Source or speaker

Bob,

Good point. In a way it all often amounts to "insurance".

If your engineering minded then XLR balanced "insures" you a better sound because you know it has theoretically better noise rejection and immunity from RF/EM. In reality RCA is often so good that you cannot hear a practical difference except in extreme conditions - long runs or a rats nest of components in a huge rack. The same can be said for "thermal compression" or "jitter" - the more technical specters that conjure fear in the hearts of technically minded. In the case of thermal compression - you have to play LOUD before it even becomes an issue.

For those less engineering minded then almost any tweak can seem like "insurance"- a magic pebble or a cable elevator. Provided there are a few people who swear by the tweak then seeds of doubt grow into monsters of our "Hi-Fi Id". These insurance tweaks are the preferred route to anxiety over our precious systems. In essence, nothing ever kills the Id monsters (of our subconscious fears) - so we just keep on tweaking and buying and upgrading...

Engineers or non-engineering minded, ultimately I think we are all mostly driven by dark fear or insecurities that we are not quite getting the utmost from our systems...and clever marketing folks pray on these fears.

Ultimately, our deepest subconscious desires and fears conjure invisible Monsters of the ID as depicted in Forbidden Planet and many art forms (Shakespeare's Tempest). Essentially our deepest desires lead to fears which subconsciously drive us in directions to fight them (whether we know it or not).

"The Krell forgot one thing: monsters from the id." -- Warren Stevens (as Doc Ostrow), Forbidden Planet

All intersting points!
I finally got my system to sound right so it's easy for me to say to others still improving their systems to forget all those tweaks and just sit back and enjoy. But I can easily say that NOW because I am already there.
As for those who have not finished tuning their system to the room and matching components to other components and incorporating tweaks I say those things deserve attention and those tweaks may very well be necessary. I know for certain the tweaks I incorporated into my system matter. Especially those on my turntable and tonearm. Also the speakers being suspended from the ceiling!
How I got my sytem to sound right (to me of course) was mostly out of luck. Sure I did alot of research, but I still could have gone a different direction and that would have changed everything. It's mostly about synergy and room interaction and getting the source right. Also the isolation though I cannot say conclusively the suspension is making a difference in every application that I applied it to like the amplifier, though it wouldn't surprise me if even there it is making a difference. The turntable is a no brainer, the phono stage and preamp too I would be willing to bet are making a difference.
So I still say even though the speakers matter so much, the source has to be right because nothing in the world can correct a bad source! My system improved tremendously when I was tweaking my source. I still can do more but am in no rush.

"Build your system around speakers that knock you out.

Then find an amp that matches the speakers.

Everything else will fall into place."

Audiofeil says it well....and correctly.

I'll third Audiofeil.