Ron, I get your point about how a system can be stellar w’out spending on tweaks.
You know how much you loved my system? Well, you would have been very complimentary too had you heard it on Day One in the new room, with stock 99cents power cords going into the domestic sockets, with no fuses, no Stacores, no balanced power etc.
I loved it too that day, and had I had to settle at that point I would not have been unhappy.
Far from it, it was at that time a quantum leap over my old room.
But I have to tell you, that every step along the way, from initially introducing balanced power/dedicated lines/Furutech duplexes, my chosen power cords with US plugs, upgraded cables, isolation platforms, audiophile fuses, and currently mods to my platforms, each change has truly upped the ante.
And I suspect strongly that would be the case in Danny’s room too.
Of course, he’s made a decision not to go down these paths, and should be respected for that, but I strongly believe the right choice of tweaks and system enhancements can really make a system truly sing.
But the room is everything too, and this must play the biggest part in Danny getting such a great sound.