HOW DID YOU END UP WITH YOUR DREAM SYSTEM?

Spend enough money so the next step up is either financially or logistically impossible. 

What CHAYRO said...

"Spend enough money so the next step up is either financially or logistically impossible." 

It started over 35 years ago.  Had little money, so I would work to earn enough to buy the highest ranked equipment in Stereophile that I could afford. Mostly class C, maybe B.  I had three boys and the house was too noisy for any serious listening, so the hobby went on the backburner for many years. 

We moved about 3 years ago and I now have a better listening environment and no noisy kids (occasionally Grandkids).  I now have more disposable income and my components had aged.  I began the process of upgrading everything starting with speakers.  Then dac, then amp, then preamp.  A second upgrade of dac and various cables throughout the process. I'm at a happy spot.

Final touch is a new Salamander rack which delivers next week.  I'm still using a $100 rack that's 30 years old. 

with me at 73 yrs old it started in 90's and purchasing first set of speakers from Bryn Mawr Stereo and going back and forth 3 times until salesman realized I was serious about speakers and needed up with Mirage M3..and had them for 23 years..And buying 4 Solid State Amps from 90's till 2019...Then saw a ad for Raven Audio and I know from speakers you can not listen in showroom and come home and hear what your heard in showroom with acoustics of your home..So did the 45 day trial and never heard so much musical details in music from any solid-state I owned previously..And my old Mirages needed to be replaced and tried Raven Audios Speakers.. This was a whole new world of sound for me... So since 2019 I have steeped up from a Black Hawk test Amp to Osprey owned for 5 yrs to recently purchased the Reflection and Corvus Speakers and I am set for rest of my listening days ...Wish You well into your finding your  musical happiness..

Do any of us really have the end game dream system? At least for me, it's an endless upgrade. Every tweak leads to yet another tweak, or new part. Feel like our systems are just a moment in time, are always evolving. 

My system started very modestly, mostly at the time interested in the overall look to fit the room. After a couple months, sound became much more important, the deep dive started with searching for the next best piece, and so on and so on. 

My system today, will not be the same system next year. But very happy with my current system, but always looking for "more".