Best Value System

A lot of stuff has been written about how great this or that piece of hifi gear was and we are all familiar with such talk. Yes, we can talk about THE very best system available but how many can afford that very best system?
So, I think we should talk about the best value systems available. Yes, there are many such systems as well and maybe you good folks out there can make some suggestions so that the not so experienced players like me can benefit.
Even though I am relatively inexperienced, I am not new to hifi. I have listened to systems ranging from a couple of thousand to about a hundred K.
After going through this humbling experience, I found what I thought was my best value system and that is:
Any reasonable quality cdp with a volume control and this can be had for less than $1000 used. You can then run it straight to the ATC SCM 100 ASL (New $14000, used-between 8-10K. You only need 1 pr of interconnect. So, for between 10-15K, you can have a world class system. From there on you can slowly upgrade the front end (and maybe, add a supratek pre) You can spend many times more and you may not even get this sound quality.
I hope this doesn't bore you. After all, I believe this forum is all about value.
Enjoy.