2 channel system?

Hepl offers a good rule of thumb. However, it depends on what components and speakers we're talking about. If your source is pretty good, but your amp is very weak, you could realize a more noticeable improvement by upgrading the amp. Every system is different.

rule of thumb is you can't hear what doesn't exist... buy the best source you are able to afford so that if the software has the info the hardware can read it and send on down the line.

Linn was very influential in developing the theory of priority that went beyond the foolish 50% on speakers syndrome that used to be so popular. The source is far and away the most important! If you don't get the music off the source, LP or CD, your componants will not add it back later. Buy the best source you can afford and work your way back to the speakers. Don't forget to have fun though!

All very good suggestions. But don't forget about speaker cables and interconnects, either. As someone who first started out with lower end Monster, MIT, and XLO cables and is now using mid-line Transparent and Audioquest cables; the differences can be quite amazing. Your music takes on a new dimension; and details you never heard before are clear and prcise. And as Nrchy mentions, do have some fun and enjoy the great music!

I third or fourth the source recommendation, what's lost(or not read) can not be recovered down stream. Buy the best source you can this way there is no guessing about what the recording is suppose to sound like. For a while(recently) I was running a $9k cd player into a pair of monoblock amps that can be picked up used at agon for under a grand(they are no longer made) and it sounded much better then when I was using my $5k amp with a cheap CD player- and guess what deductive logic will tell us that combining the two(good cd player and good amp) yielded the best results. Avideo brings up a good point about not forgetting cables, once you've tried good cables you simply can not go back, it is often what makes or breaks a system. One piece at a time and it'll be done in no time :)