Marakenetz, though I am not an electrical engineer, nor vendor, I have found, through practice, your premises to be sound.
My love for old inefficient speaker choices have forced me to concentrate my money on basic amplification. Money considerations necessitated leaving golden fleece cables, Rock of Gibraltar front ends, and kitchen counter shelving decisions for the future.
With each speaker change, any differences and improvements were obviously speaker generated, and very gratifying. Amp decisions merely followed each new speaker's thirst. The latest and thirstiest speakers, the ones I wanted all along, are breathtaking.
All thoughts of upgrading shelving and cables have been forgotten. Now, I am concentrating my efforts on listening room modification.