Is your now then?

My experience is quite similar to @ghdprentice.  Incremental changes have slowly upgraded my system & the sound. I research my purchases and make sure they help in a weak area. One step at a time until I believe I could happily demonstrate my system for anyone. Can it be better? There is aalways better. But I have worked within my budgetto make a very good system but it took time. 

About 20 years ago for 10 years prior I adored my Quad 57s! My overall system did not compare to my current but I will always love the ESLs. I only turned away to get the dynamics of cones. Using my system every night for HT, can’t imagine the Quads for theater.

My dad was an audio nut. And my first encounter with high end sound was the Heathkit mono system he soldered together on the kitchen table in the late 1950’s. He took me to a couple audio shows at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown L.A., where I heard my first stereo. I was truly impressed by the bass that came from a rig’s 36" woofer-ed Bozaks. At any rate, I always had a system, mostly hand-me-downs from my father. The only time I didn’t have a system was when I went away to college. And lemme’ tell ya, my biggest pleasure whenever I went home was switching on my tubed Kenwood stereo receiver.

But to get to the subject at hand, there’s no question that my current system -- SOTA Sapphire, Sony SACD, Mytek, PrimaLuna, NOLA, all strategically set up in a dedicated room -- is by far my most enjoyable.

My first experience with quality sound was a pair of klipschorns that had been painted around four times and now i have the true vintage sound that i have always lusted after and you can not compare that sound to the new stuff at all, no contest, the vintage stuff will always win in performance, quality, sound, timbre, bass, and dynamics.

I was into audio since the 70's but my first quality system was in the early 90's. That system consisted of a Yamaha B1 power amp, Superphon preamp, & Empire troubadour turntable. What impressed me the most about that system was how well it imaged & I didn't get that until I changed the speakers from small Ohm's to Epos 14's. Suddenly, I had an actual soundstage in front of me. That system is long gone but soundstage accuracy is still important to me, which my current system does very well.