where to invest???

Look for a power cord for either end.. source or amp. In fact, the supply cord to the Blue Circle filter/cond will be as good a spot to begin too.

Bright Star nodes, while a mite priceier than 'pods' at near double their costs, will firm up the sound, and have it more tactile and not as soft.

Wood blocks from any local hobby shop of wood working shop... like Ebony, Mahogany, Teak, etc... found in off size pieces can be cut to equal sizes and used as near no cost footers, with suprising results. Ask if you can check out their refuse bin.

Audio Art, and Micro Pearl, ICs aren't expensive (< $100 pr. new) and do an eye opening job. Also I think a pair of Cardas Neutral Ref ICs should be issued to every audio hobbyist. AZ Matrix ref, SR Alpha Quad, Kimber Hero, MIT Shotgun S3, and others are pretty good non wallet busting signal cables.

I currently use the AA & MP, and have owned nearly all of the others I listed here. Older Synergistic Research & Audience Conductor, cables too are quite good and often traded here... and there's tons of DIY cable making threads online.

do you refer to goertz micropurl? i was vey interested in goertz but the amp oscillation thing shyed me away. i also looked at audio art and rs audio for IC's. but for my first foray into boutique cabling i was hoping to stay within 1 companies products to see if i could learn to hear their sound and switch things in and out 1 at a time, just having fun and experimenting. others i was looking at were kimber 8tc and pbj, pnf, MIT avt1 series, anti-cables. it was a toss-up between the nodes and pods, really and arbitrary choice at this point without listening. i could easily go with the nodes instead. anyway, thanks again, lots of food for thought. so, between upgrading power and isolating all my components(maybe could do both right now, but might have to choose one, and i'm pretty sure, while everything looks very nice, my componenets are speakers are not sitting on stuff that is very good for fidelity)which would y'all choose?

I second the vote for a PS Audio's Premiere power regenerator. I am not giving up mine anytime soon.

gold...and as much as possible

yes... I did mean Goertz. I never can recall that co. name. I've had no adverse issues with my Micros and FWIW Stereophile recommended them some time back in their budget components list.

Be it all one brand or a mixture of, once all is in and settled down, it matters not. Then you'll have a base line regardless.

for each change thereafter, the sound will be different anyhow. At a certain point in system resolution, you'll begin to hear even the most minor of alterations. Footers... Tube rings... platforms, cones, cables, adapters, outlet changes... even humidity differences!

When I have to redo or just start out now, I start at the bottom and work up... for me that's power cables, stablization of the components, ie., rack, stands, and/or footers, and power conditioning/filtering.

Then work fromt to back on the signal path. Source to speakers, as it were. usually.

good sense too is a real aid. so is paitience. Just get in where you fit in. Do what you can, when you can... and enjoy the affectation and effects, as much as possible.

Most people's power coming into their apt. or home, isn't too good, too much of the time, and that one thing really, really does matter... and why I said do a PSA Duet soon. I've also posted reviews here on a couple power filters you can get some ideas from too. Also some on power cords... a couple of them were done very late at night and I tended to ramble some, but you'll get an honest appraisal there with them being used in a mid fi system.

I used whatever for racks and stands for a good long while myself... due to not being convinced they even mattered sonically. They do. Most of the stuff in the hobby is like that too. I'd say to myself... you either have lost your mind or have more dollars than cents, so you all buy into all this nonsense! Then I tried these things... cables, racks, power conds, nodes, footers... etc. They do matter. Some more. Some lesser.

In the best bang for buck categories, with component quality aside, I see it this way:

1. Power cords
2 Power filteration/conditioning
3 cables
4 isolation, racks, stands.

There's plenty of arguments for or against any and all of the above items, but I've proven to myself those areas when addressed yeild very good to excellent results most all of the time... with power conditioning likely being the most contested.

But just try some things here and there and if you don't hear or see a diff... send it back, or flip it.

good luck and do enjoy the trip.