the process is more challenging than the result

Listening to music is much preferred for me when weighed against the quest for great sound in my system. I find the 'quest' to be quite frustrating at times and would rather the gear all go away and that I was left with just pure musical pleasure. If something is off or wrong in a change that I've made that really bugs me and then it does indeed become difficult to listen and enjoy. Fortunately that seems to happen with less frequency the longer I am in this hobby, but it certainly still happens. I do get pleasure from making the 'right' choices, but the greater pleasure by far is in reaping the benefits of those choices...enjoying the music. I don't attach the same expectations to listening to music outside of my main rig (on a table radio, in the car, iPod, etc.), but I much prefer the pleasures my main rig provides. That said, in the pursuit of a better sound I have met some really amazing people and formed some long-standing friendships, and I'd rank that as one of life's greatest rewards.

A few scattered thoughts reading this interesting thread thus far;

The "quest" you've described has no end. There is no system that could possibly satisfy all requirements for all program materials. Unless the owner just listened to a few CD's/LP's over and over again, one system will always fall short somewhere, in my experience. My experience has also reflected that the "better" my system reproduces music "accurately" (this seems to be at least part of the results of moving in a "high-end" direction), the more resolving it becomes, the more ruthlessly revealing it is of poorly recorded music, and the more difficult it becomes to listen to that music with the expectations of the "quest" (yet some of this music is music I'd otherwise love to listen to). For me enjoying the music is the reason I've assembled the system in the first place. If I didn't enjoy music I sure wouldn't spend the time, effort, and money I have on building the system I have simply as a "project" or for pride of ownership. I can relate to those concepts and do experience them to some degree but they are far from supporting motivators for me.

To reflect on some of the comments on audiophile marketing and motivational seduction of getting the latest and greatest; That's no different than any aspect of advertising in general. It's all geared toward convincing us that we need something other than what we've already got in order to have it better. Can you imagine any other way to get a large number of customers to purchase your product?

Of such quests in general, and becoming anxious about actual "results" or an end in sight, I take some comfort in the words of Don McLean from the song, "Crossroads":

So there's no need for turning back
'Cause all roads lead to where we stand.
And I believe we'll walk them all
No matter what we may have planned.

Make your choices and just keep putting one foot in front of the other one. Where that takes you is more often than not, pretty amazing.

I digress (so what's new?!).

the quest is not to achieve a perfect stsereo system, as there is no perfect stereo system. the goal would be to achieve a particular voicing or tuning of the stereo system to suit one's taste. such a stereo system would be deliberately colored, in a way to please the listener.

I've never come across anything that would fit this description of an ideal for me either. My tastes vary widely and no one system presents diverse program materials in a way that universally sounds best to my ears for all of it. A very obvious illustration of this is that I'd rather listen to intimate vocals with sparse accompaniment on a SET amp or OTL, whereas that ideal solution for that program material can be bettered for more dense material I also enjoy like orchestral or rock. The latter is better suited to different amplification and speaker combinations IMO. I've heard quite a few varied systems over 25 years in this hobby and I do not believe any one does all things perfectly. There is always some compromise to be made - you just have to figure out where to make those compromises so that it suits your preferences most of the time. Also, those preferences may change over time. Then there is the greener grass beckoning from the other side...the yearning for something new and different. All of that can come into play to some degree in various individuals, as well as all kinds of other human foibles. The quest, as you've described it, does not end unless you accept that there is compromise. If you modified your statement to be "...to suit one's tastes MOST OF THE TIME" I would concede this was a a more practical goal to aim for, at least for me. I suppose if I only listened to one specific type of music the goal as you've stated it might be more practical. I certainly agree in broad terms to what you're getting at here though.