Should you spend more money on an amp or preamp to get better sound?

[scott.wright]

For what it is worth, I offer this from another thread , which sums up exactly what I mean:

@tmurray1

There’s another value proposition here as well. I have KEF Q900 speakers. With my prior amp I often thought I should look at upgrading them. I replaced with the SGCD and S300 and I no longer think that way. I sure found the weakest link in the chain. I’ll give an example. I bought the KEFs because I liked the neutrality and the bass response. I didn’t want to go with a sub or subs unless I had to. I plugged in the new gear and started with Diana Krall Live in Paris. The first track, I Love Being Here With You, was so much better. I remember thinking, How are they playing faster on the same recording? It got better from there. When I listened to this track before I thought there must have been an issue with the mic placement for the bass as the solo seemed faint and veiled. With the SGCD/S300 it was detailed and deep. Now I think I have the best $1200 pair of speakers you can get. So not only are the SGCD and S300 a value themselves, their addition is saving me a speaker upgrade as well.