Well I'm back. My "Best of Stereophile" needs to be revised with my latest upgrades. I always felt my speakers (MMG and Q100e) were my weakest link and that has been confirmed. With the addition of the Martin Logan Scenarios and the upgrade REL Strata III, I have more detail and solid bass than I ever imagined was possible on my budget. The Scenarios play much louder with less power required than the MMG. The REL Strata III is much more flexible than the Q100e. In addition, it provides deep bass without the strange noises at higher levels. I cant imagine any other changes that could provide this level of improvement
I have a system of all Stereophile recommended components for just over 3000 under "opinions please." I cheated a little and included class K speakers, and no cables. With cables (at ~%10 of my budget) I'd still be under $3500--with SACD and analog sources. Check it out.