Be ready to buy, but don't buy on impulse. I've followed this philosophy and those Wow! "deals" seem to come around the corner sooner than you would think. I've been researching amps for a year. I've bought two, and returned them both. I find that sometimes after getting the product home I sometimes get new ideas about the direction I want my system to go. Part of the fun is in looking for the equipment.
What is your upgrade philosophy?
With at least 4 or 5 (perhaps as many as 7) components (plus cables) comprising the system at any given time, certainly one is the best at what it does and one is the worst, and the others in between. When you have the fever and spare cash, do you prefer to take the one weak link and vault it to the top of the pile, or would you for the same money upgrade perhaps 2 components to middling status? Seems the former yields a better system long term, but the latter would provide more immediate improvement. Is there a method to your madness?