Weakest Link? Your honest opinions.

Hey slikric keep your stupid comments to your ignorant self. A member asked a reasonable question. If you can't help then do us a favor please don't respond.

We can't all be the 2% like you Ric. Lighten up.

I'd second the speaker upgrade. Those were never a favorite of mine. I think you can see a big improvement for a modest investment. And speakers will be by far the most noticable change you can make.

As sbrown says, look at accessories first. Maximise what you have got, before a big outlay on new kit. The turntable in particular, needs good isolation. A wall shelf on a solid, not partition wall, perhaps with some borrowed stillpoints. Is the rest of the kit on a good solid rack, perhaps with some more basic footers, such as the excellent range from Herbies lab.

You mention cables, not power cables. I was dubious, but they really have an effect, even on turntable power supplies. You can get loaners from your local dealer or the Cable Company.

When you've done all you can with accessories and room treatment, then I would loike at the amp or speakers, good though both are.

Narticus - In a similar vein to Elizabeth's post, you might also try to identify what you dislike about your system as a whole first, then methodically determine which component (or maybe the room) is causing it, or at least emphasizing it.

For example, years ago, I used a mid-fi AVR for both HT and 2-channel audio. Based on how little real power many mid-fi AVRs put out, I bought a power amp to connect to the AVR, bypassing the internal amp of the AVR for the front three channels. The improvement was barely noticeable. I learned the hard way that the lackluster sonics I was hearing was from the preamp section of the AVR. Once I upgraded to a better pre-pro, the difference was huge. I have come to believe that the preamp in a system is a very critical link that can make or break the whole system, but YMMV.

Try whatever you can: If you can borrow different cables, an amplifer, a preamp, speakers, etc. Swap only one item at a time, of course. Does the swapped item make a positive difference? Negative? None? If you have a good local dealer, discuss this with him and see if he will let you borrow display models over night for this purpose.

The sad truth is that, in most cases, there will always be some weak link in an audio system. Fix one, and another becomes apparent. That's what drives many audiophiles to upgrade. I am currently taking a break (forced on me by economics), but thankfully, I am doing so with a system that I really enjoy listening to. Could it be better? Is there a weak link? Yes and yes, but after years of upgrades, I can enjoy my system as is for while.