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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
Post removed 
musicaddict
370 posts
 
Maybe this finally died, possibly a good thing as there sure seem to be a lot of one-trick ponies on this thread, running the same track over and over, with nothing new to offer. Hmm.
It would appear that the OPs real goal was to tell us all we're fools for not loving FR speakers. Funny that over years and years of audio shows and visits to dealers I have never, ever heard one hot-to-trot FR type speaker that could do the frequency range and not be too lean, therefore nearly non-listenable over time. I've tried. They stink IMO.
As for the critical importance of speakers first, I agree with "dletch2" when he writes:

'No, just ... no. Give me a $150-$500 DAC with volume control, a $2-3,000 amplifier, $20,000 speakers (of my choice), and enough money to fix most of the acoustic issues in a room. I will put that against any $5,000 speakers, I don't care what electronics you connect it to, and that goes quadruple if you don't fix the acoustic issues.'
I gotta pay more attention to an OP's motives as they become clear.






audition__audio
1,477 posts
 
I dont think the OP had any motive other than some cathartic brain dump. 


mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
WEll I agree, the OP is not very well expressed, just a  jumble of ideas, more about opening questions, new thoughts /ideas.
You will find the majority here agree, speakers is the vocal chords of the system.
What I am learning over the past few weeks testing out different drivers and FR speakers, is this : speakers are indeed the critical component, and sensitivity is the critical spec that should be conisdered  at the 1st. 
IMO, go directly to sens rating. 
We all want huge soundstage, details,  very low coloration/distortion, etc etc. 
A speaker with average sens = 92db/below, might acheive some of these  distinctive qualities, then again, might not. 
Whereas a  higher sens, 94db+ might not only  acheive these characteristics, but  voice them in a  way a  lower sens speaker   has no chance  in the same degree.
Lately the only spec i look at is sens. 
If the sens is 94 db, its up for consideration. 
Some of the lower grade FR small cone drivers I've been testing lately are rated 91db and perform as such = rejects. 
Also buyer beware, some FR/Ribbon/ etc drivers will show specs that might very well be *spiked*, Seriously consider subtracting 2db from many if not all the so called *FR* drivers comming out of china. China is pumping the sens rating, in order to gain more sales. \
No big surprise there.
mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
One other observation about these new *Full range* speakers, is that they are more about *midrange*. The low bass is a  bit rolled off, the highs are definetly rolled off. 
Which to me is  not a   big issue. AS 90%+ of the fq's in my classical music falls in this critcal  fq zone.
I can esaily add bass and highs. 
So to sum  the many discoveries made these past few months
A) Speakers Most critical
B) Sensitivity most critical
C) Midrange most critical. 
Only via these 3 ingredients can true high fidelity enter into your system. 
All else is fluff, if not The Hype.

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