What is the most important component to consider while building a new system?

Speakers are the only component that can determine the radiation pattern of how sound is distributed in your room. 

For those of us who like dipoles e.g. maggies, omnis e.g. ohm/space pods, open baffle e.g. Spatial audio, wide dispersion e.g. LSA bookshelf  that is make or break.  

actual sound being produced in the room, and that is always the speaker


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Exactly, 
You could take jadis' finest compoments, well over $100G's. , tap into a  brand xyz speaker, and thats all you'll get 
is a generic crappy sound. 

Would best phono, amp/source hooked up to a Vandersteen, will sound exactly like a  **Vandersteen* image, 
No thanks!!
AS Troels says, **past 50 yrs the speakers have been a  source of bad distortion in our music**
(paraphrase mine)

The most neutral speaker wins the shootout, Its not rocket science folks. 

The most important component to consider is YOU.  End of story.  I've learned that in this hobby to build a system based around what's important to you.  This hobby is completely subjective so the most important component is YOU. 

If we used science to enjoy the music we'd never play a record again, yet most of us do!  

berner99133 posts07-15-2021 4:01pmSpeakers are the only component that can determine the radiation pattern of how sound is distributed in your room.


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Can’t say it any clearer than berner99 just did.

speakersspeakerspeakers
Completely forget amp shootouts, digital shootouts.
Thats all nothing but nuances. Nothing more.
Whereas speakers are all the way from grossly, distortion to disgustingly distorted to OK, nothing great, and on to Nirvana pure bliss.
Every single speaker lab will havea certain characteristic sound.
A Wilson will always sound like a Wilson, no matter what model you choose.
ProAc = all ProAc’s,.
Etc.
AER = all AER’s, All Voxativ = all Voxativ.
So forget lab A PP amp sounding so much different vs Lab B PP amp.
Tube CD player A vs Tube DAC B.
Nothing but slight nuances.
The only component that makes a giganitic modification in how the sound , is the speakers.
All other components are nothing but nuances, nothing more.
Not sure if I can be any clearer.
Changing speaker labs will result in a ~~~modification of sound~~~, Not a nuance. A real substantial mod.
~~Speakers are everything~~~~
Amp discussions bore me to death.

Speaker room match
Then source
Decent amp
Cables
Isolation platforms (speaker and source) 
Power