Beerdraft,
When I initially saw the forum title, I laughed out loud and then I remembered how I started this hobby and it's been fun to look back. Thanks for updating this old question and giving a kick to my memory banks (those just tuning in should read the posts in reverse)
I agree with you that the various components are *almost* equal in importance. Synergy works that way....you would be hard pressed to choose downgrading anything once things are dialed in to a particular sweet spot.
That said, I believe speakers are the place to start and they should dominate a starting budget. Audition them with the very best electronics first to establish how good they can really be. They anchor everything.
After purchasing speakers, my greenbacks tended to go to the front end. My old Thiel 3.6's didn't sound very good with mid-fi gear. I spent a fair amount of money before the electronics were as good as those old workhorses. Just my two cents.