Of course, the question we've been wrestling with—which matters most, source or output—is the same as the age-old chicken and egg conundrum. On the one hand, great speakers can magnify the inadequacies of lousy sources, and great sources cannot be appreciated through low resolving speakers.
In the end it all matters.
Yet, I lose sleep at night wondering how to answer the question, "if I only have a limited budget…"
Do I recommend a mediocre all around approach or steer them in the direction of building a strong foundation and working up to the finer points over time? And if so, does this foundation start with sources or outputs? Passions run deep on this subject.
I suppose there's no pat answer. Much depends on where the sonic traveler wants to eventually wind up. Some are happiest with just acceptable sound and want no more. Others journey towards higher planes.
If you are the one asking the question it's important to figure out your final destination so that we might help guide you to success.
It all matters.
