Pre to meet 2021 goals

I appreciate the additional responses.  Tvad- I've never heard of either of those pieces and will check them out. 

@hilde45,  lol- married once, keep cars for 5+ years, still have the same wallet I was given 32 years ago for my 15th birthday.  2-3 cups of coffee from 4am to 7am. 

Part of my enjoyment in music reproduction is hearing different signatures. I find 3 month is enough time to determine if something is a keeper or not.  I've kept speakers for 10 years, but might cycle through 5 amps in that time.  I've done dac shootouts over a 2 week period.  It's kind of like fishing for me- I like to plan and target every species throughout the year, not just cast and be satisfied with what's there. 

jjss49, I've never head CJ but think I would enjoy it. Can you recommend a model or put a year to define recent?

@bjesien
That’s really interesting. I’m planning to write a paper about audio listening (an academic, philosophy paper) and I’m interested in different approaches.

Would it be safe to say that you try things until you either like them or don’t like them, and if you like something, you at least keep that thing?

The fact that you cycle through amps makes me wonder if
(a) you’ve never found an amp worth keeping for long
or
(b) if amps are a constantly interchangeable element and that even if you get rid of one you like, you know something else will be reasonably equivalent?

The reason I ask is that it would seem that if you found a speaker and amp that were both excellent (and in synergy with one another) they’d be delivering the music to you with enough quality that you’d at least be reluctant to give that up just for the sake of change.

But then again, there is another option to (a) and (b) above, namely,

(c) you may see change as the ultimate goal, here -- which is cool, but it’s rare to see in audio discussions.

@hilde45
Here's a little more than you asked for:
I grew up in NJ with family in Manhattan so concerts and music venues were a constant for us (small clubs, indoor/outdoor arenas, small/medium bars, medium/large dance clubs, parks, etc.).  My parents loved music and put together a McIntosh system in the mid 70's. 

Prior to my wife and I having children, in around 2004 I had a friend that started an audio business. He would occasionally ask for help going to set up bigger systems. The gear was phenomenal he was meticulous in detail, both in set-up and room acoustics.  

This re-ignited my own passion for music reproduction (and I had a source to demo/try/buy new/used gear). When our kids were born we travelled some, but with more focus on work and family, music reproduction entered the picture and took hold. 

With regard to your philosophical interests, I would say a mix of b and c.  I've explored a few different topologies, some of which have called for major overhauls- big model 5's from Hanford with Minnesota made amps, two piece speakers from Quebec with small but hot amps from Yokahama.  Not always just change for the sake of change. I've enjoyed exploring different approaches, and eventually honed in on higher efficiency speakers that are mostly at home with tubes, but also SS.

My pursuit in audio (for most) is listening- bringing the essence, or soul of someone- young, old, dead, likely famous but maybe not, into our own room. When done well, this is the hair standing up experience, or chills, etc.  Many people do this with different systems- my goal is one system- in a living room, with my family. 
 
This combination does it for me and I love it, but I enjoy hearing nuances in scale, power and flavors, as long as it retains the fun factor and I can do it responsibly. So maybe the speaker is the heart and the amp is the mind.  Maybe solid state is like a crossfit workout and tubes are like yoga. It's all in what you allow the experience to bring.  The (c) part for me is that I believe it can happen in so many ways. If I go out to a good restaurant, I want to eat what the chef likes to make. If I go deep sea fishing for yellowfin tuna, I'll try catch a mahi mahi for lunch. That's the variety and changing part for me.  It's also nice when I come home from work and the Leben volume is at 12 O'clock and my wife is singing and our kids are dancing.
   

Benchmark......I heard it and was floored at it's neautrality, especially for it's price.

Btw, we ARE listening to recorded music, so the merry go round is still all about personal preference, and nothing more.