The BEST system you've ever built !!!!

Three systems come to mind. I'm from the old school.the first two I heard in stores. The last I owned.

Infinty rs1b( I hope that is right. it was the four box system which was succeeded by the IRS beta)
Mirror Image ss amps(4)
Mirror image preamp
SOTA cosmos turntable
SME V
Madrigal Carnegie one
Mit shotgun cable
under $20K circa 1988 Heard at the now defunct Excalibur in Fairfax, Va.
Setup by the guys from Mirror image.

Martin Logan Statement
Spectral amp(several)and preamp
Basis debut turnable and graham arm
Spectral cartridge
Mit cable built for spectral
set up approved by galye sanders of M/L who was present for demo
~$100k circa 2000 Overure Audio, Wilmingotn Deleware

My own
Martin Logan ClS one
NYAL moscode 150
SOTA Star, Sumiko ARM, Carnegie Model One
Conrad Johnson PV5
Janis W3 subwoofer, interphase/amp crossover
monster cables
~7k circa 1987

AR ES-1 Turntable
Theta Digital Probasic III DAC
Theta Pearl Transport
Wyetech Sapphire Monoblock Amps
Wyetech Opal Pre-amp
Brentworth Soundlabs Type 3A Speakers

Incredible clarity, resolution, and musical texture. Blows me away everytime I warm it up.

My current and best system has Harman Kardon Citation I tube preamp and Citation II tube amplifier along with Revox A-77 reel to reel tape recorder, Pioneer ctf-750 cassette, Sony 5 disc cd player, Pioneer pl-550 turntable, and KLH model 7 vintage speakers.

Dayton Wright XG 8 electrostatics (with panasonic leaf tweeter) and upgraded power supply. Incredible midrange, airy tweeter and tight bass.

Threshold pre amp and amp (SL 10 and 4000)

Linn Sondek turntable with dynavector 505 arm and ruby cartridge

System was circa 1981

If "best" means enjoyed the most, then it was ....

a/d/s L1230
Yamaha C2a
McIntosh MC2155
Micro-Seiki BL51 with Signet XK50 & TK7e
Nakamichi ZX7
Yamaha T2

I put this system together BEFORE I got serious about equipment, back when it was all about listening to the music, not how the system was playing the music.

Ah.... those were the days.

Dean.