All great responses. What a fun thread.
I definitely started my system with the speakers as the "major" purchase.
There is still something very special about my older B&W Signature 800s.
What I wasn't prepared for when I began this quest, was the never ending/growing front end. As a result, the speakers as a % of the total system keeps shrinking. (What started as a 50/50 ratio, has diminished to around 30% speakers give or take).
It almost seems like by the time my system is "complete", that the front end will be ready for upgraded speakers
Very fun to hear all of your experience here.