All good points and ^ is absolutely true to a degree-- however imho once you're north of $1K it comes down more to personal taste, priorities and synergy than simply throwing money at something until you've got "the best". The right synergy between gears can add a kilobuck or two to the perceived worth of your setup. Further, beyond a point $$ seems to get you technical prowess more than anything and I've learned for myself that that doesn't necessarily result in a more enjoyable listening experience to me. Often when I read a review of a super expensive piece of gear it's almost always framed in terms of things like detail, staging, bass, treble quality etc....but for me personally if those those things don't contribute to an overall feeling of emotional engagement and being swept off one's feet then I tend to lose interest pretty quick. As such I'm not convinced there exists anything out there at any price point that will necessarily meet my needs and wants more than what I have now...but it took me a long time of trial and (mostly) errors and lots of $$ to get there. The journey has been fun though and made eminently easier by all the sage council I've received from people in this thread which is, imho, pound for pound the one of the two best places on the internet to come for advice around portable audio.
