@david_ten > Can it be surpassed by the quality / performance of the upstream chain? Therefore, becoming the bottleneck for overall system performance?
In other words, assume it's the best it can be.
Blindjim > great question. Albeit, this is a perception issue predominately. Proving it would be no simple matter.
Can a speaker be the system bottleneck?
Short answer is yes. Eventually. It could too, be seen as a very pretty bottleneck as preffs and budgets go..
How would you ever really know when it actually is the ‘sole’ limiting factor? This is of course unless and until you brought in higher performing speakers which would match synergistically as well with the current room and electronics. If they did not match up as well, the rig would have to be altered and any attempt to even subjectively appraise them at that point would vanish.
Furthermore, if nothing else were altered and the synergy remained in tact, then by what margin would the then ‘percieved’ improvements amount to? Include the point of diminishing returns, and another valid argument emerges.
Speakers and rooms, have their own needs, often irrespective of the electronics required to easily hand the speakers what they desire, and what we want to hear from them.
I feel it would be difficult though not out of the question, to simply run out, find far far, more pricey speakers and drop them into the existing rig and expect the new units to nail our jaws to the floor.
As is. No other associated changes accomplished.
On varying scales and quite by accident, I’ve found early on capable speakers will continue to improve their performance as the upstream system escalates. Finding out where the performance slows and ultimately comes to a halt is something I did not consume myself with. It was an incidental desire following many significant upstream upgrades, it became obvious the speakers needed to be upgraded.
That revelation arose as the result of biases, philosophical attachments, and budget. I could not justify doubling or more the investments I had in cabling. Doubling or more the investments I had in source, and power. Likewise, power cords. I could however justify spending more on speakers as they were easily the least expensive item then, barring a wire or two, in the rig.
Briefly, no other changes were needed for these new speakers to sound great. Later, however, they became the test bed for further experimentations with lower power and different power topologies, namely tubes.
It would not have been absolutely a prerequisite to swap out the power amps. Immediately. Maturing preffs led the way towards buying more expensive power amps once the new speakers were run in.
To this day I hold fast to the notion excellent electronics make very good speakers sound outstanding. Holding that the room itself is neutral or addressed appropriately.
The primary obstacle when it comes to speakers is cost. Then its Electronic matching. Size and esthetics. Lastly speaker tech. it does keep moving forward.
Replacing speakers with much better ones, in my experience has meant nearly every time other upstream changes would be necessary. Additionally, room issues arise which were not previously known or as prominent. Then too, the new speakers abilities may open new doors begging for different upstream devices.
Just my EXP.
