Which area of components to spend the most $ on? Boy I was wrong all my life!


I have been an audio junkie for about 25 years. All those years, I have read plenty of discussion posts and recommendations where to spend the most money on. The majority, even the experts recommend to spend the most money on speakers. Up to as high as 60% of the total budget.Example: CEO of PS Audio-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYwL7vPkPhg
I believed this all my life. Today, my eyes are opened. My total budget is about $15K.Before today, my system was:Speakers-Revel F36 Concerta 2 (For the money, this is the best speakers I’ve heard. I like it more than my previous Dynaudio Contour 30)Integrated Amp-Marantz PM-10 (Class D, balanced, 400wpc at 4ohms)CD Player-Oppo UDP 205 & Marantz CD 6005 (Some of the best in class)Line conditioner-Furman Elite PFi 15Cables-Kimber 8TC Speaker Cables (Sorry, not a cable nut. I’d rather spend money elsewhere)
I upgraded my front end CD player to... Marantz SA-11S3. I was BLOWN away! This is the greatest upgrade I have ever heard in my life. For 25 years, I was taught to spend the most in speakers. Sorry! It’s the FRONT END! The best source you can afford. The purity transcends down the river. I am blown away by the sheer improvement in detail, clarity, depth, the air around the instruments.
My philosophy has changed.
skimrn
Definition of an expert. Someone who used to be a drip under pressure. 😛
Wrong again , it's an academic that's more than a hundred miles away from home .
all good points (mostly) but IMO it's speakers and the environment in which they play that matter most. I laughed when the Op said he was blown away buy his new Marantz disc player, the only way that player could 'blow away' the Oppo  205 is if there was something wrong with the Oppo .......
If the CD player has digital outputs, the best bang for the buck would be to add an upgraded dac
At the end, it always comes down to whatever ever sounds good to the listener.
To use an orchestral recording as an example, have you ever really thought about how much "interference" there actually is between the original sound of the orchestra and what eventually reaches your ears from your speakers?