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The most important link in the chain...

Hello everyone!
Over the years, I've read numerous different opinions on what is the most important link in a system chain. Somehow, in most audio reviews, you will come up with a statement about the importance of the category of the component being reviewed. "If the source is poor in performance, nothing can be done to improve the sound", "Preamp is were everything goes in and leaves from. If preamp is incapable of letting the information flow, result shall be poor", "Power amp sends the signal to the speakers. If power amp is incompetent, so shall be the signal and, hence, the music", "No matter how good your system is, if speakers are bad, everything else is in vain" etc etc. You can see similar statements concerning interconnects, speaker cacles, power cables, filters, power etc. I've read an interview of a 70 year old audiophile with a system costing $200,000 saying that power is 50% and equipment rack is 30% of the overall performance of the system! I think you see were it is getting to...
In your opinion, which is the most important link in the chain and why would that be? If thread proves popular, we might be able to create some charts; see how the audiogoners feel and think about that issue.
Thank you all!
myronk
tubeking
65 posts
 
Since you cannot retrieve what is lost the first items in the chain are the most important. If you start with a noisy victrola any thing you do will only amplify the lousy sound you started with. Any hope of good reproduction will be most affected by your source and front end components like your pre-amp,CD or Turntable. If you feed modest components quality they will perform up to there potential. If better equipment recieves a lesser source the will not perform to there potential.
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drubin
3,269 posts
 
"Only as stong as the weakest link" is absolute rubbish. It's true of a chain, but your stereo is NOT a chain, it is a system. No matter how weak that weakest link, the overall "strength" of the system can always be improved with upgrades elsewhere. Get it? The issue is which change will yield the biggest overall improvement. The answer to that is very system dependent. My opinion: it's the room or set-up for most of us.
markphd
667 posts
 
The most important link is the weakest link.
talon4
185 posts
 
Here's my .02 cents worth: 1.) room 2.) dedicated power 3.) source-(I'm discovering the importance of this more and more lately.) 4.) speakers 5.) preamp 6.) amp 7.) cables 8.) isolation devices 9.) power conditioner... I agree, if there is one link that is weaker than the other links, the whole system suffers. It also helps to have a system that has gear that is matched well. Matching is critical for a good balanced tonal sound. As Marco said, balance and synergy. Stan
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
It doesn't get any better as you get progressively higher end. Keeping with the chain analogy, if you start lowly, with the equivalent of a steel chain, if one link is weak, i.e. plastic, the chain can break.
However, as you get more and more refined, similar to a fine gold chain for jewelry, each link is so particular that one hears ever more distinction between components and the most minute changes can mean significant differences in sound, good or bad (at this point "It's all good," but one gets ever more picky as preferences escalate). That's when one realizes that you never get there, you never have the ultimate system.
Moral: Don't obsess too much about which is the weakest link. Go for symmetry and consistency in quality. Start at the wall (outlet), and work your way outward toward speakers.
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