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What's more important; sound or brand name?

I have had several people leave comments about my inability to hear things with my system because of quality of one or more of the parts. They seem to think it's not good enough to reproduce whatever sound is being discussed on that particular thread. The issue I have is I think my system is pretty good inspite of the fact that some of the componants might not be a popular enough name.

Many of the comments were based on my choice of speakers. I cannot describe how happy I am with the sound quality of the Sony SS M9 speakers inspite of the name on the grill cloth. Yes I have heard many other 'Hi-end' speakers over the years. Some have sounded better than the Sony's, most have not.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining because someone else doesn't like my gear as much as I do. I just wonder if people care more about the name on the product than the sound of the product.

If Sansui made a great product I would consider it inspite of the fact that I consider their stuff to be mostly junk. Maybe Sansui is a bad example since I prefer to buy American but you get the gist...

Any opinions? Have you noticed this happening?
128x128nrchy
sek
105 posts
 
Of course, the sound is most important. With radically different-sounding gear receiving competing raves, I think that one should respect one's ears, not brand names.
kinsekd
252 posts
 
It's easy enough to say "The sound, of course.". But what if its a choice between a no name speaker versus a Thiel, a B&W, or a Magnepan. Or a no name pre amp versus an Audio Research, Krell, Mark Levinson, etc. I wonder how many of us can answer that honestly.
timo's avatar
timo
610 posts
 
Kinsekd:

If the company is financially sound, and build quality is equal to the Namers and they have reliable customer service and a fair warranty, I would pick the No Namer without hesitation!
paulwp
585 posts
 
You seem to have all name brand components. Although I have no opinion regarding your cables, I wouldn't find fault with any component in your system. The Sony's are great speakers, and I think you can safely ignore anyone who says your system isn't good enough to hear something they hear. Sony is obviously a very big company and makes a wide range of products, from cheap and chintzy to very very good.

If sound were all that mattered, however, there wouldnt be much of an industry.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,208 posts
 
All things being equal sound is more important, but all things are rarely equal. If the choice is between a top of the line Conrad-Johnson preamp and a slightly better sounding preamp hand made in their spare time by someone in his garage, then the C-J is the better choice for most people. Quality control, cosmetics, build quality and service will all be better with the established manufacturer. Five years down the road the guy in the garage may or may not still be manufacturing audio products.

BTW, the Sony is an excellent speaker which I suspect mates quite well with the Krell amp.
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