Amp more important than speakers?

My comments on going speakers first really have nothing to do with the relative cost of components; spend as much as you like and can afford!

Find a speaker that you really like and buy it. Then if you want to spend ten times as much (or more) on the front-end do that too. If you have made a good speaker choice then your efforts and $$$ on the front- end will reward you!

From my previous post on this particular forum. In my many many years at this, I have not experienced someone wanting to buy an amp, and then say, ok now, let me find speakers to match it. As a sales person and consultant during many of those years, I always directed customers to speakers first, based on characteristics they were looking for, and, the room they will be in. At that point, help them with an amp to drive them properly, for spl, impedence, tone, etc. During the upgrade process, this can be reversed. This happened to me when I transitioned to my 104 db speakers and found a smaller amp than what I was using. The larger amp did not have the detail, musicallity or even the "prat" that the smaller amp had. But again, it shows, for me anyway, speakers first. However, this in no way suggests that the amp is less important. I remember meeting Ivor T from Linn many many years ago, as he started with the source and worked his way from there. This too is a great approach, and in some ways made sense. My Linn LP12 set up through a japanese receiver and bookshelf speakers sounded more "real" than a cheap turntable through more expensive electronics and higher end loudspeakers. Ultimately, it is all a means to an end, just how to get there.

In my experience a moderately decent speaker can benefit from almost endless upgrades upstream. It surprises me how far you can go. A poor front end can only be exposed by great speakers. As long as the speakers are at an acceptable level and suit the room, spend heavily on the amp.

It's all important!!!

Picking the speaker first is not a good idea. Many people think it is, but then find out later that they are thus married to a certain kind of electronics to make that speaker work.

The fact of the matter is you have to do research. For example, if you prefer tubes, you can't just buy a speaker that you fell in love with and make it work if the speaker is incompatible with tubes. You'll be flushing money down the loo chasing *that* conundrum.

Amps and speakers have to be compatible. For example, I know someone that is a big fan the B&W 802. But that speaker is not designed to work with tubes, and this guy really likes tubes. He has bought amplifier after amplifier trying to make the 802s work. But the simple fact is that that speaker is designed to work with transistors- the amplifier has to be capable of constant voltage in order to play bass right. Now most tube amps don't make constant voltage and even though they are often much better than transistors in playing bass, in this case it simply won't work.

Another example: Sound Labs. Dick Olsher recently give them Best Sound at Show. If you fall in love with them, and you otherwise like to play transistor amps you will be having a very frustrating time- with transistors the speaker appears very power hungry and its hard to make them play bass and not sound really bright. It has to do with the impedance curve of the speaker- most 600 watt transistor amps will not make over 150 watts on that speaker.

The *match* between the amp and speaker is what you seek.