Budgeting your system

To me power foundation is the key to every system. Something like Denali conditioner or P10 regeneration is a must have. It also works if you have multi dedicated lines. But this is minimum if you aspire to true high fidelity.
The chart doesn't even contain power conditioning (power cable in it is more like 2-3%). If I just assume 5% for $4-5k for the power conditioning mentioned above, this chart won't work for me for systems up to $80-100k.
TBH this chart looks like it's made by someone from all cables, amps sound the same camp.


Power conditioners are supply dependent they make the biggest difference on bad lines and poorly designed PSU's , so not really a winner in every setup ..

a lipstick mod imo , as oppose to solid foundation basics ..
 
Power conditioners are supply dependent they make the biggest difference on bad lines and poorly designed PSU's , so not really a winner in every setup ..

a lipstick mod imo , as oppose to solid foundation basics ..

Not everyone can revamp their house electrical system to fit one's audio needs, hence these type of power conditioning, regeneration or isolation with dedicated lines.
 
Is the pie rrp or what I paid discount? ;) There is no way in hell I'd pay rrp for all of this gear!:wave: Speakers are 50%, amp & source are at 30%, cables & power are 20%
 
Do you agree with this ratio?

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I agree on spending the most on speakers provided you can get speakers of your choice. What does a guy do if he is space constrained or budget constrained? IMO, you can get to a decent level of analog, digital (given my final choice is Lampi), and pretty good amps especially if you are on the SET or OTL front, much more easily than to the final set of speakers, as speakers will be limited by space too, let alone budget. There are no space limitation on electronics.
 
I like the pie chart in the first post with these modifications.

a] The room is as important as the speakers.
b] The amplifiers need to be happy driving the speakers. Not all good amplifiers mate with all good speakers.
c] With the exceptions of turntable & speaker stands, other stands are just furniture.
d] I would use the same cables with a modest system as an expensive system, so it's not a percentage.
 
What does a guy do if he is space constrained or budget constrained?
If one is a music lover, wisely chosen active speakers. Source (w/wo pre depending). Bam, music flows.
If one is afflicted with audiophilia, well...
 
Not everyone can revamp their house electrical system to fit one's audio needs, hence these type of power conditioning, regeneration or isolation with dedicated lines.

Agree,

If you have a noisy supply or poor wiring then yes you will see worthwhile improvements and very little if you have a good supply. No way are conditioners going to turn an under achieving system to one of gold , if you can include conditioners in your budget then good , but to compromise on the speaker/amp combo to include a conditioner is a negative to me.


You have to get the fundamentals correct before jumping to lipstick mods ...
 
AJ kinda like this video you posted on another site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9o_eZGaaMk And the hidden message within """ Is it a religion or a disease "

I think that might have been posted here previously too.
But yes, what I meant is that active speakers would cut the need from the budget for amps and speaker wires (and endless dart throwing/ swapping thereof)...which might be unthinkable for some who live for such things.
So it might make sense to me within a tight budget/room constraints as Bonzo mentioned...but not someone else.

cheers,

AJ
 
I think that might have been posted here previously too.
But yes, what I meant is that active speakers would cut the need from the budget for amps and speaker wires (and endless dart throwing/ swapping thereof)...which might be unthinkable for some who live for such things.
So it might make sense to me within a tight budget/room constraints as Bonzo mentioned...but not someone else.

cheers,

AJ

I've been thinking about a thread on this topic for a long time.


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I think that might have been posted here previously too.
But yes, what I meant is that active speakers would cut the need from the budget for amps and speaker wires (and endless dart throwing/ swapping thereof)...which might be unthinkable for some who live for such things.
So it might make sense to me within a tight budget/room constraints as Bonzo mentioned...but not someone else.

cheers,

AJ

Well said AJ
 
Is a hobby which invokes deep emotional passion - in a good way. It's how it makes you feel.


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Just like cars, photography and yes golf as they involve deep emotional passion regardless of the cash you spend. It doesn't have to be $50k speakers, or $10k camera lens or $325 green fees. If you feel good any hobby makes you happy regardless of the cash you spend. So much of late in this hobby has been about the price of gear and the showboating of gear which I think promotes a high level of quality along with innovation but you do not have to spend huge sums of money to enjoy any hobby and get that deep emotional enjoyment you seek. A hobby has never been about the price to enjoy it, it has always been about the passion.
 
Just like cars, photography and yes golf as they involve deep emotional passion regardless of the cash you spend. It doesn't have to be $50k speakers, or $10k camera lens or $325 green fees. If you feel good any hobby makes you happy regardless of the cash you spend. So much of late in this hobby has been about the price of gear and the showboating of gear which I think promotes a high level of quality along with innovation but you do not have to spend huge sums of money to enjoy any hobby and get that deep emotional enjoyment you seek. A hobby has never been about the price to enjoy it, it has always been about the passion.

Absolutely true. But just like with cars and boats, it's the Ferrari 488 and 45 foot Chaparral that people aspire too.

But like you said, it doesn't mean the guy with the $2000 DAC isn't enjoying that new album as much as the guy with the $90,000 DAC. [emoji6]


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With well designed hi-fi equipment, residential AC power should not be a problem.
Power all the hi-fi equipment from the same circuit.
Most electrical noise generating things don't operate 24 by 7, so any EMI/RFI should by traceable to it's source.
 
I guess I'm in the more balanced camp than this example. My speakers and amp/preamp are 25% and 27% respectively of my system with sources totally another third (analog higher than digital of course). Cables are only 6% of my system and that probably won't change.

However, if I upgraded to something like a YG Hailey, then speakers would be 48% of my budget. I think the lesson is it depends on the budget. What might work for a 10k system probably won't do so for a 100k system.
 
I guess that I am the odd ball. My electronic's cost way more than my speakers. BAT preamp, Pass amp, Luxman DAC and Magnepan 1.6 speakers with dual subs. I didn't start out that way though, I did upgrades to electronics along the way. Although I am looking at speakers in the $7K range, still way below the cost of the electronics.
 
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