mahgister is correct. The music starts with our ears and brain. The room is the next most important component followed by the gear and then finally the choice in music. Careful selection of the gear is required to get great sound. Tube amps, for example must be carefully matched to speakers and the speaker cables more so than SS amps. That's because the damping factor of tube amps is much lower typically than SS amps. Tube amps work better generally with higher impedance speakers and short, thick speaker cables- due to their generally lower damping factors. That is all about bass control. Preamp to amp matching is another important consideration. But most importantly is the room. Muddy mid bass, lack of deep bass and even sibilance can be caused by the room and speaker placement. The room also affects the soundstage and imaging. Sometimes the amp or the speakers or even the cables are blamed for the system sounding too bright or too dark when the real culprit is the room. I know first hand how true this is. My current room was difficult to get right. It has dormers and sloped walls. Corner traps not only in the room but also in the dormers made a significant improvement in the bass. I had diffusers on the front wall which improves the imaging but not until I added diffusers to the sloped parts of the walls did I eliminate the last bit of pesky brightness. Absorbers at the first reflection point on the side walls also help with clarity and brightness.
I had my stereo in a 24x36x13 great room in my last house. It sounded magnificent- especially after putting in a hardwood floor. The 7/8" hardwood stiffened the floor which made the bass sound better. I finally have this room figured out, I think. I've been in this house 6 1/2 years now. (slow learner, I guess).