It's hard to say. It really is all about components working well together. A relatively modest change in a system that contributes to better synergy can have a much greater effect than a more ambitious change that doesn't improve synergy.
One way you can be assured of a synergistic relationship between the preamp, interconnect and amplifier functions is to buy an integrated. Also, everything else being equal, you should expect better build quality and parts selection in a thousand dollar, single chassis integrated amplifier than a thousand dollar preamp, amp, interconnect combination.
One way you can be assured of a synergistic relationship between the preamp, interconnect and amplifier functions is to buy an integrated. Also, everything else being equal, you should expect better build quality and parts selection in a thousand dollar, single chassis integrated amplifier than a thousand dollar preamp, amp, interconnect combination.