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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
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@coltrane1 

It’s truly not complicated. For me it’s ML Summits. Everyone has their own favorite. Personally, I don’t care for boxes. Even open baffles are good. So, there you go. 


Even the very best speakers have many times more distortion than ALL of the rest of the preceding audio chain.

For over a century when it comes to speakers, it's been a question of choosing which distortions you can live with the best. 

For many people open baffles, horns and electrostatic panels currently offer a good match to the majority of music that we listen to today - heavily compressed digital format Pop/Rock/Rap etc.

Dynamically challenged speakers are just not doing it in 2021 for many people.
phusis's avatar
phusis
1,202 posts
 
@lonemountain --

Efficiency is NOT the only thing that matters in engines or drivers.

And yet it's rarely prioritized or recognized as even ONE of the core parameters in speaker engineering. 

From product management experience at JBL and with ATC, a driver can be optimized for bandwidth OR efficiency. If you want more low end from a driver, it WILL be less efficient.  IF you are willing to forgo some low end, you can go for efficiency.

To some extend at least you can have your cake and eat it too: add size, but that's usually the one thing audiophilia wants to avoid, so, in that case it's either/or.  
audition__audio
1,477 posts
 
I disagree. I think efficiency is beginning to enjoy some well deserved attention. One of many things to consider when buying speakers. Impedance is certainly one of my strongest considerations because I love OTL amps.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

Every thing begins at the beginning; when you read a sentence, do you start at the period and go backwards? If vinyl, the signal begins at the cartridge, therefore it's the most important, and from there on down the line until the signal leaves the speaker as music. That makes the speaker the least important.

Do you think you could get good sound from a lousy cartridge and turntable with the worlds best speaker?

As expensive as the best speakers are, it's for certain I'll never own one; however I will own competitive gear up the rest of the signal chain.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

It seems that some of the best speakers, according to "Stereophile" cost in the vicinity of 20K.

My speakers are custom built with a crossover designed by a crossover engineer. They are designed to have no sound of their own, just the sound of the music. This is not something I recommend, it took 10 years to get it just right, but they do what they're supposed to do.
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