Just my 2 cents. I purchased the best speaker I could afford 25 years (Kef 104 /2's ago and drove them with an Onkyo TX4500 reciever at the time. I then systematically upgraded the electronics with moderatly priced seperate componenents. Each step made the speakers sound better and better. Ultimately, I had a set of target price points in mind and a performance level that I wanted. So, using the garbage in... garbage out theory...aka build from the source upwards... I purchased in order a Levenson 31 transport, then a Sonic Frontiers DAC, then an Audio Research LS 15 Pre and finally a Classe delta 2200 Amp. Each step gave new life to the speakers. Now I am at the stage where my speakers and DAC are the limiting factors. (Well... really its the budget...but ). So, My advice would be... Identify a goal and come up with a flexible plan that gets you there in the time frame you are comfortable with.
Help: Order of importance: Pre, Amp, DAC, speakers
I am a bit confused now. I bought a pair of 1.3SE's with an Sim Audio i7 and a benchmark DAC1. I am very impressed with the results. A buddy of mine came over with a pair of generation old Tannoy reveals which performed remarkably with the setup, very close to the 1.3SE. Now I am a bit stupified why I should spend so much money on a speaker. Am I just dreaming? Does the Pre, amp and DAC really shine above a speaker purchase? Thanks for the feedback!