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

"I give up. You guys are right. The Tekton Moab is the single most important component."

Everybody realizes Chuck was just kidding there, right? No?
Well played, MC.

of course the line"everything matters" is true, but I believe room(not just size, but what else is in the room and where, as well as optimum placement of the speakers within the room) and speakers are the place to start....if things are excellent there, the sound will only get better and better as you feed them better signal.....you can gradually "grow" into them.....

For me, speakers are the part of the system that defines the sound the most. And the most by A LOT! Everything up the chain matters in terms of details and coloring but each pair of speakers has their own sound that is never going to be changed that much. For instance, doesn't matter what I do, my vandersteen speakers are never going to sound like Martin Logans. Doesn't matter what electronics and source and cables I use. They are fundamentally different and I made the choice I did because I like how they sound. My electronics and source can flavor things a little bit the overwhelming sound one hears is defined by the speakers.

As a former dealer, I can tell you as many here have, YOUR ROOM and your chosen SPEAKERS IN YOUR ROOM have more to do with accurate music reproduction than any other component.

Physics has not changed; there are only a fixed number of circuit designs available to the most genius of designers, so quality components that people on this forum argue about basically have minuscule differences in final sound in the whole world of things. (Close 'n Play ain't in the running any more.)

I suggest you ask your dealer to set up a pair of Magneplaner speakers IN YOUR ROOM along with some equipment you can afford and see what you think  If you cannot afford super expensive equipment, get what you can and slowly work up to better gear.  The speakers will reproduce what you send them, so they can stay IF THEY FIT YOUR ROOM.

If not, you will be forced to buy some box speakers, but they have improved greatly over the years.  Somehow, some designers figured out that tall speakers offer better imaging, etc., than short ones.  I have NO IDEA where they got that notion (Jim Winey?), so boxes are no longer horrible, but try the Maggies first if you can.

Happy listening!

Everything counts .