1. We all hear a little differently. If you're building a system for your ears, don't let someone else's ears make your decision for you. That doesn't mean you can't have an expert pointing out things you may not be trained to listen for (like air between the instruments), it just means the final decision should be yours.
2. If you're building a serious system, start at the wall and work out. The difference can be astounding and an awful lot of otherwise good components get sold on A'gon, when a power cord of conditioner could have made them sing.
3. Never make any decisions about equipment or cables until they've burned-in fully. This usually takes about twice as long as your patience. Most high quality gear improves for a couple hundred hours (or more). If you aren't willing to wait that long, you're selling stuff before you've given it a chance. Worse, you can easily repeat the cycle and make the same mistake with the new stuff you buy. Cable companies may love this, but it's very frustrating for novice audiophiles. Be patient before you run a classified ad, just leave your equipment alone and let it play (don't mess with it every day hooking and unhooking cables etc.).
4. Buy more music and less new equipment- enjoy.
