+1 on room! F I R S T!
Think of it this way
Many parts add up to the whole of your delivered sound.
Room dynamics (If the room is poor there’s only so much tweaking the rest can do) I’ve heard great sound from moderate gear in a stellar room and average to poor sound in a poor room from Cadillac gear.
Equipment
Source
Speakers (and placement)
Power (poor where I live and a AudioQuest Niagara helped a lot..did it ever)
The entire Wiring Harness. I think of the Wiring harness as a critical part of the equipment too (from the wall outlet out or in the wall if possible.) That two dollar outlet should be tossed and replaced.
Any 8-12 gauge shielded cords, heavy wires with robust male/female plugs for your power cords are better than an 16/18 gage fifty cent cord. Same goes for speaker wiring. In other words (even far lower cost) beefier wiring makes a difference! My two best cables are the ones into the power conditioner and into the tube integrated. Gains are a big can of worms debated ad infinitum.
I have a "B" system and got some inexpensive Laspada audio (discounted on ebay too) and what a difference that made. Seriously.
Your hearing. What?
