Weakest link

You can build a very balanced system with no clear weakest link. That's what I have been trying to achieve. Once done you can relax and enjoy it until you feel the need to take it to another level, step by step.

I agree with onhwy61. At some point I want to be able to say "so what"! I'll be there after I change another outlet and maybe add a power cord to my JL Audio sub. Any recommendations on power cable for subs?

http://www.audioresearch.com/ContentsFiles/Hierarchy.pdf

Says it all. Start at the source, evaluate, and work your way down the chain.

We are talking about systems that already sound good, not about 'start-ups', you know. But if you mean strengthening the source when embarking on entire system upgrade path leading to a higher level of performance, then why not, depends on what you have and can afford. In my case, the first step would be speakers not the source, then amps.

ricred1, again imo the DAC.  In my own experience having build a DAC that I consider very special as well as others who have been in the industry for many years, dealers, store owners, people who have spent more money trying so many different components in their systems, etc., my DAC was an eye opening experience for these people.  They never ever heard anything do or sound like what the DAC did.  To me Direct Heated Triode designs are just something special.  For the ones I have built and sold, it took less than 30 seconds for these people to say, "I want one".  I know people who like me can build and modify anything.  Even those people were impressed with what my partner and I built.  It wasn't something I set out to do, it was just for my system only.  As friends heard my system they all wanted to have the DAC.  I can only say that you have to think that this is something you have not heard before and with an open mind think what if there was a component (in this case a DAC) that just changed the way your system sounded say 50% to 100% change in soundstage, dynamics, tone, separation, timbre of all instruments, etc.  What actually would that sound like?  The last dealer to hear the DAC in his store told me "man you should name this the "fun box", you are going to be a thorn in the big guys side.  I won't be posting about my gear on forums going forward as I am getting close to the final production now and will try to help when I can but won't be saying much about what I do as a company.  BTW, I also built a music server to go with the DAC as I could not find anything that I thought sounded as good.

Thanks for reading and listening to me for what its worth.