Amp more important than speakers?

Jafox, why not keep the ARC and throw away the speakers?

Because the many ARC amps out there with their wimpy power supplies and output transformers might not be suitable with the speakers, e.g., SoundLab, Magnepan, Apogee, MBL, that I might ultimately decide for my system.

Fusion10

going speakers first, might lock a person into a particular camp and I see that as a sort of drawback.

if you grab a pr of panels because of how they image perhaps, then decide you want to try out an 8 watt 300b amp, it's speaker selling time!

Around here one can and will hear a lot of pros and cons for this or that approach to building a system.

some often contend speakers make the biggest impact on the sound of a stereo, versus some other item being replaced in that system.

IMHO, the jury is still out on that idea.

Exchange out your SS amp for a single triode amp... tell me that did not have a significant effect on the sound.

Replace your aV reciever you are using as a preamp with a $10K line stage tube preamp and then tell me it was a Ho hum exchange.

El toro mietae!

of course, if a system is not highly resolving, it matters very little what alterations are made, as they likely won't be detected.

You are as welcome to your opinion as are we all. Waht I posted is more or less what my exp has shown or proven outright to me. Repeatedly.

I think my first few sentences in my last post said
EVERYTHING MATTERS… ok.. There it is again.

A certain setup is exactly that … a certain, particular, unique setup. As much as you might try to duplicate a given configuration, it’s about impossible to do so, though you may come close, it won’t be a clone.

I also found out better front ends provide better results… even with more modest speakers. Period. Believe that or not, I don’t care. Big beautiful expensive speakers first devotees are simply in a pissing contest… showing off to some degree IMO. Especially IF they feel that investment alone or even predominately is going to give them a killer outfit without commensurate funds being injected upstream.

Ego… plays a fairly large part in this past time too… do remember that.

Speakers are what everyone sees… and many think… are the stereo itself! They are if nothing else, the icons of our hobby. They are the art. The majesty. The idols. The Venus de Milo’s of our arrangements. They are the signature of a system.

…but they aren’t predominately where the real majic is born. They just convey it to us. Hopefully with as little signature of their own as is possible.

Trust me, If I could afford a pr of Alexandrias, andrea IIis, Evidence, Stratovari, etc… I’d have ‘em!

‘Course, if I could afford the likes of them, my front end would be as well appointed.

I can’t.

I’m guessing who ever posted this thread is on the fence about which way to go, and has a fineite amount of bucks on hand to devote to the hobby and is wondering which way to jump.

I’ve been very very happy with the results of going from source to speakers in constructing a variety of stereo or AV rigs. Naturally, none are or were ever finished as quickly as they were begun. All received ongoing attention, updates, and upgrades as was my ability to do so. In that context, no system I’ve had or own now has ever been finished… all remain in a state of flux. Awaiting an injection of some new this or that… or some replacement.

Speakers are no different. Not in my world anyhow.

Although in different rooms, I’ve heard the same set of speakers fueled by differing front ends… naturally each sounded differently. Which one sounded best? That’s a subjective call I think.

And that is likely our bottom line… this rhetoric at best is purely subjective. There is no preappointed judge. No jury. No coromated king of sound that says “a stereo must sound like….”. Nope. None, but us.

It’s our call. Our money, and our mania. I’ve simply found a way that works for me that does not require me to invest a second mortgage or hock my first born for a pr of speakers.

In the final analysis, so long as each area of the system is addressed appropriately, or as best one can, the results should be just fine. If not, something was overlooked somewhere, or there is some mismatch in the outfit.

All roads lead to Culver city. How we get there is up to us… I’ve gotten there on my thumb, by car, plane, and bus. Now, I might just try by horseback, as this thread is once again, beating one to death as have so many before it.

It really doesn’t matter which end gets the most attention first, so long as all of them get attended to with the same level of devotion, or as one is able.

Why do you think it is called an audio "system"?

Look up the definition of a system.

How you get there does not matter as much as the end results, though there are still happy paths and not so happy paths.

A little experience and knowledge certainly helps also.

What in the blue hell more is there to say about this topic?

Blindjim, don't you see the inverse of your argument?

Another reason you should do speakers first is the fact that every speaker you purchase will be affected by the room you place them in; that's a fact! Most amps that I know of are not really impacted by the room dimensions or even the wall surfaces...

If your speaker does not integrate properly into the room, NO upstream electronics will correct the problems.

Listen to a wide variety of different types of speakers, horn loaded, panel, traditional box, sealed enclosure, ported enclosure, two-way monitors, ribbons, metal dome tweeter, silk domed, etc...find one that you enjoy and one that most meets the criteria that are important to you and buy it. Also confirm that it integrates appropriately with your room; if your room is 10 x 12 do not buy a set of KHorns, or a set of Wilson Alexandria 2's, or a set of Magnepan 20.1's....none of these speakers will work properly in a small room!

As time passes and you improve/upgrade your front-end electronics, your speakers will continually reward you with better sound and performance (assuming of course that you made an appropriate speaker choice!)