I share this, which plays into Stehno's last comments. I have had B&W N803 speakers for just over a year now; these speakers are well spoken of. For the past year they have sounded good but I was still left wanting; I have used a Levinson No.383 and BAT VK-30/200 with them. I recently purchased a Rowland Concentra II and this has transformed the performance of the N803's. I was selling the N803's, but no longer and I can concur that they can sound very good indeed once paired with the right amp.
SPeakers 90% of your sound
After "experimenting" with various cables,interconnects,conditioners,power cords, tube amps, and digital sources...I have come to this conclusion...the sound from my speakers was not drastically altered and at best marginally improved...with this in mind...I am glad I allocated the majority of my funds towards speakers and speaker stands...I have not thrown in a TT to the mix...which is my last and latest project...I am sure there are those who will disagree...but this is my findings at this time...any thoughts? That last 10% improvement will cost me what my entire system costs already....