SPeakers 90% of your sound

You're in for a big shock. If you like the speakers now, wait until you get some real information-packed signal into them.

Speakers are certainly proportionatly one of the most significant changes--but I'm one that believes the room is 90 percent of the battle. How many people have moved from either a good environment to a mediocre one or vice versa. Same equipment, but different room--it can really make or break a system even more so than the speakers. (of course my opinion is an occupational hazard--for those that don't know what I mean visit: Rives Audio , in particular go to the listening room for some tips on what can make or break a room.

Room 70%
Amp 8%
Speakers 7%
Source 5%
Pre-amp 5%
Cables 5%
electrical tweaks 5%
Racks, points, 5%

Total = 110%. That sounds about right.

Of course, aside from room percentage, any one of the other category percentages could weigh in differently depending on budget, preconceived notions, experience, knowledge, listening preferences, music preferences, time invested in system, adherence to popular folklore, etc., etc..

-IMO

I guess I must've been lucky, because during the 80s, I moved around alot, and had my nice system set up in about 10 different apartments over that time. Somehow my nice audio system always sounded good, no matter what shape or size the room was, but my boom-box always sounded like crap, no matter what the shape or room size. Amazing, huh? Pardon me for thinking that a good room is nice, but it doesn't supercede the quality of the audio system. It is an environment which will allow the quality of the audio system to be presented well. Nothing more, nothing less.

Does Johnny One-Note in Carnegie Hall, sound better than Pavarotti in your living room? I don't think so. Pavarotti may sound better in Carnegie Hall, than he does in your living room, but Johnny One-Note is going to suck, no matter what room you put him in. You have to give the room something good to work with. Rooms are not magic.

You can safely say that speakers display more variation in sound character from one brand/type to the next than any other component. It could thus be argued that they affect the sound of the system more than any other. This is not, however, the same thing as saying they are more important than other components or that one should spend 90% of one's budget on the speakers. To me, it says that speakers are the least perfected part of the reproduction chain. In general, as a component type reaches further toward perfection, the variations between brands tend to diminish. Speakers are still the furthest away from this convergence.