Breakdown of audio investment

Did a breakdown of the total investment in software and hardware. Found that about 75% of my money is in software. Of the rest:
Speakers: 23%
Amp:24%
Pre amp: 15%
LP Playback: 13%
CD Playback: 19%
Tweeks: 6%

Now what exactly does that signify?

Just taking my best system at the moment, and contrasting with the last configuration;

now before

cd player 34% 27%
speakers 24% 19%
ttbl/cartridge 16% 13%
preamp 13% 23%
amp 9% 15%
cables 4% 3%

Actual cost. The retail price of the cdp would make it an even larger percentage (I paid about 60% for a demo). Although my wants do take overall cost into account, I pay what I have to pay to get what I want. I went to a less expensive preamp and less expensive amp because I liked the cheaper ones just the same as the ones they replaced, but the current preamp is easier on tubes and the current amp takes up less room in the rack.

Except for the price of the cd player, the percentages correspond with where I place my priorities. It just so happened that I was never really satisfied with a cheaper cdp, though I think today I could probably find something cheap that would be fine. And, I would pay a lot more for speakers if I had to, and would own the speakers I have even if it meant I had to use a $200 minisystem to drive them. (I've tried that and it wasnt that bad.)

I don't buy anything brand new. The first percentage reflects the price I actually paid for the items (and the entire system), while the second reflects the retail cost of the same items. I don't know what relevence this may have other than giving an idea of where the best deals I got were

CDP/DAC Digital Front End 20%/28%
Amps 18%/15%
IC's and Speaker Cables 16%/8%
Speakers 14%/20%
Pre amp 11%/10%
Power Conditioners 8%/5%
Power Cords 7%/10%
DIY Isolation 6%/4%

I was surprised how much I'd spent on cabling. I got a fantastic deal on my LaScala's from a local audiophile, so the purchase percentage is not really a realistic relationship of the value of that component in my system. The retail percentages (the second numbers) are more a realistic representation of where the value of the actual components fall against one and other, and are a pretty good reflection of exactly how I'd rate their priorities for my use. I'd probably put the pre-amp on the same level or above the amps, yet I'm very happy with the synergy between the components I currently use.

Interesting thread!

I've done this before in threads here on A'Gon, but not recently:
1. Speakers--------------- 27%
2. Transport + DAC-------- 27%
3. Amp + Pre-amp---------- 18%
4. Dedicated AC system----- 3%
5. CDR & Tuner------------- 3%
6. Rack-------------------- 2%
7. ICs, spkr cables, Active
Shielding, power cords,
and tweaks---------------20%
Cheers. Craig