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The Ten Rules of high-end audio

1. Room acoustics can make up to 50% of the final sound.
2. With cables you can only "tune" the sound: they don't make a flawed system sounding good.
3. Tweaks can change a system's sound, but a different sound doesn't have to mean that there is better sound.
4. System synergy is not brand dependent. It has a weak relation with the costs of the individual components. It has also a weak relation with the technical design of the components (for example tube or solid state amplification, cone based or ribbon speakers).
5. It is better to have a good front end (where music reproduction begins) than to have very good speakers but only so so front end.
6. The importance of a clean AC power shouldn't be underestimated.
7. It is more worthwhile to invest in electronics and/or acoustics than in so called "tweaks".
8. It is better to strive for a "balanced" sound with some comprimizes than to strive for a "perfect" sound by frequently mixing and matching things. This way you will likely end up with a less satisfying sound.
9. Older high end components are not inferior to more contemporary units by definition. Some older units sound even better (= more musical) than the newer ones. This is also true with newer iterations of the same basic concept (Mk II, III, IV, etc).
10. When you are building up a high end system (or replacing units in your system) you should ask yourself two questions: What are the goals I'm striving for? What can I expect sonically from the component(s) I'm purchasing?

Comments please!

Chris
dazzdax
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
Nice job!

Perhaps augment 10 with: I will always bear in mind that I am listening to a system; it is impossible to listen to individual components and all evaluations I make will be made in that context.
doak
199 posts
 
Very good stuff,,, I agree with most it and this CAN be used as a quide for newbies or thise who've lost their way.

Thanks for putting this out there.
ajahu
306 posts
 
11) Loudspeaker-amplifier relationship is the most important one to solve,
12) do not trust reviews,
13) there is no component without a loyal group of fans, who would praise it and make you believe that this is the right component for you
14) price is not always indicator of quality,
saffy's avatar
saffy
81 posts
 
15) buy used at no more that 40-50 cents on the dollar, to allow for affordable experimentation.
bigbucks5
184 posts
 
#5 is just the opposite of what your wrote. Your #1 states that room acoustics make up 50% of the sound. Where do you think the sound interaction comes from? The speakers. Since the speakers provide the other half of the interaction with the room, they are much more important than the front end.

So what will sound better:

1) A pair of (pick 'em - Dali Megalines/Dynaudio Temptations/Kharma Midi Grands/etc./etc.) with the $99 special Best Buy DVD unit playing CDs

OR

2) A pair of $500 Best Buy special whatevers with a P03/D03 Esoteric Player/DAC combo?

If you think #2, then I've got a bridge for you. Speakers ARE the determining factor in your reproduction chain. They have the highest utility factor (from economics). For every dollar spent on speakers, you get the highest return on music 'utils' than for a dollar spent anywhere else. The lowest return on your dollar are things like cables.
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