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?!).
