It all starts and stops with power per channel for me. My AudioControl Pantages 230W x 5 amp is the heart of my system and the Sunfire Theater Grand TGP-5 Processor is the brains so I guess the lungs of my system are my Athena AS-F2s L/R mains (a), psb500s L/R mains (b), EMP es1010i sub, B&W V201s L/R front highs, Martin Logan Vignette Center, Jamo 7.4s surround and finally Boston Acoustics a100s surround back. Yeah I know no timber matching happening but I’d employ anyone to sit and tell me they can hear that they don’t match. The sunfire does a great job of calibrating everything.
What is the most important component in your system.
To me it is my ARC Ref 6 preamp. I have used a few other preamps, ML38s , ARC Ref 5se, with my current system and none has taking me closer to music then my ARC Ref 6 preamp. Years ago I always thought it was my B&W 800 Matrix speakers and then my Krell FBB amp. But found out that to get the best sound from my 800s it is a preamp..Years ago i never knew how important a good preamp was in reproducing music. And sure everything adds up ,like interconnects , power cables , speaker cables, platforms and all those tweaks that we use and try. Now i not saying that i was never happy with my 800s and Krell or even my ML 38s. But adding my current preamp really makes my other components bring out their best.