The best way to design an audio system.

I must have crossed over some threshold somewhere (or this website has). Every time I make a comment that is not meant to be entirely serious, people respond to it as if I were dead serious. (They tend to be audio dealers, and the like.)

But then again, the "best way" to design any "high end" system, is not to have any budget restraints. Then you don't need to make any compromises. (Don't we all wish it was so for us!!)

I agree a good place to start is with the speakers. They are after all the only thing in your system that lets you judge the affect of every other component in the system. While not as good IMO; in some ways the speakers could also be last. You would pick the ones that sound best using the components you have. (This would be a lot harder.)

Rives, my list of "projects" is never ending. As such, i've simply been limiting myself to logging on AFTER i've made a reasonable amount of progress on something that i wanted to get accomplished. My problem, probably like many of you, is that once i get planted in front of this "one eyed monster", i have a hard time tearing myself away from it.

As was noted ( i think by Zaikesman ), it is just too hard to go "cold turkey" : ) Sean
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Sean you're right - even Kelly couldn't do it :)
& he really tried; even declared himself officially outta here, & still he can't keep his fingers off the keyboard

If you start with a large and diverse collection of "great" music, then within reason, whatever else follows is gravy. Which is not imply that people don't have very strong opinions about gravy.

Wally an Sean seem to have it right.But flexiblity for whenever the inevitable urge to chenge out tsuff is important.I would like to get more efficient speakers and go with a smaller,more refined amp than my 6L6 based Mesa baron.But the fact that it's twelve ouput tubes can be switched to triode/pentode in thirds allowing very different sound and power (90/120/150 wpc) makes me loathe to give it up for just when i have found the 104 db sens "Horns of my dreams", a deal that can't be past up on some insensitve speakers with diffcult loads will inevitably be offered up.I therefore end up holding on to stuff longer thnI should but that pisses me off too.Whatever i do I remeber that Murphy was an optomistic 'Phile.