Hi Sugar, I agree with you in principle. I was using Kimber, Cardas, Harmonic Tech, Analysis Plus all in one system, but recently switched to one brand of cables that have a revealing character. I've achieved a state where my components are passing as pure a signal as I can afford, and I'm now doing tweaks only through swapping different NOS tubes.
However, we must consider Electrostaticman's query and his budget of $300. Do any ML components use tubes? Can $300 accommodate a set of revealing interconnects and a pair of tubes? Yes, definitely make sure it's the interconnect that needs changing first. In the past, I blamed my interconnects for a bright sounding system and replaced one cable at a time because that's all I could afford. That's how I ended up with so many different types. Eventually, I found that to be a losing battle. But if Electrostaticman is pretty well set in all areas except for one interconnect, then maybe a little more information might be helpful.
I also believe that sometimes there is a synergy between certain components and cables. This is very hard to predict, and we never know until we experiment. Even though My Cardas Golden Cross isn't in my system anymore, I've kept it because I'll never know when I might need it again.
