i would add further that i disagree with folks who say it is the source... that’s silly because it is all important, it is after all a signal CHAIN
what must be primarily considered is which component has the most impact on the actual sound being produced in the room, and that is always the speaker -- the physical transducer that actually translates the electrical signal back into something we actually hear
speakers, even very good ones, have the widest range of sonic differences (or some would say, the greatest variability of amplitude and nature of distortion from an idealized musical signal being sent to them)... and the speakers’ dispersion pattern interacts intimately with the room they live in and the listening position - so this is by far the greatest variable - by far
not that the source isn’t important... it is absolutely important... but you put up 5 $5000 sources versus 5 $5000 speakers in a given room, the speakers will provide the greatest differences in what the setup will actually sound like
what must be primarily considered is which component has the most impact on the actual sound being produced in the room, and that is always the speaker -- the physical transducer that actually translates the electrical signal back into something we actually hear
speakers, even very good ones, have the widest range of sonic differences (or some would say, the greatest variability of amplitude and nature of distortion from an idealized musical signal being sent to them)... and the speakers’ dispersion pattern interacts intimately with the room they live in and the listening position - so this is by far the greatest variable - by far
not that the source isn’t important... it is absolutely important... but you put up 5 $5000 sources versus 5 $5000 speakers in a given room, the speakers will provide the greatest differences in what the setup will actually sound like