I don’t ever remember being disappointed after a time with speakers. They typically sound good when I get them, then sound better as I work to optimize them. Maybe that is a personal thing.
I was initially enamored with planar speakers and over 30 years had three different pairs. But I went through a period of intense learning, listening to acoustic instruments and symphonies every other week and concluded the ethereal sound I was chasing made some stuff sound better but compromised the sound of most stuff (this is the classic chasing details and slam). So, I reviewed all the auditioning I had done and realized one sound stood out… really stood out as natural and coherent top to bottom.
They were Sonus Faber speakers. So, I bought a used pair as a test. Within a couple weeks I ordered a brand new pair of Olympica 3 (dynamic floorstanders)… from the first shipment from Italy. That changed everything. I started upgrading the electronics in preparation for retirement.
I have been fortunate and was able to upgrade again in retirement to Sonus Faber Amati Traditional and all Audio Research Reference electronics and ditched the subwoofers. This system is far better than any of my previous systems by a long ways and makes all music sound better and all recordings. It is musical above all… yet all the details are there, they are just not pushed to the forefront. The soundstage is wide and deep… but mostly it is really hard to tear myself away from it… after two or three hours… I don’t want to go.
When I was working 45 minutes or an hour was a lot of time to spare to listen. At first when I retired, I would listen for 45 minutes and get bored and go do something else. My system was really good…. detailed, great slam… but a bit dry (only obvious in retrospect). I didn’t realize it but I was listening mostly to the system, not the music. This was with Olympica speakers (not the problem), but Sim Moon 650D with 820 power supply ($18K together), and a Pass 350 amp… all good stuff. But these two were both too detailed with a lack of midrange bloom and musicality. When I swapped out the amp, and DAC with Audio Research equipment the character completely shifted and became musical and immersive.
Each system has a tipping point. Also, everyone has different tastes. But for me, what put me on the right path was going back to dynamic speakers and the tubes all around.
I didn’t realize I was going to write a book. But I don’t think I had fully thought this through. But the first step was the speakers which made the sound I wanted possible, then it was adding much better tube components that captured the musical essence where I had dry - detailed components.