Such a valid point , I watch the YouTube pudits waxing lyrical about natural sound . I doubt any of them has been in the same room as a real Steinway . We compare accuracy against what we believe a concert grand “should”" sound like.
Hearing in a concert environment compared to the “intimacy” of a listening room I suspect bears no resemblence
That’s exactly what I’m hoping to achieve. I don’t want to actually hear the subs as separate sources — just notice the extra depth and weight when they’re switched off.
Interesting that you found the second REL made such a noticeable improvement too. I think a pair is definitely the direction I’ll go when the time comes. Thanks for the advice 
That’s a big advantage, especially if you’re listening for 8 hours a day! The room-agnostic side of the GRIMM setup sounds very appealing.
My room is going to have acoustic treatment, so I’m hoping that combined with careful speaker placement and eventually the two RELs will let me get the absolute best out of my system.
Cheers Richard, I’ll definitely try to make it to one. I’ve never actually been to a Hi-Fi show, so it would be great to hear a load of different systems properly set up in one place.
And yes, please report back on the McIntosh/Sonus Faber setup — that’s the one I’ll be particularly interested in hearing your thoughts on.
I’ve changed my mind
My family are annoying
£20k on a one way ticket for myself to the Maldives and a years accommodation and food costs (I’ll get a job out there anyway)
I’ll take a Bluetooth speaker that I already have.
That makes a lot of sense. There’s definitely a difference between a system that sounds impressive and one that actually sounds like the real instrument in the room.
For me I still want that accuracy, but I also want the system to have a bit of soul and make me want to sit there listening for hours. That’s a big part of why I’m drawn to the Sonus Faber/McIntosh combination. The simplicity of your setup is certainly appealing though — especially compared with the amount of boxes, cables and weight I’m accumulating! 
Plot twist: the best £20k end-game upgrade was getting rid of the family and the listening room altogether.
Just don’t spend £19,995 getting to the Maldives and then ruin the whole thing with a £5 Bluetooth speaker. At least budget for a decent one — we’ve got standards in this thread. 
I’ll have you know, it was £15 
Conversely it could mean buying a system that satisfies human hearing in old age. But we all know that this hobby, when focused on equipment not music, is about spending to impress others.
100% true IMHE
Since one of my main speakers crossovers developed an issue I’ve been using my Sonos Fives in a stereo pair. I’ve been enjoying more hours listening with them than normal.
Wow! That is some speaker upgrade. I don’t know them other than they are meant to be exceptional. They look like something to drool over. I did read somewhere,not sure where but have an idea it might be Sevenoaks,that the perfect partner is Mcintosh.
Now,I agree,one big upgrade is what you will get the most of and it makes total sense that is the speakers. It’s the improvement you don’t have to listen for,it will be there each and every day,not in shades or nuances. I think that’s a lifetime investment.
You clearly have the room for those speakers. I think Rel would partner really well. I loved mine,would have kept it but I am a great believer in dual subs and simply didn’t have a place for the second sub,the Kefs were the perfect solution. If I had a bigger room,or one that wasn’t compromised by furniture,I would simply have bought a matching Rel.
If you ever get those speakers let us know how that goes. In the meantime your system verges on the sublime already.
This was something I learned with my home theater room after adding a 2nd one in there. In that room it was night and day because in large part the volume is elevated. I cannot tell where those subs are located either.
--MD
Thanks Adrian, really appreciate that The more I look into the Amati G5s, the more I think they could genuinely be the last speakers I ever need to buy.
I’m glad you mentioned McIntosh as well, because that’s exactly what I’d be running them with — C55, DS200 and MC452. I’m also planning on adding two matching REL subs further down the line, so hopefully it’ll all come together nicely.
Just need to find a nice used pair of Amatis at the right price now… dangerous game this hi-fi hobby
And “verges on the sublime” — I’ll definitely take that!
At the moment it’s really between the Sonus Faber Amati G5 and the Perlisten Audio S7t in Ebony High Gloss. Both look absolutely stunning, so I definitely need to hear them properly before making the final decision. I’m hoping the McIntosh gear will be a great match whichever way I go.
I’m enjoying current setup with Wharfedale’s, Marantz and Rega. And Roon for streaming.
Although, I’ve been tempted by Fyne Audio speakers more than once.
I’d spend most of the budget on great records 
I am a bit curious how you’d fit a pair of those within the £20K budget? Or was those not a subbject of the topic?
My first pair of speakers was the wharfedale xylus 5000s I loved those speakers
This is a subject off the topic, I’ve already been in contact with someone in the UK they’re selling the Amati 5G ex display for 20k
This is usually per speaker, not per pair 
UPDATE - 100+ REPLIES
When I started this thread, I said that if we got past 100 replies I’d go back through the choices and see what the Roon Community’s £20k system actually looked like.
We made it — and there have been some seriously interesting systems suggested.
One of the biggest themes was spending the majority of the budget on the speakers, rather than dividing £20k evenly between every component.
Active speakers were particularly popular, with Dutch & Dutch 8C and Kii Three appearing repeatedly. ATC actives, Genelec, Meridian and KEF also received plenty of attention.
Another interesting result was the Roon server. Rather than spending thousands on a server, NUC/ROCK-style solutions kept appearing, leaving considerably more of the £20k for the parts of the system that actually reproduce the music.
There wasn’t really one amplifier winner because so many people chose active speakers. Among traditional systems there was a huge variety of amplification, which was probably the most diverse category of the whole thread.
So rather than one exact system winning, I’d say the Roon Community formula looked something like:
Put the biggest chunk into the speakers
Active speakers are much more popular than I expected
Keep the digital front end sensible
NUC/ROCK is perfectly acceptable for the Roon server
Spend the money where it’ll make the biggest difference
Thanks to everyone who contributed. It’s been great seeing how differently people would spend exactly the same £20,000.
And after reading all of them… I’m still trying to justify the Amatis