Not that easy to say - my approach over the years has been to use old, second hand components - because I hate wrecking something pricey, if I make a mistake - and I want free rein to do anything I think necessary, or worthwhile, when tweaking and experimenting.
For doing a new setup, the first thing I would look for is that the combination can produce high SPLs with the least issues - if there are clear changes of tonality as the volume rises that means that quite a bit may need to be done to resolve that; it's a good thing to start with 'horsepower' to spare. Typically, I listen to the sound of the cymbals - can higher volumes be reached, without these going flat, or losing timbre.
Which is another key aspect: is the high treble in good shape - meaning, it's all there; it's hasn't been softened, dulled or discarded. Which can mean that it may sound shrieky, rough, OTT with a setup in raw form - that doesn't matter at the start; any negatives there get sorted as the system is optimised.
Can the combo reveal the inner detail of recordings with ease, while "working hard"? My Go To used to be a CD of Status Quo hits - this instantly revealed the duds, setups that were miles from being in the race.