What improvements did you hear in going from entry level to high end Audio?

I remember when I was first shopping for audio, looking for my first "real" system. I asked the sales guy why I would but a separate preamp and amp and not a receiver. He said he would demonstrate.
He played a song on the receiver and then the separates, (Tracy Chapman Fast Car) that started with some simple guitar and vocals, and then a sort of crescendo with the full band coming in. I remember the biggest difference I heard was that with the receiver the crescendo sounded good but all the sounds blended together. With the separates I could hear all the voices and instruments much more distinctly. The rest, as they say, is history.

More coherence, more tuneful and detailed bass and more natural vocals. And also very important...wider dynamic range!

I have a hard time articulating the difference that I hear. "Richer" and "rounder" are words that seem to apply but I don't really know.

The one thing I can clearly pinpoint in the type of music I listen to most is clear differentiation between instruments on the low end. In other words, notes from the bass guitar are clear and distinct and they are also clear and distinct from the kick drum and toms even when played at the same time. Of course the recording is important here. Some recordings are muddy even if the system isn't.

You are right.  What I find out is that you must have good to great recordings and when you do in a higher end system it’s a real treat. I also hear better instrument seperation, instrument placement and layering when I went to a higher end system. 

Listening tonight and enjoying my system. It’s worth every dime. Music makes me happy! MA recordings great high fidelity high quality music!