Why did you choose the components and speakers that are in your system?


I have an opportunity to build another system and I'm looking to mix up the sound I seek and it occurred to me to ask the 'goners! So..... why did you choose the components in your current system? In other words- what was important to you when building it? 
polkalover
I'm with oldhvymec, start with the speakers you like and build up to them.
I like ESL and Raal ribbons also.  AMT's are OK.  They all blend together satisfactorlly. They all require juice to perform so tiny amps are out.
And cooler is better for me since I do not own a power company or solar.
Good question!

You have to start with the thing you have least control over which is the room. I choose speakers likely to perform well in my specific room, then an amp capable of driving them very well, and things unfold from there.
  • Speakers: sound and synergy with the room.
  • Amps: sound and synergy with the speakers.
  • Preamp: sound and DSP capabilities.
  • Subs: universally great reviews.
I was an electrostatic and ribbon speaker fan for decades and spent most of my time and money trying to make them sound better... first massive power, then flesh out the sound to be more natural. But when I would make a change, one genera of music would sound better at the expense of all the others. Hearing details and bass seemed to be sonic goal. I listen to all sorts of music..

Then I got season tickets to the symphony about ten years ago. Completely unconsciously I radically changed directions and out of the blue (consciously out of the blue, subconsciously on purpose) bought some dynamic speakers (Sonus Faber Cremona) as a test set. I had heard these speakers while helping a friend pick out some audio equipment years earlier... I was struck by what I thought unique sound... not positively of negatively. Within a couple weeks I ordered some new ones of higher caliber. Then swapped equipment all to Tubed Audio Research Equipment. What happened was that with each upgrade my system got closer to real music instead of highlighting details or slam and each time all genera sounded better, not just one! My system got more and more musical... the details were still there but not highlighted so you would have to listen to the system and not the music. Now I am captivated by the music and not the system. You can see my system by clicking on my ID.

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In retrospect what happened was I found an empirical ruler, the live acoustic symphony... instead of the current album I liked. In the past I would find test albums for reviewing possible new components for which I liked the sound. Through system component selection I would try to increase my enjoyment these CDs and to improving the obvious traits of the system (details, slam, low noise). But having the symphony as a standard, it turned me toward more musical... I can’t even begin to tell you how important a change this was. Suddenly not listening to the venue but becoming fully emotionally engaged by the music. I enjoyed the journey but if I could do it again I would have focused on lower powered, tube based systems with dynamic speakers from the beginning and had much more musical systems while getting to where I am today.
You have to experience the kind of music you listen to in many good live venues often over time for the ultimate reference for how things should sound. Pleasing sound is different and much easier. It’s all a matter of what your goals are.