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Amp more important than speakers?

The common wisdom seems to be the opposite (at least from speaker makers), but I have tried the many speakers that have come thru my house on lesser amps or my midfi A/V receiver and something was always very wrong, and things often sounded worse than cheap speakers.
On the other hand, I have tried many humble speakers on my my really good amps (& source) and heard really fine results.

Recently I tried my Harbeth SHL5s (& previously my Aerial 10Ts, Piega P10s, and others) on the receiver or even my Onkyo A9555 (which is nice with my 1985 Ohm Walsh 4s, which I consider mid-fi), and the 3 high end speakers sounded boomy, bland, opaque.

But when I tried even really cheap speakers on my main setup (Edge NL12.1 w/tube preamp) I got very nice results
(old Celestion SL6s, little Jensen midfi speakers).

So I don't think it's a waste of resources to get great amplification and sources even for more humble speakers.
My Harbeth SHL5s *really* benefit from amps & sources that are far more expensive than the Harbeths.

Once I had Aerial 10Ts that sounded like new speakers with vocals to die for when I drove them with a Pass X350 to replace an Aragon 8008.

Oh well, thanks for reading my rambling thoughts here...

So I think I would avoid pairing good speakers with lesser amps,
rgs92
systembuilder's avatar
systembuilder
111 posts
 
I personally believe if you get the amplification right on a limited budget and work on a low noise floor you will have the best results. As you go into better speakers they will reveal more but that isnt a good thing if you dont have your upfront gear right.

Often you see people trash great speakers and when you see what they are using to run them you understand why.

I feel synergy is essential beyond all else. But contrary to popular belief I feel its better to find a sonic signature or blend that works for you and then find a speaker that fits your system. You can always tweak with cables etc. And I know were going for neutral but if you are on a budget you have do your best to paint a canvas with a few drinks in you
stickman451
553 posts
 
Speakers first; more than any other single component they set the tone and define your system. For example, horn speakers are different animals than your typical panel speaker (ie Magnepans). Stand mounted monitors are different animals than traditional ported box speakers.

The speaker must 'fit' the room; it makes no sense to buy a big Magnepan panel and set it eight inches from the wall. A big horn speaker, say a Klipschorn must fit perfectly and directly into the rooms corners or you lose about 50% of its performance. You probably would not buy a small two-way stand mounted monitor for a room that was 20x36 either.

Analyze your room, your listening perferences, and then buy the very best speaker yoy can afford and stick with it! Start with the best amp(s) you can afford and work your way up from there. Speaker choice will drive your decision on tubes or solid state for amplfication (and always go with a very good tube preamp :) )
gfcf424892
77 posts
 
Speakers first. I experimented with Energy Encores as my mains for a while, replacing another bookshelf B&W CM1. The Encores sounded so muddy and distant that even a stranger would refuse to believe I have a decent system after hearing them.

Quality speakers with average gear is more bearable than quality gear with average speakers IMHO.
robertbrown
151 posts
 
Your system is as good as you weakest link. Fine a pair of speakers you like and then ask the manufacturer what amp they like to use to test it.
I like Totem and they use to use Plinius Amps and they told me about good cables and DAC to go with the amp.
that's how I did it and I now have a $40,000 system that will blow away one 3 or 4 times the cost
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