. Carefully read our descriptions here, the original reviews, and (heaven forbid) reviews in other magazines to put together a short list of components to choose from. Evaluate your room, your source material and front-end(s), your speakers, and your tastes. With luck, you may come up with a selection to audition at your favorite dealer(s). "Recommended Components" will not tell you what to buy any more than Consumer Reports would presume to tell you whom to marry! Heaven forbid.
So they are not saying pick a bunch of Class A components and you'll have the best system.
I hope we all know that there are a many very good systems out there, that many lower cost systems sound better than many higher cost systems, and that we will never get unanimous agreement on which system sounds the best.
Enjoy your music and your audiophile journey!