Where does it end?

Payment pains.. They come they go... Then you deliver. OUCH..

Really want to spend money start changing spouses.

They get all the equipment and you get the bill, your doing fine.

LOL 

Regards

Last month I spent $4,300 on a pair of *used* speaker cables.

You just got started...why do you want it to end? :-)

You have to understand what makes a system sound better to you and there in is the issue with most people.  Comes back to tubes versus SS, copper/silver.  Once you figure out what makes something sound better you don't have to chase sound.  For a few bucks and knowledge you can change resistors, capacitors, AC filter chokes, etc.  Component design such as point-to-point wired, separate power supply, quality of transformers, etc.

Happy Listening.

I don’t know where "the end" is. Not in terms of price. Not in terms of things you can do. Not even in terms of self-serving virtue-signaling posts. (Look how great I am! I can afford expensive stuff!)

I will however venture that when it gets to where you’re paying $300 for 1.5ml of goop in a test tube (that nobody knows what it is, or how it works, and they don’t even make any more anyway, yet it is the hottest thing and everyone who is anyone wants it), with a microscopic brush and surgical gloves required for application, you are still nowhere near the end. But roughly I would say maybe about halfway there. In all respects.

Hopefully, you've upgraded the table/phono stage  as much as those magic cables.

Those cables better be attached to $10K+,beautiful sounding/looking speakers. Nothing gets done without a solid amp $10K+.

Still not cooking with gas.
All that is a waste if the room isn't treated appropriately.

We haven't even tweaked yet, or used a  "proper" LP.