Ok this will be a good thread.

Asa - Reporting in - No detectable alchemy showing up on my nonsense meter so far. ;)

Yea, Muralman, I must be losing my touch. BUT, just look at the post I just put on twl's "This will be a good thread" in Amp/Pre section (poor twl...). I'm figuring to get roasted alive! Your meter will be off the dial!

Ahhh, just like getting in a warm bath...

OK, I'm also lossing my mind - its twl's "How could hiend be improved?" thread in Misc. Audio.

I give you permission to go there and beat on me...:)

From a speakers first guy, as I said above, record playing equipment, ie turntables, tonearms and cartridges can be as inaccurate and as idiosyncratic as speakers. And the bad cartridges and bad cartridge-tonearm interfaces have no charm, unlike some wildly inaccurate speakers that people still like. But, unless you're talking about bad upstream components, which shouldnt be bought at all, rather than less good, which come down to pricing, speakers obviously make the most difference, except for the recordings, of course.

A good recording of a good performance can be made unlistenable through a bad cartridge or a bad speaker. I havent heard a cd player or amp that can do that much damage.

Speakers make a huge difference in the sound when you change from speaker to speaker, but that doesn't necessarily make them the most critical link in the chain.

I heard a system whose emphasis was on big, expensive speakers and amps but down-played the source with a mediocre CD player. The sound was mediocre. Huge Dunlavys (SC-5's), VTL double-decker amps (750's, I believe), VTL Ultimate pre-, and a cheapie Panasonic CDP. Power in the bass and high SPL's, but muddy and confused sounding.

While I did not get the chance to switch things around in that same system, I did get the chance to hear a Linn TT (LP12/Itok/Lingo), a Creek Integrated (5050, I think) and ProAc Response 3's. (Don't get me wrong, I am NOT a Linnie; the LP12 is NOT my favorite TT.) I much preferred the Linn/Creek/ProAc set up.

Hardly a conclusive illustration, but it made me sit up and notice the importance of the source.

Asa makes a good point: it depends on your perspective as you navigate your Audio obsession. The trick is to get a workable balance among all the pieces.