I have always favored 'the end first' - the speakers. Then go about, working backwards. During the 'this or that' to couple with one (at a time) set of speakers, various shortcomings and gains will appear in the then previous coupled chain. As human beings: it is natural to either love or hate certain indelible aspects of a speaker's presentation in the first few minutes. And usually nothing on earth will ever change that opinion from that moment.
Treat the speakers like a singer's voice. And then ask yourself 'what is the speaker 'trying to convey or do'?....as if it had 'some conscious mentality' of its own. I labelled one speaker playing a lady singing jazz ' a busty tart just trying to sit in one's lap, trying to seduce ', so forward - was its boosted mid range. Another
speaker I gave the verdict of being 'a painful ear driller': so edgy and thin in texture. Yet there it was, coupled to a expensive bank of its own same brand 'dedicated' amplification.
This talk we often hear : 'I want to get into ' ....' amplification!!! I shudder to think what they finally expect to get out of that rather myopic proposition. We do not listen per sec. to amplifiers. They are 'a purpose unit' . We only pay attention when they cannot do the job we require of them to drive a particular speaker properly
