I have been experimenting with hifi equipment for over 50 years trying to get my jazz LPs to sound their very best.
I started out making a lot of equipment myself, mostly out of economic necessity, but I returned to DIY simply to get the sound that I want. It's also more satisfying to design and build something than it is to be on the audio merry-go-round where nothing is ultimately satisfying. In general, I like a warm, detailed, dynamic sound with good rhythmic pacing. I also want my speakers to sound like a single driver, not a collection of several drivers all sounding a little different. That sounds simple enough but it can be hard to come by in today's high-end world.
One thing that has remained constant over the years is my love for straight-ahead jazz especially from the late '40s through the '80s. I particularly enjoy jazz guitarists. Some favorites include George Barnes, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gene Bertoncini, Emily Remler, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Christian, Barry Galbraith, Jim Hall, Barney Kessell, Oscar Moore, Sal Salvador, Chuck Wayne, Django Reinhardt, Carl Kress, and Johnny Smith. What talent! Jazz probably accounts for 70% of my listening, but I also listen to classical chamber music.
I generally prefer the sound of the original issues of LPs or early reissues, in contrast to the reissues sold today by "audiophile" labels. For whatever reason, most modern reissues just don't have the natural sound that records pressed in the 1950's and 1960's have. I would rather put up with a few ticks and pops and even some occasional distortion when listening to a used record from that era than listen to a modern reissue which may sound clean and pristine but also processed and less natural.