Not everyone wants State Of The Art sound. So let's get rid of those who don't first. If you are happy with what you have, no matter what you have: GOD bless you. Happiness comes from within. Not from a sound system. A trillionaire may not be happy with the world at his feet and all possible advantage coming exactly when and how he needs it. Whilst a begging mendicant monk may be the possessor of the highest bliss possible despite all possible difficulty and all possible opposition being faced. Happiness does not respect outward circumstance. So let's divorce the following from all those who might say "I'm happy with my ________ ". There does exist strata of sound quality and truly obscenely great sound quality matters to some people because it is a priority to them. They value the qualities that incredible reproduction of recorded sound brings to them and are prepared to learn what it is, how to attain it and what factors mitigate against it. One of the thing they learn is:
High price is no guarantee of great sound. Getting off your listening chair and listening in person to some high priced systems is a very educational lesson.
What money cannot buy is the ability to optimise what has not been optimised, the ability to determine what needs to be optimised and the insight into the competing offerings on the market to seek out what might be able to optimise the sound. What is between a set of ears determines whether a system succeeds or fails. Not the fullness of the wallet. Having said that, aside from the second hand market, diy, and miracle purchases - State Of The Art sound for a complete system will rarely be available for a week's salary at the minimum wage. First if one wants either SOTA sound or somethings approaching it, one needs to have heard it or something approaching it. Experience. That intangible stuff between the ears that money can buy, but in the absence of unlimited cash reserves, can also be obtained by persistent searching. Second, in the absence of unlimited cash reserves to allow one to buy and sell everything to get that first hand knowledge, the understanding of the concepts which underpin great sounding equipment and underpin the assembling of great sounding systems.
Lack of understanding the concepts which underpin great sounding equipment often leads to leaping upon misguided trends which can sweep the media and the public. There are a mountain of concepts which need to be understood which underpin great sound. Many do not wish to take the time to investigate them. Lack of understanding the concepts leaves one vulnerable to falling victim to opinion, fashion, marketing or lies. Opinion, fashion and marketing needn't be misleading. They may be in particular times and circumstances, correct. There are however plenty of lies. Along with misguided opinion, fashion and marketing. This is why conceptual understanding of what underpins great sound can enable one to navigate through the maze of opinion, fashion, marketing and lies. In order to discern which are valuable and which are dead ends. An open-mind is required. Time spent investigating and researching is also required. One may be seeking the 'voice in the wilderness'. Most truly great sounding equipment sounded great because the manufacturer grasped something that other manufacturers had either overlooked or didn't consider sufficiently. Mavericks can be a blessing in Audio. Persistent sifting of concepts will be necessary.
Lack of understanding the concepts which underpin the assembling of great sounding systems leads to a revolving door of adequate but not great resulting systems. Here the danger becomes one of having acquired magnificent components which do not work well together or which are being utilised in such a manner as to fail to attain the greatness that they are truly able to ascend to when utilised by one with the requisite understanding. A trap which many dealers and purchasers fall into. They have either Golden components which fail to make Golden systems or they have Golden systems and fail to have The Golden Touch to bring the best out of the Golden system.
The most valuable thing that a seeker after spectacular sound quality can possess, after unlimited cash reserves, is experience. Too many lack both. Most who had unlimited cash reserves would never be called upon to expend them in the search, if they had a similar fund of the necessary experience.
