The key to C&C success IME is staying within the comfort zone: errors should be a omission not co-mission (do no harm, avoid trying to reach for the stars in terms of "excessive" detail, deep bass, etc.). I've always aimed for non-fatiguing sound that allows me to enjoy the music (even poor recordings). This is hard to do with better, higher resolution systems. Have found that focusing on imaging naturally adds resolution without "punishing" levels of detail. A friend just picked up Elac B6. Compared to my Ascend Acoustics CBM-170's (the reviewers darling of 2003) they sound more detailed but thinner (reflecting the current trend in sound). For a baby high-end sound the B6 might win, but for a well rounded system the CBM-170's would be my choice.
If you can't have a well designed room, a high-end headphone system with a C&C in-room system makes the most sense. At the end of our day at the 2015 Axpona show my buddy and I came across a very small $600 amp/speaker system we fell in love with from Napa Acoustic. It simply did nothing wrong in a large squarish room and after hundreds of $$$$$ systems, it was a breath of fresh air. A real C&C winner.
In my living room we have a $99 Logitech UE Smart Radio (wireless clock radio) for background music (I relented and pulled out a leftover of the left overs 3rd system and went smaller/simpler). It's perfect for what we use it for. Access to 12,000 online sources plus all my ripped music with up to 6 hours of battery use (within range of your wireless signal). One decent woofer one decent tweeter that can fill the 10,000 cubic foot space with background music.
