First and foremost, the ability of the system to express the emotion of the composition and performance. I have auditioned 7 figure systems that have accurate sound quality, but fail to express emotion and do not touch my soul, and other much less expensive systems that reproduce the composition and performance in a manner to bring a tear to my eye and fulfillment to my soul. I recognize this is a very subjective quality but critical IMHO.
The others are listed in order of importance:
- Sound quality, especially timbre.
- High benefit/cost ratio
- Build quality and reliability
- Excellent customer service/Dealer representation
Design and parts quality are important but not a per se’ concern, for they are evident in the execution of the design intent during the design phase, design transfer, and manufacturing process, and expressed in the SQ, B/C ratio, and BQ and reliability listed above. Measurements are of no concern other than electrical specifications for determining component compatibility.