It seems to me that, with most "better" components, almost everything concerning how the system sounds can be rather subjective and personal. Before any objectivity can even be approached regarding a quality evaluation of any individual component in one's system one needs, IMHO, to address the acoustical integrity of the listening room. If our listening rooms do not, at least, approach a semblance of accoustical "ground zero" aren't we throwing pearls before swine where components are concerned, and just sort of flayling in the dark when trying to determine "which components are, or are not, the most important"? I have friends who have systems valued close to 100,000 and their systems do not sound very good because they have no room to properly set it up.
