??? Which Would You Buy ???

@freediver -

Hi.  Musings for a Sunday night.  What influences my decisions somewhat these days, is my age (68).  My listening habits have changed (spend less time listening, as opposed to more).  If I were to drop major cash, I doubt I would get the most out of my purchase (s).  I also am convinced that if I were to pass before I whittled my stuff down, my wife would either be filling up a dumpster with equipment, CDs, records, and shirts & ties or paying the super's nephew to drag the stuff away.  

In all candor, I would have thought 25 years ago that I would be owning a Mac or a Luxman or an Accuphase or etc in my old age, but not to be; life got in the way.  I have become content with mid-level gear.  So, if I had $7k to spend, I would most likely buy a few things, as opposed to just one.

Rich 

And I here I thought an example of a trick question was ... have you stopped cheating on your wife?  

You’re talking about putting $7,500 of hard-earned cash into this. That’s not just a purchase, that’s a commitment. But when your "85% performer" gives you nearly the same sonic enjoyment and lets you save $5,000, that’s compelling. Especially if the sonic compromise is more in nuances, maybe slightly less "air," a bit narrower soundstage, or a touch less resolution than in core musicality, like tonality, imaging, and balance.

Given that the rest of your setup is mid-level, it might be worth asking "Would your system even let you hear the full difference between Option 3 and the top-tier contenders?" If your existing chain (room, power, source, speakers) doesn’t extract that last 15%, you’re paying a premium for a theoretical gain. Saving $5,000 could fund another significant upgrade, perhaps a killer DAC, room treatment etc. 

If Option 3’s sonic character sings to you, and you’re not just hypnotised by spec sheets or brand sparkle, I’d go for it. Use the leftover budget to upgrade weak links, or save it for when something truly transformational comes along. But if you’re the person who will always wonder “what if,” then you might need to go for the full-fat option just to sleep better.

@1bitsoul excellent response,thanks..

Not an easy question to answer in a vacuum, but the premise of your question seems to be that you have heard these hypothetical components and to your ears you have the budget to buy one that sounds better and is built better than the cheaper one. Since you have the budget, I'd go for the better built, better sounding gear. You are going to be better satisfied and more likely to keep it in your system. 

For me, this would be particularly true if you're talking about speakers. I think speakers make the most difference and the range of performance across speakers is greater than than with electronics, to my ears. So, I'd  get the speakers that most suit you for the money you have to spend.