budget component in high-end system?

A little more than a year ago, for 3-4 weeks I pulled my old B&K PT-3 preamp ($600.00) and B&K ST-1400 Mk II amp ($700.00) out of the closet and inserted them into my system while my tube preamp ($5,000.00) and monoblocks ($6,000.00) were being repaired. A tube had gone bad and it blew the preamp and the amps.

I still had the rest of my system in place ($40k), I just inserted the two B&K pieces in place of the high end preamp and amp. I was surprised, because I could have easily lived with that system if I had to.

I believe that the real key in this situation was the Stealth Indra interconnects between the DAC and preamp and preamp and amp. I believe that they allowed the B&K pieces to receive and process the best possible signal.

I find myself just shaking my head whenever someone says that they don't see how an interconnect can affect a system. I've heard it over and over, and in this case, it was an amazing revelation, showing that these budget pieces had a lot more quality than I had previously thought they had.

Chuck

Speltz or Morrow speaker cables.

i use a squeezebox 3 ($299) as a transport into a 47 labs shigaraki dac. i had previous used a 47 labs shigaraki transport ($2250 now that prices have gone up). i don't notice any significant difference.

i use a supratek dual cabernet with yamamoto a-08s amplification. my speakers are von schweikert dB-99SE's. my cabling is just a bunch of throw away junk.

i plan to DIY my future clabes, but i'm planning on buying a new home soon and until i can get my system into a dedicated room, i see no reason to custom build cables when i have no idea how my system will be arranged.