I'd put a bunch of money into a very good room - possibly custom built as part of a custom built house. Then I'd put a max of $150K or so into the gear and another hundred thousand into music.
I think pursuing SOTA is a mugs game, because preferences and synergy are at least as important as the gear itself. I'd want to have enough cash in reserve to try out stuff I thought might work, without worrying that I'd spent all my money and didn't get where I wanted to go.
That said, I know at least some of the gear that would end up in such a system: an Audio Note DAC5 Signature, a pair of Josh Stippich's amazing amps, and a Blowtorch.
I think pursuing SOTA is a mugs game, because preferences and synergy are at least as important as the gear itself. I'd want to have enough cash in reserve to try out stuff I thought might work, without worrying that I'd spent all my money and didn't get where I wanted to go.
That said, I know at least some of the gear that would end up in such a system: an Audio Note DAC5 Signature, a pair of Josh Stippich's amazing amps, and a Blowtorch.