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  3. 141872-115924

Relative component value to overall SQ.

There is a lot of discussion about various things in the hi-fi audio component chain and how they affect SQ and as a beginner it would be interesting to see how folks rate the relative value of these items.

This is not necessarily meant to be a hierarchy. What I would like to see is a percentage value for each item in the chain. Total must be 100%.

I realize this is an artificial construct but I think for newbies building a system it would help them know where to start and where to put initial emphasis.

For simplicity I am leaving out the signal source. Let’s assume that the CDP, DAC, streamer, server or TT are delivering an optimal signal of an optimal recording to the system.

I included room optimization since that is also likely critical.

The components are as follows; assign a percentage to each. Total must be 100 :

Speakers
Speaker cables
Amp
Amp power cord
Interconnect cables
Pre-Amp
Pre-amp power cord
Interconnect cables (to source)
Room optimization


n80
mikexxyz
66 posts
 
  • Speaker/ Room: 80% of what you hear, 55% of the cost. Room and speaker cannot be separated below the Schroeder frequency. Room treatment is not that expensive (relative to the rest of the system) and has a significant affect on the sound quality. The overwhelming % of distortion in your system will come from the speaker/ room.
  • Electronics: 19% of what you hear but 40% of the cost. Electronics are expensive but above a certain build quality, very little difference in SQ.
  • Everything Else: 1% of what you hear, 5% of the cost. 
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
The power side has been left out.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
Many great posts above. I especially like the pair of posts by @douglas_schroeder  and the one by @teo_audio 


david_ten
5,480 posts
 
I'm in the camp eschewing percent allocations.

My advice is to start with the component that has brought you to the point of entry. The one that fascinates you, the one you fell in love with, the one you find yourself drawn to, or the one that is part of your memory.




n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
A simple question by a beginner might go like this....no, it does go like this because it is a question that is frequently asked here and on other audiophile websites: "I'm new to this and I've got $4000 to spend on two speakers an amp and a pre-amp and cables, what do you recommend?"

Quite commonly people will say, start with these speakers, this pre-amp and this amp. Hook them up with these cables. In doing so there is, de facto, a percentage of the newbies budget spent on each one of those.

So we can hem-and-haw and eschew percentages but in the end the percentages exist. And probably in a fairly consistent level for the types of components that any given advisor might recommend for a beginner.

I like the idea of starting with one component that catches one's eye. But if I have a $4000 budget and fall in love with a $4000 amp, well, that doesn't get me very far. Or even if I fall in love with a $2000 amp I've still got to figure out how to allot the rest of my budget.

In any case, appreciate all the replies. It was a thought, apparently not a good one. But I think if you look back at some of the responses they are a bit obtuse. And if we can't give new potential audiophiles some concrete guidelines then we might aught not be too surprised that the hobby seems to be languishing.
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