Hi Bob, thnx for the compliment. How did I choose my gear...
I first heard Apogee speakers at a guy I met on another forum who lives close by. I was hooked at the amazing clarity, detail, dynamic range... everything actually. So when I found these Majors for sale, I jumped on them, althought they are a completely different design than the ones I heard. But they share the detail, clarity, imaging etc.
After that I did a lot of listening and had the feeling there was something that was holding the performance back. After some experimenting I figured the preamp I had (Aragon 24K with IPS) was the weak link. Someone had the AR for sale, so I bought it under the condition I could return it within a week if it wasn't an improvement. But after a few minutes listening, I knew I made a good choice. After some tube-rolling, I improved the AR just a wee bit more.
Goldmund still exists, but doesn´t make analogue anymore. They´re still making excellent (and very expensive) digital sources and amps though.
As for the Audio Alchemy: it's based on a Pioneer Stable Platter mechanism and uses an outboard power supplu which contains no less than five (5) transformers. I bought it secondhand at a store, who chipped in a spare and brandnew laser-unit, so it'll keep on playing for many years from now. Only downside is the display, which is so dim, it's almost impossible to read from the sweet spot.
Last, the power conditioner. I haven't done any extensive tests, I just tried one which didn't have any effect whatsoever. I just decided I'd rather spend the money on music instead on even more equipment. I'm not saying a power conditioner doesn't work: in my system, with my ears, that particular power conditioner didn't make a difference at that moment.