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Which area of components to spend the most $ on? Boy I was wrong all my life!

I have been an audio junkie for about 25 years. All those years, I have read plenty of discussion posts and recommendations where to spend the most money on. The majority, even the experts recommend to spend the most money on speakers. Up to as high as 60% of the total budget.Example: CEO of PS Audio-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYwL7vPkPhg
I believed this all my life. Today, my eyes are opened. My total budget is about $15K.Before today, my system was:Speakers-Revel F36 Concerta 2 (For the money, this is the best speakers I’ve heard. I like it more than my previous Dynaudio Contour 30)Integrated Amp-Marantz PM-10 (Class D, balanced, 400wpc at 4ohms)CD Player-Oppo UDP 205 & Marantz CD 6005 (Some of the best in class)Line conditioner-Furman Elite PFi 15Cables-Kimber 8TC Speaker Cables (Sorry, not a cable nut. I’d rather spend money elsewhere)
I upgraded my front end CD player to... Marantz SA-11S3. I was BLOWN away! This is the greatest upgrade I have ever heard in my life. For 25 years, I was taught to spend the most in speakers. Sorry! It’s the FRONT END! The best source you can afford. The purity transcends down the river. I am blown away by the sheer improvement in detail, clarity, depth, the air around the instruments.
My philosophy has changed.
skimrn
cellphono's avatar
cellphono
1 posts
 
@sns @kahlenz 

+1 for synergy. 

You could spend  $10k+ on a boutique single-ended tube amp and have it sound awful with a pair of $50k speakers, but amazing with a pair of $300 diy ones.

If your components don’t cooperate properly, you’re throwing money down the wrong rabbit hole in any direction. 
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noromance's avatar
noromance
9,705 posts
 
+1 @viridian 

ivan_nosnibor's avatar
ivan_nosnibor
1,047 posts
 
@sbank , thanks for the kind words!
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,702 posts
 
This was a great thread, I had replied earlier but it never posted.....  I believe the source and preamp are for most people the most important items in the chain.  Speakers are obviously important ,  but I have had many speakers that sounded markedly better as the quality of the components upstream improved.   Speakers in general are so good now that you can take a really good $2k speaker and it sounds pretty good with modest electronics.  Pair it with a really good amp / pre , or integrated that's $5k or $6k plus a $2k or $4k source and in many cases it brings that speaker to a different level...  same speaker but great electronics.  

So the question I have is how many speakers have been swapped in the quest for better sound , only to be a lateral move?
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