My situation is somewhat different from you guys, being in this corner of the world you do not have the luxury of being able to audition everything you want to, we are restricted by only what we come across. I presently have Accuphase power and preamp, Yamaha B-5 power and preamp, I have Denon power which I use with JBL XPL 200 and Yamaha NS 1000 speakers I have many other pieces of equipment.
I have just bought a Krell power and pre amp, a Luxman M-02 power , a Hafler 110 preamp and Vandersteen speakers from the US which will be shipped later this year, I am not in the same league as you guys, I cannot afford nor do I know much about the botique brands, I will stick to the mass producers, your help in suggesting some good makes and models will be very helpful as I still have time to make a few more purchases.