Hartwerger: For a beginner I'm impressed. Maybe it takes time for people to put what you have as number 1 to number 10. But your first two things are the most important. Unfortunately, many people spend huge dollars on equipment and ignore number 1: the Room. 50% of the sound is indirect, thus coming from the room. The speakers and the room form a tuned circuit, so both placement and room acoustics are critical to good sound. Obviously, we at Rives Audio have a strong bias here--it is what we do, but I do firmly believe it should be the #1 item on the list.
Here is a link to a great primer on room acoustics.
Rives Audio Listening Room 101
Here is a link to a great primer on room acoustics.
Rives Audio Listening Room 101