I won't write a book, though I probably could on this topic.
Back in 2005 I bought myself a system of Arcam DiVa CD73T/A65+ and Quad 11L speakers, which I was blown away with and enjoyed for a good 2 years. For some insane reason I got seduced by the whole vintage thing and then ended up spending the next couple of years switching and changing like mad. I went through all sorts of equipment including Naim, Cyrus, Cambridge Audio, Marantz, Rotel, Denon, Sansui, Pioneer, Harman-Kardon, TEAC, Philips, Sony, NAD etc. At one point I went back to a CD73T but paired with an A70 amp hoping it would give me back the magic I'd previously had. The A70, sadly, turned out to be a a bit of a wet blanket and not anything like as good as the A65+ so I didn't find satisfaction there either and carried on my quest.
During this time I've had (amongst other things) Cambridge amps with poor channel balance, a Cyrus 7 amp that could strip wallpaper off the walls, some expensive Denon 1500 series kit that was tiring to listen to, a NAD C545BEE that was overly bassy and had a too-noisy mechanism and all sorts of other things.
2010 has continued the steady parade of kit. Yamaha CD-S700 and A-S700 with Mission 792s, NAD C545BEE with C326BEE and various speakers, and another go with the Rotel RCD965BX and Marantz CD63 KI Sig CD players with the Pioneer A400 amp.
Now? Well, in September I bought the Arcam A18 with some B&W 686 speakers. I could hear so much of what I was looking for but felt that the B&Ws weren't really making the most of the amp. Hearing the Dali Lektor 2s, after a brief dalliance with some KEF iQ10s, dropped everything into the right place. They work superbly with the A18 and punch massively above their price tag. Then, hearing the Arcam CD17 in place of a Cambridge 650C showed how much more performance the system is capable of.
So, in some ways, I've come full circle although I feel the current Arcam electronics are a good step up from those DiVA units I bought 5 years ago. I also feel that the Dali Lektors are a better all-round speaker than the Quad 11Ls. I think significantly improving the system now would involve spending massive amounts of money. The next worthwhile step up would be an A38 and a CD37, but I really don't feel the need. The system sounds wonderful with the full range of my musical tastes. Nothing is over-stated or uncomfortable and yet none of the impact or dynamic range of the music is softened in any way. It is a natural, realistic and involving sound.
Plans for 2011? I'd like a really good turntable and I would like to get the Arcam DAB tuner. A Squeezebox Touch is definitely on the cards as well.