Very pleased so far with my current system. It is not "finished" (whatever that means!), but rather a work in progress.
Bryston BP25 Pre
Bryston 4BSST
Bryston BDA-1 DAC
NAD C541 CDP
MacBook Pro (Pure Music software), toslink
Totem Arro Floorstanding
Mix of Kimber Hero XLR, AQ King Cobra XLR, Wireworld Starlight digital, and AQ Type 4 speaker wire
Stock power cords.
Wiremold Power Strip.
In general, I am finding the music to be very satisfying. As expected, the overall sound is neutral and transparent- but not lean. Bass is strong and well-controlled, without being overhyped. Indeed, no part of the frequency range seems pushed or enhanced. Vocal and acoustic instruments are quite realistic and full-bodied- but I wouldn't describe things as "warm". At times, I am wishing strings were just a touch warmer. Nice deep soundstage- can definitely get a sense of the room/hall on most recordings. System is easy to listen to for extended periods of time- my ears are not getting fatigued. I find the upper register to be harsh only on (familiar) recordings that started out that way.
I'm getting very good results from analogue out of NAD CDP, but really wonderful results from toslink/MacBook Pro/BDA-1. If you've never tried it, Pure Music is a definite upgrade from iTunes on the Mac. Red Book files, while just a touch noisy/hashy from the toslink, are extremely satifying. Hires files (e.g. hdtracks) are just siblime.
Things I am considering in the short run:
(1) upgrading my source. Either upgrading CDP, trying BDP-1, or investing in a good asynchronous USB converter for my MBP. Everything I have read suggests USB should be superior to toslink.
(2) auditioning some better IC's and speaker wire to see what they bring to the party. I'm going to let my ears decide on this issue.