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Speakers are the first piece of the puzzle

Hello All!

This is aimed at understanding one particularly prominent posture on mapping out how to proceed in amassing a great audio outfit with speakers being the most significant ingredient, and initial purchase.

From the Audiogon pages alone, if you read between the lines, one can find that there are several approaches for how to erect an outstanding audio system as to which component should be the initial or by some accounts the largest system investment, or both everytime.

IMHO, The predominant system establishing camps are speakers first, amps first, or sources first. in deference to topologies such as panels vs cones, tubes vs. SS, analog vs. digital, as those preferences are options within options.

For the record, I’m not a card carrying member of the ‘speakers first’ organization. And see an eventually proud highly resolving great sounding system as a work in progress which begins where ever and endss when ever.


So, lets get to the lightening round…Questions:

1. why do you feel any system should begin life with speaker s the first building block AND its greatest investment?

2. which speakers were your first system build?

3. How long did you keep them?

4. were later speaker systems brought in prior to any other ‘component’ changes?

In other words, has the ‘speaker first and always’ theme been your blueprint forever, or at some later point, reveal itself as a much better plan?

tremendous gratitude for all the input.
blindjim
ahendler
416 posts
 
I have always said that speakers contribute 70% of the sound of the system. If you don't like the basic sound of a speaker there is nothing you can do to substantially change it. I have put together at least 25 systems for friends in my life. It has always been speaker first. I would tell you to find a speaker that you really like, buy it and then worry about the rest. If you have a speaker you love it is perrty hard to mess it up. But you can have the best sources in the world and still wind up with a crappy sounding system. Remember the speaker is the only thing in your system that actual makes sound. All other components are heard thru the speaker
Alan
bigkidz
3,407 posts
 
I am of the opinion that the source is most important.  Why well I build my own components as most of you know.  When I built a better source that was the biggest improvement in my system ever.  The source was what gave me better tone, space between instruments, vocals, soundstage, air, emotion, etc.  The speakers I was using improved in everyway because of the source.  Away went any bloat in the base, high end digital glare, separation was dramatic, micro and macro dynamic swings were excellent.  I have yet to find a speaker that could do any of this by itself.

I know many of you will not agree with my assessment but again my learning experience for myself.  When I bring the source I build over to another persons home for them to audition or just to hear how it sounds, it takes about 30 seconds for that person to hear what the source does.  Many of these people have tried speakers, preamps, amps, room treatments, cables, etc.  Why all of those parts have an impact, each of them by themselves cannot do what the source did.

Happy Listening,
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,226 posts
 
One thing I can arrest to having owned a Hifi- Audio store until 07 
is that audio cables are very much so overlooked as good enough.
myself included. Even customers buying $40k in electronics ,not counting speakers even if money back to try  decent cables $500-1000interconnects 
2000 Speaker cables ,power cords make as much or more impact in detail ,performance. Myself and others have proved this, a $500 cable is very respectable but a cable 2x this allows a good speaker to perform at a much higher level on many levels. Yes over kill too is possible in $$ spent.15-20%  of the whole system including Loudspeakers is a very respectable Average,nothing set in stone.
with over 35 years and many $$  to experiment with in the store .as with anything 
some brands are just insane .synergistic $15k , or NBS Statement cables
you can spend more on cables then your Mercedes . Balance is the magic word 
and buy  cables that get out of the way, not flavor.I have  found my own favorite cables lately 
and it is not from the Biggest advertisers ,which many buyers are swayed to .
be diligent and educate yourself on Everything ,it is your $$ money being spent.
kennythekey
593 posts
 
Due to a lifetime of revolving systems, changing rooms, and my changing tastes in sound, it was not until more recent times that the speaker first concept finally made some sense. However, I had to find "my sound" first.

With that said, I feel that it's most important to match the speakers that work in your room with your amp. Your amp choice must also match your room as well, so why a critical component. After that, whatever you replace upstream, should be revealed by your speakers.
Kenny
wolf_garcia
6,737 posts
 
How many long time audio geeks replace their entire system all at once? I suppose after a house fire…but a lot of my gear stays through speaker changes and other incidental swap outs (cables here and there…often for the most arbitrary reasons like, "I wonder what THOSE sound like"). I imagine most people in the Active Listening crowd simply are messing around in their gear pool when they discover some item they deem worthy of tossing into what they might feel is an already well sorted mix, with good or bad results…that’s the fun part along with the music discoveries. I recently tried a well regarded speaker brand without hearing it first (few retailers sell these things), mostly to match with a new SE tube amp…FAIL…the speakers I was trying to replace stayed.
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