The stuff of which dreams are made

*Raidho, Aavik, Audio Note system

How might you go about building a state-of-the-art, no-compromise high-end audio system if you were handed a near-unlimited budget, say something in the region of one million dollars?

You could try mixing and matching brands, an approach which has its merits because you'd then be able to fine-tune the system to your listening preferences.

But as many audio fans will attest, there are many pitfalls that lie in wait - for example, will your selected amplifier be a good match for your chosen speakers? Should you buy a warm-sounding front end to tame a forward, bright-sounding amplifier? What about speaker cables, power cords and interconnects?

Sceptics may express doubt at paying top dollar for wires and cables but experts insist they do make a difference; moreover if you've already sunk in thousands on the hardware, why scrimp on the cables that link everything together and condu…