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Speakers The single most critical component

I know we've been over this Q hundreds of X's over the past 20 years here on audion, You can find dozen of topics dealing with this Q <which is the ,,,,most important component...>>
well time for yet 1 more topic dealing with this,, perhaps unanswered, un-resolved issue.
I'm bringing up the old hachet due to my recent experience acutally hearinga FR in my system. 
Let me tell you, there is not even 1 traditional/conventioanl/xover design <The Boxed Type>> in the world that could convince me  , there is something that will beat out FR (caveat, FR requires  some sort of high sens =sensitivity, tweeter)  in  the Boxy world of speakers.
That is to say, FR + Compression Horn is the future of 21st Century high fidelity. 
One lab has already brought us these ~~~SHF~~~ aka SuperHighFidelity  single drivers. 
The code word here is ~~SHF~~~ which can not never be employed when describing xover/trad/conventioanl style  aka The Box designs. db level under 91 are _<<IN-EFFICIENT>> , = dysfunctional, out dated, old school , = Dinasaurs. 
For amps, I only consider tube amps (PP and SET) as ~~SHF~~~ I can not include ss amps in this topic. 
IMHO all well made tube amps sound very close,
 a  kt88 in brand X will sound  close to brand Y. 
So amplification takes a  distant 2nd place in critical component.  No need to break the bank buying amp A vs  a  lower priced kt88 amp B
CD players, nearly all  tube DAC's , tube cdp-ers sound  close. No need to braek the bank over X vs Y.
My Jadis DAC is  only miniscule gain over the Shanling,
 the Shanling
only a  miniscule gain over the Cayin CD17. 
Now as for  best source  , phonograph is the ideal playback medium vs cds. 
I have some LP's now , but my main collection are classical cds, most not on LP version. Cables , I did note some gains employing silver/copper wiring throughout my entire system including inside the Defy.
Tweak worthy.
New Mundorf caps in all componets, tweak worthy. 
Yet the main central component remaisn the speakers.
Here is where  the entire audio resolution either rises to Nirvana or falls to <<distortion/muddy waters,/pollution/anti-fidelity  voicing  issues.
Your system's fidelity is ultimately dependent on what speaker  you have chosen to employ.
Forget all you've learned over the years, 
The new mantra is <,The speaker is key component>
All else is just extra tweaks/nuances. 
To sum up, a  ~~SHF~~ driver will match even the top of line Wilson weighing in at hundreds of lbs priced $$$$$$$ overa single FR driver. 
FR beats out any/all xover box design speakers. Mostly due to that key specification ~~db level~~~ which is everything in speaker design and thus in resolution/fidelity. 

mozartfan
mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
The few  snides above 
 i choose to ignore as these members are not in any shape/form contributing to this most important issue of performance in tube amplification.
Who here will argue against  my belief above ,  that the  IDEAL cutoff point efficiency in a speaker for tube amplification is 94db. Surely for SET, but this includes Push PUll. 
Even Jadis's massive monos the JA800 will sound far superior with 94db, than it would with a  90/89 db speaker. 
Which is the point of this discussion, how do we get the most/best performance from our tube amplification?

audioguy85's avatar
audioguy85
2,018 posts
 
It all matters, synergy. 
richopp
760 posts
 
Long waste of time and space. Have your dealer set up a pair of Magneplaner’s correctly IN YOUR ROOM, forget all this stuff, and LISTEN.

I don’t care what measurements you do, boxes distort and Maggies give you what you feed them.

If you don’t like what you hear, change what you are feeding them.

Enjoy!
yeti42's avatar
yeti42
287 posts
 
SEAS Exotic F8 not on the radar then? 
mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
I've been looking at  the Seas Exotic at $800 each. 
That driver has been around quite some time, 
Whereas the engineer at Voxativ had worked for Lowter, took Lowther to a whole new level. 
I  am quite sure the Seas Exotic is a  fine speaker, but my budget only allows 1 choice. Will be Voxativ in 2022.
Besides you can not find even 1 YT video on the Seas Exotic, nor have i read even 1 **WOW** review on the Seas FR model. Whereas on the Voxativ, at least 1, maybe a  2nd comment left on Voxativ's  speakers perforamnce at 2 different audio shows, one in Montreal claimed the Voxativ was the very best room at the show.
Seas puts all their engineering  in the old dianasaur models, whereas Voxativ is working on bringing the audio community the very finest in 21st Century High Fidelity, This is why I chose to  ignore Seas. 
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