In reply to:

I know this is all subjective to each and everyones tastes, but I assume when professionals review components, they must have something in mind.


That in itself is the trick. When everyone reviews a product they can't help but have an idea of what something will sound like as they will inevitably compare X vs.Y. So you have to decide what sounds good to you through demos and go with what YOU like. Possibly based on what others have said, but remember what they hear/like will be different than what you hear/like.

In reply to:

Should I buy a amp or A/V receiver that's neutral too? And if you buy "bright" or "cool" speakers, is a "warm" amp the solution to bring you back to neutral?(or vise versa)


As JohnK noted amps and receivers should not add(warm nor bright) anything to the sound, however some people feel they do. Again that is for you to decide. I have tried some blind listening tests with my friends HK and my denon and a Yamaha through my M22's. all set up as equal direct modes etc. and none of us could tell a difference in sound.

The best you could hope for is to achieve a sound as close to having the artists in the room with you live, sounding just as they recorded the songs. Isn't this what most of us are hoping to achieve with as few dollars spent as possible? IMHO

Jason
M80 v2
VP160 v3
QS8 v2
PB13 Ultra
Denon 3808
Samsung 85" Q70