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What is the most important component to consider while building a new system?

I recently viewed a You Tube video featuring Paul McGowan from PS Audio discussing the most important component when building a new system. I love Paul's video's and feel they bring a personalized touch to the discussions of all things audio. In the video mentioned Paul took a generalized approach in stating the speakers were the most important component to consider and that the relevant importance of each successive component rested in the chain down stream of the speakers. I am writing this to humbly disagree. I am in the mist of building a new system from scratch over the past 9 months. It has been my experience that if proper care is taken to the quality of the amp. pre-amp. and cables (with an emphasis on cables) you can get away with relatively inexpensive speakers that sound better than they have a right to. This is my own opinion based on recent experiences.
scottya118
mglik
913 posts
 
There is no question that speakers are central to the SQ.
However, the source can make or break a system. I once heard a million dollar system with a very digital edgy sounding CD player and I wanted to run out of the room screaming!
When I got my long searched for Woodsong Garrard 301, I wound up upgrading every part of my system. Only now do I have a destination rig. And the greatest and most significant upgrades were to my front end-TT, arm, cartridge and preamp with phono stage.
Garbage in, garbage out! Great “food”, great “meal”!
ihcho's avatar
ihcho
612 posts
 
Another way of view: The order of cost for each component from most expensive to least expensive.
1. Speaker
2. Amp (power + pre)
3. Source (turntable/CD player)
4. Cables
That is how I spent for my components. 
troidelover1499
253 posts
 
Dollar amount can be a way to prioritize but I think that is a kind of different question than what is being discussed.  I certainly believe it is the speakers that is super important and how they perform in the room they are used in.
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berner99
216 posts
 
Speakers are the only component that can determine the radiation pattern of how sound is distributed in your room. 

For those of us who like dipoles e.g. maggies, omnis e.g. ohm/space pods, open baffle e.g. Spatial audio, wide dispersion e.g. LSA bookshelf  that is make or break.  
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