Which is the most important part of a stereo system?

Which is the most important part of a stereo system?

I wish someone had clearly told me the answer at the start of my trip in audio...That would had spare me money and time...


The most important part of a stereo system is not any of the electronic components, turntable, dac, computer, amplifier, speakers....( For sure choose them with care but after that forget them, dont upgrade, and begins the thinking process with what you owns)


The most important part of a stereo system is invisible to the eyes but very audible to the ears...


The most important part of a stereo system is these 3 embeddings for any stereo system whatsoever :


1-The mechanical environment of each electronic component (vibrations-resonances controls)

2-The electrical grid of the room and of the house

3a-the "passive" room treatment with materials absorbant and reflective ones
3b-the "active" acoustical space modifications with reflectors, Helmholtz resonators, Schumann generators,etc

(An important remark: Room treatment with absorbant or reflective materials and non conventional acoustical space modifications with Schumann modified generators and controls with Helmholtz resonators or different resonators and reflectors are not the same thing. We must not confuse room treatment with acoustical space modifications.)

This is what I learned, a good electronic component will work like any other good electronic component, and the upgrading of one will never rival with these three embeddings right implementation; absolutely no comparison in increasing S.Q. with an upgrade of any electronic component...

Embedding a system is the way....The Tao of audio....

Dont buy anything before thinking about that and experimenting....

The good news is that it is possible to afford Hi-Fi at low cost, buying used, vintage or simply low cost good components... I know I did that...It is also possible to create homemade low cost solutions for all of these 3 embeddings...I know I did precisely that... 

The most important is the embeddings not the brand name of the electronic components at all ( for sure we all have our likings but it is only anecdotal interest, because they are plenty of very good electronic components)...

In simple word, your ear is the only true guru in audio and you must seriously listen to him ...

My best...



" My ear know more than me" Groucho Marx

I agree with 
analogluvr

02-08-2020 3:39pmI’d say speakers then source then pre then amps

I think once you nail the speaker sound you love - then source can always be upgraded to match. I think my current system the speakers are 45-50% of overall budget. (at RRP)

@mahgister, I enjoyed reading your post but it doesn’t seem to be entirely logical. I agree that a good sound reproduction does not have to cost the earth but your ideas about importance seem just a little ’left field’.

You seem to be implying that the gap between different systems is smaller than the gap between different rooms.

I might not have great memories of my time with my Linn LP12 but I can’t believe that it would have ever sounded worse than my Rega Planar 1 - whatever the room or treatment. They were just on different levels altogether.

I suppose we all also have different ideas as to what makes a good room. Some might prefer a relatively dead room and others like me preferring a little bit more life in the room.

Anyway, thanks for sharing.

The room is one thing I don't have to worry about.  Sounds great!

Thanks!

You seem to be implying that the gap between different systems is smaller than the gap between different rooms.

First thanks cd318 for your kind observation and attention to myself and posts...


But you underestimated what I say, and unvoluntarily misrepresented it...


You underestimated my argument because it is not about room treatment but about 3 simultaneous embeddings...And room treatment is only the point 3a, there are other 3 points: 3b,1, and 2.

These 4 points grouped in 3 parts define what I called the embeddings of any audio system...


You misrepresented my argument because, it will need a fool or someone who delude himself, to negate differences, great ones most of the times, between a low cost system and a highly costly one...

My argument is simply this: the difference between most audio systems is big, but not big enough most of the times to compared with an audio system rightly embedded according to the rules pertaining to these 4 points in 3 part embeddings...

If there is 3 rungs in the scale going to low, mid, and high, any electronic component pertaining to a rung of this scale is different with another on the same rung...But rightly embedded anyone of this element go from a rung to a higher rung entirely if it is rightly embedded with the 3 implementation protocols and parts pertaining to each one of these 4 methods :


1-The mechanical environment of each electronic component (vibrations-resonances controls)

2-The electrical grid of the room and of the house

3a-the "passive" room treatment with materials absorbant and reflective ones

3b-the "active" acoustical space modifications with reflectors, Helmholtz resonators, Schumann generators,etc
(We must not confuse room treatment 3a with acoustical space modifications 3b.)


In the universal race to upgrade and buy the ultimate high electronic components, people forget or ignore the right way to implement an audio system... The proof of that is simple: most people think that a better dac or amplifier or speakers will give to them the better sound magically by itself...The entire marketing industry promote that....Marginally someone speaks, generally to sell something, about vibrations or room treatment...Rarely about these 2 on the same page or article...And this 2 points are only half of my argument (4 points in 3 parts).. Then most people are unconscious of this fact: the real experience of an audiophile musical event is not the results of the electronics components only and "per se" but by far the results of a rightful implementation of them... The proof of that is easy to make....Which do you want: a mid system in an ideal room and house controlled environment ? Or a high cost system in a bad house room environment?

My most important point is that it is possible by homemade methods and materials or with very low cost products to create a complete relatively good implementation that will transform any audio system into his ideal peak potential working function...At least then projecting it on another rung of the scale quality ratio/ price...This is my experience and good news...Interpreting that like a negation of the difference in quality between for example an amplifier like my Sansui versus a Top high end ZOTL Berning amplifier( I dream to buy one) is simplistic...There is differences between electronic components...But it is not the important half of the story...This is my point...I live happy now with my Sansui...Guess why?


My best wishes to you....


" My car is bigger than your male organ" Groucho Marx