the process is more challenging than the result

the quest is not to achieve a perfect stsereo system, as there is no perfect stereo system. the goal would be to achieve a particular voicing or tuning of the stereo system to suit one's taste. such a stereo system would be deliberately colored, in a way to please the listener.

I've never come across anything that would fit this description of an ideal for me either. My tastes vary widely and no one system presents diverse program materials in a way that universally sounds best to my ears for all of it. A very obvious illustration of this is that I'd rather listen to intimate vocals with sparse accompaniment on a SET amp or OTL, whereas that ideal solution for that program material can be bettered for more dense material I also enjoy like orchestral or rock. The latter is better suited to different amplification and speaker combinations IMO. I've heard quite a few varied systems over 25 years in this hobby and I do not believe any one does all things perfectly. There is always some compromise to be made - you just have to figure out where to make those compromises so that it suits your preferences most of the time. Also, those preferences may change over time. Then there is the greener grass beckoning from the other side...the yearning for something new and different. All of that can come into play to some degree in various individuals, as well as all kinds of other human foibles. The quest, as you've described it, does not end unless you accept that there is compromise. If you modified your statement to be "...to suit one's tastes MOST OF THE TIME" I would concede this was a a more practical goal to aim for, at least for me. I suppose if I only listened to one specific type of music the goal as you've stated it might be more practical. I certainly agree in broad terms to what you're getting at here though.

MrTennis, I agree that if one could tune/voice a system to their FULL satisfaction the quest would indeed be over.

What I find purplexing is that, once you've acheived this goal, you'd be no more inclined to enjoy this great system than to listen to a table radio.

The end result is more challenging than the process especially after I have had some really spicy food with very hot jalopenos the night before.

Being competitive, and trying to outdo yourself or other people is a trap. Clever advertising and peer pressure fuels it.
It's a fun hobby to play around with different sounds but when it leads to $10,000 per I/C, that's taking it too far IMHO.
You can search for the Holy Grail but most likely won't even recognize it even if it's staring you right in the face. Instead it's in to the next tweak.
True across the board improvements are hard to find. I find components like Sugden, McIntosh, or Tannoy comforting. Same basic design for 30+ years. Just goes to show real improvements don't happen that often and are usually a sum of many smaller improvements.
What really is happening with yearly "improvements" with most audiophile components is merely a new coloration to the sound. Prima Luna is a perfect example. Sound so colored it's new and exciting for a few months. Then the next generation comes along with a different coloration and an "upgrade' is born. Good path for the bored.
I had my fill of intentionally colored audiophile stuff when I bought a Vecteur integrated, which, like Naim, Creek, and other established audiophile brands does "something" to the sound. Long term satisfaction with that? I don't think so.
Then you've got the opposite like Halcro which, while I haven't heard it is my impression, of providing totally stripped sound. Another coloration and what i call the detail trap.
Doesn't take a lot of expertise to hear more detail, it's what most reviewers like to talk about and has little to do with the music (more like sound) IMHO. Carried too far, detail trap will render most songs unlistenable.
There are other, more important aspects of musical reproduction which are more important and will lead to more listening satisfaction across, and this is important, a larger array of music.