Have you ever hated the sound of your system one day, and loved it the next?

An additional variable people seldom consider is the playback level.Some program has a level at which it is just right. A db or two either side and it's not.

+1

In fact, I'd go further to state that *all* program has a level at which it is just right. 

+1 ieales and gdhal
That's what I seem to like. A level that is just right, seems to be the most natural sounding to me.

Lots and lost and lots of "just opinion" posted here
A couple of actual experiences may help. I have friends in areas of "variable" electricity supply, in that different generators click in at different times of the day.  The quality of electricity varies substantially and DOES affect the sound quality, regardless of conditioners. 
Sorry to mess up this thread by reality chaps.

+1 ieales

except that the “properly functioning system” although representative of the majority of “Hi-Fi” is NOT at all high fidelity if all these extraneous factors audibly affect the sound. It is possible to find electronics equipment that is not weather dependent and speakers that don’t change drastically due to voice coil temperatures - of course few folks here are interested in that kind of performance as it would spoil all the ludicrous fun with fuses and ordinary bits of wire (for which audible changes are generally chalked up to - instead of the real culprit which is the poorly designed component equipment which rarely sounds the same twice)

+1 ieales

It's even more annoying when each song on an album needs a different level.