How I find what my system is missing? I go to the "Musical Goodness" sub forum here or spend hours listening and getting blown away by what I already have with the actual music. Somebody will post something with great bass content perhaps, and I will notice how good my subwoofer actually is, or it could be a 'well recorded' album that has more emphasis on the midrange, or a distinct nuance in the high frequencies that makes my main speakers shine.
It's not some 'holy grail' sound quality that's missing from most otherwise, well regarded equipment these days, provided someone hasn't absolutely 'cheap'd out' with their purchases. It's the personal involvement/investment with what they already own. People are surrounded by thousands of dollars worth of speakers and they still can't find their nut. Of course, if I had to sit in the middle of some of these sterile listening environments by myself, I'd be feeling I'm missing something as well. The thought of buying my way out of that amounts to a lot of money. I guess that's fine if one is into shopping and instant gratification from such things.
Hide the phone, pull all the speakers away from their 'acceptable' hiding places and surround yourself with them until they sound good. Pick a bunch of great source material and go at it until you've had enough. When it's all done, put the speakers back, and tend to the laundry and dishes you neglected realizing you just spent 6, or 8 hours in the zone.
Great stuff.
