Speakers Don’t Matter As Much As We Think They Do?

I don’t agree with some comments thinkng vacuum tube is not the equal to SS
or hype, in many cases if good quality Vacuum tube can surpasses solid state in several areas 
sonic realism is one,  depth of image and soundstage width and depth 
as well as fullness of midBass. Solid state cost much more money to give you the realism ,i owned a Audio store for years system synergy 
is what is most important ,Having vacuum tubes such as a Respectable Vacuum tube preamp to go with a Solid stste amp is a classic mix and adds to the above 
reference.  Also wires you can get to the point of diminishing returns 
if your system is resolved enough spending $500-$1k on interconnects is not much . Myself  bought top wiring good Litz Teflon -0 Crystal pure Copper from VH Audio and saved $$$ 
and installing Copper connections throughout my system ,night and day better sounding then gold plated Brass which is what most midfi systems come with.
everything in the Audio chain has a sonic effect . The front end is also key
spending more on digital or vinyl or both for this is where your signal begins ,
you cannot make  up detail down stream . This why it counts  .i have put together systems in the $100k+ range for the few that can afford it and they are incredibly 
good,and for sure noticable better. That being said for 1/3rd that  money you can put together a very respectable system for under $30 k that is 90% as good .
low Bass you have companies like SVS  3000 dB, for $1grand world class Bass.buy 2 subs if,when you can it balances out the Bass in the room.
for digital there are a bunch under $1500 including vacuum tube that are 
pretty respectable.. one reason I mod my own speakers ,and have my electronics modded or upgraded is for adding say $1k in parts can bring you something 
thst sounds 3-4x more expensive if done right , That is money spent wisely .
i learned  from some of the best techs in the industry  in electronics as well as speakers it is all made to a price point .Did you know that less then 25% of the cost actually goes into the equipment, the other parts are in overhead ,R&D 
and  dealer markup.if buying direct sometimes can get better value ,keep this in mind that is why sometimes buying very good used then modding makes a lot of sense ,if you are handy and can solder or willing to learn
buy quality connectors and wiring and build cables  your self including power cords VH Audio  For example has a bunch of recipes to help the DIY community,Everything counts.

Had I upgraded my speakers mid way through, I would have undone a lot of the work that went into the system in terms of synergy.

You can't be sure about that. 

So, yes, many listeners will be happy with speakers that represent a relatively small percentage of total system cost. While others would find those speakers incapable of handling the dynamic peaks of some of their recordings, at their preferred listening volumes, and/or incapable of providing the deep bass extension they prefer. And for a given level of sonic quality, in the latter case preferred speakers will tend to represent a much greater percentage of system cost than in the former case.

I agree. 

All components in a system are important but the speakers are your stethoscope.

erik_squires7,833 posts02-15-2020 9:56am"I do believe that being happy with any speaker is the room. Too often listeners hear a great experience at a dealer, come home, don’t have it, and then are sold power cables, amps, etc, to try and reach the nirvana which was always the room to begin with.

A good room is transformative, and can make a lot of speakers sound really great. A mediocre or poor sounding room requires you to chase synergy forever...."

That's been my experience as well.

@åhickamore>

Bottom line: Speakers make the biggest difference and the rule of thumb is that speakers should cost 2x the cost of amp and preamp combined. OP's experience seems atypical to me.

blindjim>

that plan sounds very, very, dated.

Mind telling us exactly where you found this mandate for  allocating funds when building a system?

this means in just one eX. a $10K line stage + a pr of $25K mono blocks should have a pr of $70K speakers?

good luck with that approach as !  its application likely pertains to the lowest percentile of this past times enthusiasts whose pockets can afford what ever,  when ever tiers of merchandise.

real world EXP has shown me quite the opposite  in various systems owned and operating in different folks homes I’ve visited.

in fact one note on audio performance was being reinforced in exhibition after exhibition at the Fla Audio Expo this year which was put the majority of the funds in front of your speakers and by a wide margin of the dealer’s and or presentors on hand.

the vitus 030 Integrated    demo ($55K) had it driving a pr of $22K speakers imported from lithowania

gershman’s Grand Avant Gard $14K per pr were being pushed by VAC statement pre and a pr of VAC Statement 450s. the VAC triad easily surpasses the Gershman’s allocation.

this arrangement was repeated with regularity regardless the loudspeakers on display with very few exceptions.

implying one must double funding for speakerage  comensurate with the power train’s total investment, is some speaker makers idealistic or at least quite ambitious perspective.

in fact, the digital domain and the loudspeaker technological highway seems to be the foremost avenues which are demonstrating routine and regular advancements, and as such wisdom there would not be to trade in the first borne or get a second mortgage for speakers as their SOTA   is a swiftly  moving target.

prudence likely says to provide ABC speakers with the best signal and electronic control one can, rather than have a superbly capable loudspeaker recreating   a mediocre or even pedestriann signal and or one whose voltage or current demands have not been accutely addressed or fully optimized.

another  note on  the speaker first at all costs notion is thier plain old practicality of system integration. speakers are often large, heavy and affected by more variables than are its upstream counterparts than just  power demands. It is usually easier to swap in and out amps than it is to regularly swap in and out the speakers themselves. 

A pr of speakers  presence alone can ordain a particular esthetic needs to be evident for them to just be in the system and might negate another brand whose fashion or appearance can not be provided albeit their performance could be better than the more attractive units currently in residence.