What is the current retail cost of your reference system?

29% -- Speakers

5% -- Subs

10% -- CD

13% -- DAC

11% -- AMP

4% -- Vibration Isolation

13% -- Power conditioning/distribution

1% -- Router

14% -- Cables

Interesting... a wide variance in equipment quality.  Yet so many strong opinions on items that affect SQ.  While my stuff is more at the high end of these estimates, I'm a chump at the local dealer who sells $250K and up... Magico, etc.  How can we really share SQ experience on say, cables, with member owned systems from Sonos to $1M plus?  All good but just huge differences in resolving power.  And what important to each of us.

I'm not sure what everyone is getting out of this.  It turned out to be a good exercise for me because breaking it down into percentages (for the first time) let me see what my distribution of spending is.  While it is true that price does not exactly correlate to quality, if we're going to be honest we'll admit that there is a relationship.  Someone can't charge a lot for a mediocre product, at least not for long, and when someone puts in the engineering work to create a great product, like any other business, they want to see as much return as they can.  I'm sure there are exceptions to both categories, but by and large it holds true.  Looking at my distribution I'd have to say I either got a real deal on my amp, Hegel H390, or it may be the next thing to consider.  It's also interesting to see that my second highest system investment has been in cables.  Thanks, @JPWarren58 for posting the question.

Illuminating answers, especially regarding cost percentages. 

I wouldn’t have guessed speakers would so often cost that much less than the other components.

Retail on my system is a guesstimate $35-$45K but I paid less, a lot less.

Why couldn’t the OP look at our individual, listed systems and do the math himself?

The useful info for me would be what was actually paid vs retail cost..….no one here would lowball now, would they?

@jlchen I don't feel so bad now.  Would be interested to know what equipment you are listening too.  Any chance you will list a virtual system with some pictures?  The amp $$$ is huge.  More than one amp(s) in your system?