The basic design of a house falls back on the architect. We can easily envision a two story ranch home with a basement, or perhaps a one level bungalow with a backyard patio. Whatever it is we see in our imagination, we need an architect to draw up the plans to make it a reality.
The architect figures out the basic structure of what we want.
The same can apply to a stereo product. As users we can easily dream of a phono preamplifier with a trans impedance front end, or a power amplifier with a class A front end, but we need need an architect to figure out how to build the structure that will get us what we want.
Moving from a hand wave idea to detailing the foundational architecture where we decide the basic topology: FETs, BJTs, Valves, bias styles, high feedback, low feedback, DC coupled or servos, etc. is where we start.
Those architectural decisions are the core of how the product will sound, perform, and cost.
Certainly the "carpenters" and "builders" of the architectural vision have a great deal to contribute when it comes to performance, but in the end, even a beautifully built turd won't be something you will want to own.
It's the architect that we must look to when it comes to blame or praise.
