How much for this? how much for that” where should the bulk of the dough be spent?
one of the more ambiguous yet fundamentally inconsequential questions that seep thru the audio past time, which has very little to do with its mechanics, yet everything to do with its philosophical meanderings.
obviously the most money should be spent in generating and keeping the best signal possible, and then maintaining its integrity thru the system ‘till it meets the speakers.
… but then that is another thread for another time.
Untill someone shows me that enormously expemnsive speakers make up for paltry sources, and amps, I will rail against the notion most of the system budget needs be placed at the signal cul de sac we refer to as speakers..
therere is a line in any application or endeavor that says ‘beyond here performance will cost exponentially more’ per increment.
IMHO the best approach is to begin anywhere, and then try to improve on what is in play.
which item gets the most attention ($$$) is up to the ower.
true too, just where that road ends is up to the one that pays the cost to be the boss.
for a rule of thumb which carries no weight what so ever, take what ever amount, and divide it into thirds… quarters if you feel wires and accessories are important, and spend accordingly on source, amp, speaker and possibly cables, racks, etc.
… once all is run in,or one is significantly bored, begin hiking the upgrade trail.
when its all done,(hahahahah), look back at the accounting and see where you ended up spending how much on what?
there’s your answer.