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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
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
No stopping a man with infatuation, be it with women or speakers. No reasoning with him, as well. We have several members with their own particular Transducer Tunnel Vision, my phrase to describe the phenomenon.   :) 

Voxativ speakers are quite nice and do some things very well. But, obviously presenting a FR speaker as ideal  (The nebulous term "superhighfiedelity" or SHF is being promoted by the OP to promote speakers without crossovers) because it avoids a crossover is problematic when the company offers supplemental subs with crossover.   :) 


larryi
3,907 posts
 
The basis for the OP's opinions has slowly become more clear--some of the comparative research involves viewing on-line videos.  I don't see how that can be of ANY value in evaluating sonic performance.  There is only one way evaluate the sound and develop one's own personal taste and that is by listening to the gear.  Even the most gross characteristics that one hears from a video is primarily that of the speakers the viewer is using and NOT that of the speaker being recorded.  It is also highly flavored by the microphones being used (probably not high end Telefunkens, or Schoeps or the like), the room where the recording is being made, the recording technique employed (a skill taking many years to perfect), the upstream electronics, the recording gear. . . .


lhasaguy's avatar
lhasaguy
335 posts
 
The one critical feature about speaker is their choice drives two important things, one is the components needed to maximize their sound and the other is how much their sound appeals to your ears.

Planars are different from Horns and they are different from box speakers.  Speakers are not the most important feature in sound replication, but they do influence amp and preamp choices to a large degree in my experience. YMMV
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pesky_wabbit's avatar
pesky_wabbit
1,183 posts
 
Many years ago in la la Linn land I remember hearing a pair of active Kans on the end of a fully tricked up Linn/Naim system doing things they couldn‘t possibly achieve. When driven with the right gear my Naim IBLs do a reasonable facsimile. Size or mode doesn‘t count - it‘s all about communication.
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