My system runs about $40K, so I can’t comment about benefits that might accrue if I went into the level that some here have. I do know that at my level any change that I make tends to be a lateral move. At first the new component sounds like an improvement, but eventually I realize that it is just doing something in a different way, and I start to miss what has been lost with the change. I suspect that I would have to leap into a bracket that I just don’t want to ascend into.
I suspect the logarithmic view applies more to digital. My bias is that well built digital is so good that not much more can be obtained by pumping more money into the source. Analog however might repay greater expenditures, as more resources translate into overcoming the limitations of analog. Overbuilt massive turntables are bettor at suppressing vibrations for example.