Where to spend the most money in your audio chain?

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Moby

Moby

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30+ years ago I was lured into Pro Musica in my neighborhood in Chicago in search of my first "audiophile" stereo system after beginning my career (I ended up with a Naim Nait Integrated, Linn Kans, and a British turntable - not Linn). I was assaulted by a true Linn acolyte/salesperson who pushed the Linn mantra of spending most of your money in a system on the front end since that is the source (and of course they were most famous for their turntables). I resisted then, finding the acolyte and the philosophy both arrogant, somewhat cult like, and certainly self-serving. Plus, didn't everyone know you should spend the most money on your speakers? I've recently revamped my system, in some cases going up the ladder, in some cases going down the ladder, at least in retail price per component. And I just realized - doh, you have spent considerably more on your analog front end (which I prefer to digital) than any other components in your chain and it all sounds significantly better. Was that Linn acolyte right all along? Garbage in, garbage out, right? Where do you spend the bulk of your audio investment and why? For those of you who say room and power treatments, please do not respond to this question because you will be subject to open mocking and derision because that answer is too boring (whether or not you are right). :P
 
The front end first was just a sales pitch created by Ivor Tiefenbrun when the only product they made was a turntable. In my expierence you can take a good pair of speakers and get excellent sound from a decent amp with the source a basic CD player. Now if you get a pair of big box store speakers and connect a dCS stack or MSB Select you are not going to hear the benefits of that front end.
 
Proper system-to-room-setup always has a far greater effect than ANY component.

Not even close, IMO (having successfully voiced over 800 systems to rooms)...
 
"Speakers and rooms. End of story." Very thoughtful and persuasive answer. Now I just have to figure out how to wire my iPod directly to some Wilson Alexandrias.
"The front end first was just a sales pitch created by Ivor Tiefenbrun when the only product they made was a turntable". I think I alluded to that.
"Proper system-to-room-setup always has a far greater effect than ANY component." I warned you, now consider yourself mocked.:D

Not one of you really answered the question posed I don't think.
 
I don’t think Linn had the whole story. It’s all important - source, speakers, electronics, cables, etc. but none of it will matter with a bad room and a poor setup. Focus on the room, then speaker/listening position setup, then power (AC). Get those three things right and you have the foundation for which to build a great system. After that, find the speakers that will work best in your room. Most rooms I’ve seen have some odd quirks. Find the best speaker for that room.


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I agree it’s all important and I’m personally an advocate of a balanced system. And yes, one needs to buy the right speakers for the room and be able to adequately drive those speakers. And yes you need to set it all up so you don’t have horrible reflections or electric hash from your refrigerator introduced through your power mains. But let’s just focus on the most basic issue - if you have all those thoughts in mind, when buying the components themselves where should you focus your investment? As I said, I believe in balance and look for musical performance more than watts or size, but it seems to me that you’re just trying to put lipstick on a pig if the signal from the source isn’t the best it can be. I see way too many systems discussed where people put a $1,000 - $2,000 source in front of $20,000 of other components. Obviously this is just my opinion, but maybe Ivor had something there (despite his obvious self-interest).
 
I would suggest to get an understanding of what kind of sound you prefer and then start assembling your system based on that.

It could be argued that all the things listed above may vary in priority order based on what you are after.

- bass & PRaT - amp & power management
- soundstage & details - room & speakers
- midrange - amp & cabling
- sound characteristics - source


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I think you get the gist. The majority of us don't agree that one doesn't need to spend the bulk of the budget on the analog front end. If you get the sound you are looking for by doing so then by all means march to that drummer. It sounds as if that is what makes you happy and that is all that matters.
 
I’m not asking you to agree with me. I’m not that insecure. And I don’t want this to be an analog vs digital debate. That’s boring. What I’m asking is for your philosophy on where someone should really focus their hard earned dollars when trying to build a good system. I note that most of the responses so far are from folks with $100,000+ systems who have spent more on one component than many would on their entire system. So perhaps this question is too basic for this audience. Most people don’t have the luxury of taking their home system to the point where a custom designed listening room with all the benefits that affords is feasible. I personally think my own system is ridiculously expensive but worth it due to the enjoyment I derive from it. You may feel that way to some degree about your own system. But if a friend asked me to guide them in acquiring a good $20,000 system I’d be afraid of the reaction I’d get if I gave some of the responses given here. So no, I don’t pretend to have all the answers and was honestly interested in all of yours in such a context.
 
spent your money on good recordings and a good source.

you can not make great sound from a bad source.

my 5 ct.
 
Moby said:
And yes you need to set it all up so you don’t have horrible reflections or electric hash from your refrigerator introduced through your power mains.
Click to expand...

That isn't remotely what I was talking about.

I was referring to getting your system to work with the room rather than against it - always Step One. This is about getting the optimum acoustic wave-launch into your room, and receiving it properly at the listening seat.

Room treatments depend on that aspect first.

Worrying about how electrons flow through electronics & cables is nothing when compared to Step One.

I have set up (properly) medium-to-low priced systems that wipe the floor with high priced systems not set-up optimally.

If you want to get the most for your money, I'd recommend Mike as your dealer and your set-up guy, especially if musical involvement rather than audiophile sounds (PRaT, soundstage, sound characteristics, etc.) is your goal.

IMO, & IME
 
I’m not trying to buy something here. I’ve just gone through that and I’m very happy with my system - sitting here listening to Roxy Music Avalon and very happy. . What we seem to have here is a failure to communicate - likely my fault - but I don’t think I could have expressed my intent more clearly. I’m sure Mike is a great dealer.
 
My case: almost 50% spent in the loudspeakers.
To me they are, without any doubt, the most important component. The speakers make the link between the electric signal and your ears.
But, to get a good performance, they have to match with the amplification.
The source?
In these days you can get a good source at a ridiculous price. I have right now a Raspberry DAC (almost 50 €!!) with an external memory with more than 4.000 ripped albums and the sound is not far from the CD player.
It is possible you should spend more money in cables and other "acessories".


About room...
Maybe i´m alone saying this but, as i use to say to my audiophiles friends, get the system right first. If you have a room with "normal" furniture, and if it does not have any echo, you probably don´t need any special acoustic treatment.


Or maybe i just got lucky with my room...
 
Moby said:
"Speakers and rooms. End of story." Very thoughtful and persuasive answer. Now I just have to figure out how to wire my iPod directly to some Wilson Alexandrias.
........................................................
Click to expand...
With modern DSP active powered loudspeakers, all you need is an iPod and you are good to go.
 
Room/system setup important. Yeah, I get it, that’s why I spend hours and hours on it over several weeks when I set up a system or change components. Now explain to me how this relates to the topic of the post.
 
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