Thank you very much, Peter, for this beautifully written and chronicled journey. It is a very rare audiophile who after building, fine-tuning and enjoying for decades a certain type of system with consistent component topologies does not succumb to psychological inertia, unconsciously suppress cognitive dissonance, and inadvertently practice close-mindedness. I commend your openness to new ideas, your desire to learn, your dedication to research and experimentation, and your fluid willingness to re-examine long-held sonic and topological preferences. Your confidence in your own hearing, developed and honed by frequent exposure to, and enjoyment of, live, unamplified music, was essential to this process.
It is interesting how you write again and again of the realistic and natural tone produced by this new system. I think natural tone may be one of the hallmarks of vintage systems.
Congratulations on this new system! May it connect you emotionally to your favorite recordings for many years to come!
And congratulations to David for orange pilling Peter to the natural sound of vintage audio!