Do you own the last amp you'll ever buy?

Probably not.

Yes.....but there's still my system at work to tinker with!!

I guess if you want to count all the years in between it was 20 years to get to where I'm delighted enough with the sound of my system to be able to say that. I could never say that with any amp before the current amps (300B SET monos). Amps and speakers seemed to change most frequently for me for some reason. I guess I found the solution from my front end more quickly than the downstream components. The speakers certainly have the most profound effect on the sonic signature of the system and also can dictate the need for a change in amplification (synergy & power). Average length of time....hmmm? The audio disease lay dormant in my system for some ten years at least....kind of like malaria. I just played my existing system and was happy as a clam in my ignorance. Then one day I was reminded of just how profoundly different and wonderful tubes can sound and the shakes and cold-sweats started all over again. During the next ten years I think I must have switched speakers and amps an average of once a year and sometimes more frequently. Now the shakes have stopped and I am good for at least the next ten years or more.........well, at least in the home system!

With the advance of newer technology, how could one ever be completely satisfied. Is any one still hanging on to that 10 year old computer? As this is a hobby, most here are never static.
Cheers,
Gregg

I fully expect that my Atma-Sphere M-60 amps will be the last amps I will ever own, given the fact that I don't expect to ever move away from my Köchel K300 speakers either.

Of course things can change, but it would take some pretty spectacular performance to change my mind.

I will probably always be on the lookout for "tweaks", but my system is complete except for some accessories and perhaps a digital transport. Acoustic treatment, isolation devices, power conditioning and a record cleaning machine are some of the accessories still in the works.

It took me about three years to research and purchase what I have now. I had been an avid audiophile many years ago so I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to accomplish this time around. The Lord has been good to me.

I'm pretty sure the author of this post doesn't refer to the "Holy Grail" in absolute terms. IME the "Holy Grail" is a moving target that is impossible to acquire in an absolute sense.

I would respectfully disagree with the comment regarding advances in technology. Unlike computers which have a absolute quantifiable measure of advance which is distinctly advantageous and readily usable to virtually all users, I don't think the advances on some fronts of the audio arena are necessarily a good thing in all cases. There are prodcuts designed and built decades ago that, arguably, will still hold their own against more modern designs and to some folks actually sound better than modern counterparts. Indeed there are no absolute terms in audio, and the charts, graphs and numbers seldom tell the whole story, nor do they always correspond directly to the aural experience of the component being measured. Certainly the digital front-end would be a possible exception with advances bringing it closer and closer to the sound of LP's.......er, ah, hey, wait a minute!!!

Marco