taking your post from the bottom; i have gone so far beyond that 5k you mention in my stereo gear that it is just silly. at one point with all speakers and my analog path i was at around 38,000 NOT including headphones.. i have had to downsize since then to raise some money for things over the years - and i refuse to recalculate. but yeah, i am wishing i had another 2 k to try a headphone amp that