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Speakers vs source/amp budget

I know many audiophiles advocate spending bulk of system budget on speakers with around 50 percent allocated to it. However I have noticed speakers suffer from law of diminishing return much quicker than either the amp or the source (dac, turntable). In fact I’ve noticed for bookshelf speakers especially after around $3k there is hardly much improvement except for the price tag. On the other hand the difference between $2k amp and $10k is night and day and same goes for turntables and dacs.
Am I just testing out the wrong speakers, has speaker technology come to the point there is only slight marginal improvement after certain point? The only rule for speakers seem choose the right size and sensitivity to match the amp and room size and spend the rest on quality amp and the source.
I came to this thought during my latest upgraditis run where I find myslef upgrading the source and the amp while being thoroughly satisfied with my elac vela bookshelves to the point my source and amp (naim 272/xps and 250) cost nearly 10 times the speakers! (I also own wilson audio sasha 2 for my reference system).
plaser
plaser OP
26 posts
 
cd318, just to give you an example I used to only listen to vinyls on my Linn LP12 Akurate with radikal power supply and Naim superline/supercap phono stage because no DAC however good came close to it (previously used McIntosh D150 at $3500, Chord TT 1 at ~$4000, and Naim 272 all in one streamer/DAC/preamp for $6500ish). Then, I tried hooking up a Chord Dave ($10k) and it just blew all the other DACs away. It sounded so much (natural sounding) like the vinyls that now I do most of my listening streaming from Tidal (Auralic G1 streamer -> Chord Dave DAC -> Naim 300 power amp).
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Some of the difference lies here: 2k will buy you a decent pair of minimonitors, while 10K will buy you a very good floorstander. Whereas 2k can buy you a competent 200W amp, and 10K an exceptional one. Where are you going to hear the bigger difference?
bigkidz
3,390 posts
 
Dollars have nothing to do with this.  I thought that has been established for a long time between everyone here.  It is the parts and the design that make the sound not the amount.

Example - Nichicon capacitors versus WIMA.  V-Caps versus clarity - Shinkoh, Mills & Audio Note resistors versus others.  Plitron transformers & Chokes versus Hammond, etc.  Same foe with speakers - paper cones versus aluminum drivers, tweeter types, Alnico magnets, cabinet materials and design.  Once you understand how these things have an effect on the sound you will finally get it.  If not then you are going round and round.

I do not understand the terms being used in threads blew away - built like a tank, etc.  In what ways did one sound better than the other and what music were you listening to where you can point out the differences.  References to how the sound change is important for the rest of us to understand the differences.

Happy Listening.



plaser OP
26 posts
 
Just for update, I managed to get a demo Sopra 1 for a really great price from my usual Focal/Naim authorized dealer. It definitely sounds different with the music having more weight but I wouldn’t say "better." In fact my wife when hearing these says she prefers the old setup (she has no clue what the elacs cost vs Focal). I say focals are definitely more musical and meatier sound and elacs are more forward with better timbre but not in fatiguing way but definitely less musical than the Sopra 1s. In fact I think elacs have better sound but focals are more musical and hence focals beat elacs for my purpose (mostly classical music). I’m pretty happy with the upgrade but would have been happy to with elacs but felt the need to upgrade the speakers to higher priced one given elacs cost 1/10th of the source and amp. Well this is how it is in this hobby lol.
cd318
2,636 posts
 
’In fact I think elacs have better sound but focals are more musical and hence focals beat elacs for my purpose (mostly classical music). I’m pretty happy with the upgrade but would have been happy to with elacs but felt the need to upgrade the speakers to higher priced one given elacs cost 1/10th of the source and amp. Well this is how it is in this hobby lol.’


You’re right, you always have to compromises somewhere. Especially with loudspeakers.

I’m glad you think you’ve made the right ones. Just don’t tell the wife how you got there.
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