What is Your End Game System?

I guess current state is end state until it isn’t for me. 
 

The last two years I have reignited my love of music and in doing so upgraded beyond my expectations. Could I upgrade again- I don’t know if I can permit myself to spend the money without guilt. It sounds great and so many other good uses for cash right now given prices and supply chain challenges. 

My end game system? Likely will never truly exist. Same as a perfect anything in life will never exist. That's why we live and keep trying to reach perfectionbut to no avail. However I absolutely love my imperfect system! 

@lalitk All comments are pertaining to my findings. I am not speaking of a general consensus. We all hear differently.

Though to my ears the Fibre Optical cable was the biggest improvement in my streaming setup. Adding a FMC in front of the Fibre also had a minor improvement. I would not even consider streaming without Fibre, such as RJ45 Ethernet input on DACs.

Both of these streaming options were from the posts by the designer of the Ethergen and OpticalRendu. It turned out from what he suggested the improvements on my rig were easy to hear.

I have not gotten much into headphones but enthusiasts build end game system in headphone rigs too.

How do you "measure" your end game system?

We a microphone and measurement would be one way.
Certainly for doing room treatments. And sometimes for ferreting out ground loops and wiring dramas.

Is it by budget, how much it cost? Is it by the luxuriousness of your build and room?

Some luxuriousness helps. Some people do not have a purpose built room, but cabling things up and attention to wiring and moving away from a rats nest can usually help for not much $.

Is it by your components being either state of the art or unobtanium? Is it by the satisfaction you get when you are sitting in your listening chair?

The later for sure.
But having a state of the art system (or part of a system) is not a bad thing.

What is your end game system and how do you know when you have reached it?

I thought I had an endgame system in the 80s, and replaced part of it in ‘99.
Then replaced part in 2022.

If one puts it together somewhat thoughtfully then it should either be pretty quickly apparent that it sucks, or it should be able to provide years of enjoyment.

There is little sense in replacing it all willy-nilly if it continues to make good sound.
There are meals, trips, etc that can all make use of funds, so “perfection” can be the enemy of “good enough”.