The following steps are critical to form the fundamentals of any system :

Finding the right speaker for the room size & matching the correct amplifier to the speaker.  This is the foundation of the building. An incorrect move would be an enormous waste of time and money for the coming future.  Matching the speaker to the room size is usually the easier part – although sharing audiophile experience and obtaining manufacturer’s opinion would always be beneficial.

The harder part is matching the amplifier to the speaker.  People tend to believe that the sensitivity(db) of speaker and the output power of the amplifier in (Watt) is enough to solve issue. This is a major prejudice audiophiles create in their path. It is true that a high sensitivity speaker would easily be driven by a low Watt amplifier.  The debate starts at the point of an average sensitivity speaker (i.e. 90 db) with a typical  (40 to 50 watt) tube amplifier. Many  would claim that in order to get the most control  and life-like impact (especially in bass performance), one has to utilize a minimum150 watt  power (where the choices mostly boil down to solid state amplifiers).  Within my audiophile journey, I happened to realize that there are other factors such as the torque of an amplifier and the general character of the speaker  which are not measurable but audiable.  This unmeasurable fundamental  has a humongous impact in the synergy.  

If I am to simplify (in daily terms) this complicated but truly important issue, I would state that the speaker has to ‘love’ the amplifier.

One may  generally realize this from the tonal reflections, speed and overall handling of the soundstage. A lower wattage amplifier with a  high torgue may as well handle and transmit the emotion extremely well. A motto:
‘ Sense and Try’
There is no way to understand the synergy between the speaker and the amplifier (and the driving performance  of the amplifier), without actually trying them.
In the first couple of trials, the audiophile will have a rough idea if  a match is there.  If so, then a humongous – but a rewarding path would reveal…

The quality of the pre-amp. If the amplifier is integrated, then the pre-amplifier (will be referred as pre-amp) need is naturally by-passed. For power-amp(lifier) owners, the use of a pre-amp as good as the power amp is a requirement. I would say that the pre-amp should even be higher in quality then the power-amp.  In order to have the tube sound, some audiophiles prefer to use a tube-preamp with a solid state amp. The reverse is also possible.  Some high quality Solid State pre-amps are successfully combined with tube amps.  As a dedicated tube lover all the way, my choices have always been in using high-quality tube pre-amps. In a good pre-amp, these sections are crucial.

- The quality of the volume pot.
- The quality of the coupling caps.
- The quality & topology of signal wiring.
- The quality of the power supply transformer and the general topology.