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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
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
1) If it doesn't look cool and glow - forget it.
2) If it doesn't have gold or silver or Beryllium or some precious metal or diamonds then it won't sound good - fabric and paper are cheap and therefore will always sound cheap.
3) Tone controls destroy audio signals - only buy "pure" gear with no options/flexibility (direct paths) and then use cables, tweaks and buy/sell components until you happen to stumble upon the sound you desire.
4) It sounds better if you can see - place monoblocks prominently out in the room (on the floor is best).
5) Box speakers sound boxy - get something tall, thin and angular with small "fast" light weight woofers (because big woofers are all slow)
6) The only way to get good sound is to go Vinyl. Digital is "missing" stuff between the data that you can hear only with Analog.
7) Vibration damping is essential on all electronics
8) Break-in is necessary for at least 300 hours every time you change / switch or unplug a component.
9) No amount of acoustic treatment will yield the same benefit as a component upgrade.
10) Get the best cables and interconnects you can buy then focus on electronics/source. Any speaker can be made to sound good if you drive it correctly.
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
Rule #3 and rule #7 should be combined. Rule #10 should be that "someone will always disagree with the aforementioned rules."

I think if you were to boil all of your ten rules down to different aspects of the same rule, you might find that when you break it all down, what you basically said is that
1) your system is only as good as its weakest link, and some links are easier to see weaknesses on than others and
2) that throwing money at the problem is not always the best solution.
bigbucks5
184 posts
 
Bigbucks5: the examples you mentioned are two extremes of the spectrum. None will combine SOTA speakers with lousy speakers and none will spend only $99 for front end while owning mega $$$ speakers. Front end is relatively speaking more important than speakers. This is not the same thing as: speakers are not so important (if you have SOTA front end).

You just keep on believing that.
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samujohn
291 posts
 
Don't let the "speakers first" crowd stampede you. When I worked in audio sales I did the demos and then made the installations. I soon noticed that we demo'd speakers with high end separate electronics and sent the customers home with inexpensive receivers. The results were mixed to say the least, but after a while I could easily hear inexpensive electronics regardless of other factors. I soon developed a distaste for electronic distortion. I began to notice that some speakers made a lot of "noise" (added sound to the signal) and others while limited in range or power, added little extra "noise". On balance I prefer "subtractive mechanical distortion" to "additive electronic distortion". I therefore prefer low distortion electronics and simple speakers to the reverse.
don_s
271 posts
 
I am squarely in the "speakers first" camp. A good source will sound good in any room and many systems. The same cannot be said for a good speaker. You can't just plop panels, electrostatics, or horns, etc. into any room and expect success.

The speaker has to fit not only the room but the taste of the listener. And the taste of the listener defines the entire system. The speaker and amplifier combination is particularly critical so in some instances (e.g. user prefers SETs) the amplifier type will strongly influence speaker choice (or at least it darn well better).

Think of it this way. How long did it take you to determine the position of your equipment rack (including the source)? How long did it take you to determine the exact speaker position (assuming you aren't still trying to determine that)? The speaker and the room come first. And I strongly endorse room treatment be part of the equation.
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