Speakers first; more than any other single component they set the tone and define your system. For example, horn speakers are different animals than your typical panel speaker (ie Magnepans). Stand mounted monitors are different animals than traditional ported box speakers.
The speaker must 'fit' the room; it makes no sense to buy a big Magnepan panel and set it eight inches from the wall. A big horn speaker, say a Klipschorn must fit perfectly and directly into the rooms corners or you lose about 50% of its performance. You probably would not buy a small two-way stand mounted monitor for a room that was 20x36 either.
Analyze your room, your listening perferences, and then buy the very best speaker yoy can afford and stick with it! Start with the best amp(s) you can afford and work your way up from there. Speaker choice will drive your decision on tubes or solid state for amplfication (and always go with a very good tube preamp :) )
The speaker must 'fit' the room; it makes no sense to buy a big Magnepan panel and set it eight inches from the wall. A big horn speaker, say a Klipschorn must fit perfectly and directly into the rooms corners or you lose about 50% of its performance. You probably would not buy a small two-way stand mounted monitor for a room that was 20x36 either.
Analyze your room, your listening perferences, and then buy the very best speaker yoy can afford and stick with it! Start with the best amp(s) you can afford and work your way up from there. Speaker choice will drive your decision on tubes or solid state for amplfication (and always go with a very good tube preamp :) )