The Strads for me were "is that it" the first week I got them, that was with an all MSB Diamond dac & the S200 amp.I gave them time to break in but just wasn't getting the emotional experience from them that I was wanting.It was good but it was like someone put some syrup on my sound,top to bottom.
The next step was to the McIntosh 2301's & the Soulution 520 preamp.Another different & very enjoyable sound but lacking the detail & dynamics that I wanted.
I demoed 28BSST2's in the same system, a sideways move from the 2301's with better bass, great amps but not what I was looking for at the time.
The next demo was the SGR Audio EL 30M's, these operated in class a up to the first 50w, which for me was 95% of my listening. It was an improvement & closer to the sound I was wanting except for 2 things. The first being that the signature of the speaker was becoming very apparent to me, which to me seemed just a touch overbearing on some music & that was starting to make me ill at ease. The second was that although these amps are very revealing & can play at low volume or loud with detail & dynamics, mostly unfatiguing unless listening to a quite harsh mastering, the limits of the Strads became apparent between the crossovers & the way they were voiced.
Fast forward & that is why I have what I have now, this is my progression from the Strads, it was the best move for me as the sound that grips me emotionally. The dynamics, speed, detail, the swooning seconds in the midrange of a recording that is food for my musical enjoyment/soul.
I think we all need to step back & really analyse what it is we want & short list maybe 3-5 things that are a must for us to enjoy what we need to get from the sound on a day to day basis. My list is dynamic,speed, detailed, with a slight warm presentation, those four things are not all present with the Strads, at least I am having fun while I'm learning