Best High End Audio Manufacturer???

Mapman, I presently own: H-Cat X-10 amp and line stage; BMC M2 amps, MCCI phono stage, and Arcadia speakers; High Fidelity cables including power cords; Tripoint Troy Signature and Thor SE grounding cables, Star Sound Rhythm platforms and rack and Apprentice platforms; Nantais/Lenco Reference turntable with Ikeda arm and 9TT cartridge; Koda K-10 line stage; LSA Statement amp; Archiving Vinyl AMS music severer and mod. dac; and Zilplex room treatment cups.

We all go our separate ways. Certainly your and mine are quite different as I think we both knew long ago.

Beats me. That said, I have always thought that deep-pockets Yamaha could outdo anybody at anything if they wanted to .
For the non-rich among us right now their integrated amps could well be the least expensive route to a good sounding system .

Tbg, since no two systems ever seem to be exactly alike, even at a particular price point, its a safe bet to say that most people do (go their own way).

Its also safe to say that some vendors have a much larger and well established reputation (over time) of delivering quality products that sound good than others.

The "best" is a purely subjective term. Impossible to quantify, but people tend to know a good thing when they see (or hear) it.

Mapman, obviously I agree, but I have had too many experiences at show in which rooms that my friends and I thought were quite awful won "Best of Show," to really believe it is just what people think and vote.

I once waited to hear a demonstration of a well regarded set of speakers, while a top reviewer had the room to himself. As he left, he exclaimed that these big speakers were extraordinary. I went in and asked where he was sitting in the Venetian Towers. He was at the lower level and thus quite close to the speakers. I had to go to my only place in these awful room, namely at the railing on the upper level and leaning over the railing. They sounded much better there, but still not worth their cost.

I really don't think there is much agreement of what is good between people.

Its true that someone raving about a product, even declaring one best of show, is not a reliable measure.

Lots of people jumping on teh bandwagon over an extended period of time... a safer bet you might like it.

is Hershey's or Nestle's the best chocolate? Probably not, but frankly there are few other I have tried that prevent me from still really enjoying those.