Why did you choose the components and speakers that are in your system?

I started my journey into high end with 3.6 Maggie’s.   They still remain the core of my system.  I went through a number of amps before  finding McIntosh MC501 mono blocks.  Maggie’s thrive on current and these amps made them very revealing.  Along the way I decided a tube preamp would add to the synergy and after that, I quit snapping out gear as I knew my ears were happy!

I've played and listened to all kinds of music in my day, and I was lucky enough to live in a locale (Southern California) that had enough retail stereo outlets to allow me to audition whole rafts of hi-end components.  Eventually, I was able to assemble a system that could satisfy both my ears and my pocketbook.

1. Budget, including relative percentage of budget to to allot per component
2. Choosing the fewest possible components: turntable, mm cartridge (to avoid needing a pre-pre amp for a mc cartridge), CD/SACD player, integrated amp that included a good DAC, speakers, and power conditioner in my case. Fewer components, means fewer expensive wires impinging on component budget.
3. Getting recommendations on components in price range here on site, then researching, and auditioning, components,
4 Getting recommendations on cables, wiring and the like, and what wiring use to demo their components at shows, from manufacturers of components purchased.
5. Buying only new components from reputable manufacturers with a track record and longevity in the business. and from dealers who have been around a while too. Find out where each component is made, and completely avoid components manufactured in China due to endemic quality control issues there. Manufacturers who hide that their products are made in China are suspect.
6, Researching designing and installing shelving for components, and needed isolation accessories like Isoacoustic feet.
7. Ending up with a clean, uncolored, detailed and revealing sound within budget.

Mike

"I have an opportunity to build another system and I'm looking to mix up the sound I seek"

If you haven't heard the sound of speakers other than "typical box speakers" e.g. maggies, electrostatics, omnidirectionals, open baffles. you might listen to at least some of them.  

40+ years ago I gave up Rogers LS3/5As for Dahlquist dq 10 (open baffle) and still prefer other than "typical box speaker sound"..  A pair of spatial audio M3 triads just arrived. LSA bookshelf I have is wide dispersion and have a similar wide soundstage/sound.

Get rid of those crappy transparent speaker cables those resistor networks screw up everything if you really want to try a good speaker wire that just lets everything good or bad through switch to OCC single crystal wire it has been proven now for 40 years to be the best wire for audio.