Vincei is right; a million US$ is not enough for an "ultimate" dream system. So let's say I just won the "Mega Millions" lottery and money is no object...
First off, a piece of property which will accomodate a few custom-built listening rooms, as well as a storage area. Why a few? I'd have the "super system", but also some other space for a collection of fine and rare vintage gear (including many units I've been drooling over in some of the shops here in Hong Kong), to be enjoyed and compared, and shared.
In that vein, the property would have to be big enough to host a big listen-in, something like a smaller, private version of the AK fest. I'd have an "open house" for any and all interested AKers to come and hear and compare the collected systems. I'd pay the airfare and accomodation costs for some of the best AK techs and personalities, too, so there would be some great discussions. Or maybe just sponsor/host the Fest itself one year?! Wouldn't that be fun?
I'd assemble a choice "living museum" of most of the best gear that is talked about here, along with a few interesting super-rarities, all restored by the best techs, and arranged so that it could be heard in decent rooms and in various combinations, without too much hassle.
I'd assemble a huge listening library to support it, and set it up so that it could be used to educate more young people about audio history, too. Wouldn't such an audio museum have been a cool school field trip, when you were a kid? I'd put it all into an educational trust and set aside an endowment big enough to ensure that it would outlive me.
Well, actually I'm not sure I would do things on this big a scale, but it is a daydream I've thought about a few times...
I might just as likely go the other direction, and decide to focus only on one system and a simpler life without any collection to take care of. Or perhaps set it all up like that, and then step back and let it run itself (hired management) while I just cocooned with one system at home.
Either way, getting back to my personal choice of "super system"... I'd start with Infinity IRS V speakers in a listening space appropriately designed for them, simply because they are/were the most impressive audio components I've ever heard. Second choice MIGHT be 1bs.
I'd want a number of turntables, but a Thorens Reference would have to be included, as my favorite (and a near-best) example of a belt drive, not to mention a stunning looker, and a Rockport Sirius III, as I believe it is the best overall TT ever made.
Not sure about the amplification for them. Definitely tube stuff, but I don't know (yet) which would sound best.
I would satisfy my curiosity and finally (more quickly) complete my open-baffle line array project of multiple Heil AMTs. I'd try a few other DIY ideas for turntables, too, just for the fun of it, such as combining the self-centering Nakamichi TT base with a really good linear-tracking arm.
I'd pick up that ultra-rare tube-based (best ever made, supposedly) phono EQ that allows you to set EQ for pre-RIAA recordings, even though the only one I've ever found is priced at US$30,000! I'd also pick up that Mark Levinson-modified studio reel-to-reel deck. These would become part of my system. Maybe also those almost-invisibilia Yammie super amps, just to hear them and own them for a while. Same with a pair of Ionovac plasma-tweeter speakers. I'd just like the experience of these rare things.
On a more realistic scale, I'd probably have a house with one large listening room with a single "dream system" as above; one room (perhaps a converted basement or garage) with shelves to house a modest vintage audio collection, and one room for a nice selection of records, tapes, CDs, etc...
It all comes down to just how big the lottery win is. With a total win of just a million bucks, I wouldn't upgrade much from what I have now, but with a win of several tens of millions, I'd probably spend several million to create/assemble what I described above.
