Re: What is the most important piece in a system?

soundbitten1 · « **Reply #40 on:** 14 Jun 2011, 09:51 pm »

I'll go with synergy also.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #41 on:** 14 Jun 2011, 10:46 pm »

Have to say your front end and make improvements downstream after that

.

Devil Doc · « **Reply #42 on:** 14 Jun 2011, 11:04 pm »

I have to believe it's the room. A bad room can make $65,000 speakers sound awful.

Doc.

Mike Nomad · « **Reply #43 on:** 14 Jun 2011, 11:47 pm »

Your ears.

Aside from that, +4 to Elizabeth.

jwes · « **Reply #44 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 01:00 am »

With new computer-oriented capabilities, such as what Spatial is doing (see 6moons review http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/spatial/1.html), I wonder if the biggest thing is aligning the whole chain with the room.

Other than that, it's hard for me to get away from source. Nothing downstream can make a bad source sound good. But if all are reasonably decent, I've seen biggest improvements from the pre-amp.

Jim

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #45 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 01:16 am »

Quote from: jwes on 15 Jun 2011, 01:00 am

... Nothing downstream can make a bad source sound good. ...
Jim

...and nothing upstream is going to make a bad speaker sound good!

Still by far the biggest (by one or two orders of magnitude) deviations from linearity ("distortion") are created by the speakers. A good speaker is more likely to make a lousy source sound good than the best source is likely to make a lousy sounding speaker sound good, in my experience.

Of course the biggest sins are committed in the recording studio - both by the musicians and the engineers! Speaking of electronics, the most critical piece in the chain is the mic preamp.

timind · « **Reply #46 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 02:27 am »

After my visit with the Otolaryngologist today I'm going with ears. I've had some ringing in my right ear along with decreased ability to hear high frequencies on that side. It was confirmed today in the booth.
Take care of your hearing.

JLM · « **Reply #47 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 10:58 am »

Good point. I'm best system tweak was picking up isolating earmuffs that I wear while mowing.

I'd discount the room for two reasons: headphones/earbuds/IEMs and some speaker designs/setups don't react much with the room (especially if the room is bigger). OTOH many over do the components based on the crummy room they have (that's what headphones/earbuds/IEMs are for).

And besides the topic here is, "What is the most important piece in a system?" so stuff like the room, recording studio, your mind, or your ears hardly qualifies.

I vote "away from" pre-amps because you can have a system, a quite "reasonable" system, without them. Several fairly respected integrateds/power amps use only a volume control for their pre-amp section. Several source options (music servers, Squeezeboxes, a few CDPs) have decent volume controls. Then there are stepped attenuators for the purists.

Now if the question was, "Which component can provide the biggest 'bang for the buck,'" a pre-amp might win.

ken · « **Reply #48 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 01:22 pm »

While I tend to agree the source initially may be a big factor regarding sound quality I suspect that once you hit a certain price threshold , say $3000.00 or less I think the diminishing marginal returns factor begins to kicks in . With speakers that threshold starts at a much higher price point and that's probably true with preamps as well. Just something else to consider

Eric · « **Reply #49 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 03:16 pm »

I think it is hard to isolate a single "most impotant" component. When you are dealing with interactions between the room, wire, components, isolation etc. the variables are complicated.

saisunil · « **Reply #50 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 03:23 pm »

Very healthy discussion ... everyone has valid points ... perhaps we are putting a puzzle together ... all pieces are important to complete the picture ...

That said ...

Last night I was listening to two different headphones through headroom max headphone amp (TRL battery modded CD Player and good cables etc.) and comparing the sound to the speakers ... synergy aside, the speakers / headphones made very different sounds ... more so than amp swapping ... just sharing an observation ...

But in the end it was all about selecting interesting tracks / music ... and eventually just play something nice and go with it ...

In other words, for me, it starts with EGO - gear (physical), then MIND - analysis (mental) and then HEART - liking/loving according to preferences (emotional) and hopefully at some point it would touch the SOUL and I forget the gear or sound - but use the music as a vehicle (like waves) to transport me to some place within me ... a place that is at times peaceful and at times inspiring and at times acts like a friend ...

So for me ... what is important will depend on where I am coming from - ego, mind, heart or soul and I have been through them all - like I believe, most or all of us have at one time or the other ...

At this stage I am getting tired of the gear swapping and I hope to get my mind follow my heart instead of the ego ... so I can really use the music to take me on a journey ... within ...

Larkston Zinaspic · « **Reply #51 on:** 15 Jun 2011, 05:56 pm »

Since virtually anything in audio is meaningless without human hearing to qualify it, the ears are always going to be your most important instrument, AFAIK.

The rest is just a balancing act, IMO.

As far as your most important component goes, knowing the way most people are, it's probably going to be the first piece you reach for in a fire, which is typically the most expensive one.

werd · « **Reply #52 on:** 16 Jun 2011, 04:52 pm »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 14 Jun 2011, 10:46 pm

Have to say your front end and make improvements downstream after that .

Its pretty much how i look at it. I used the old record player to try and get people to hear their source piece. I just get the feeling when people comment about other components they are not acknowledging that they are hearing source gear amplified.

geowak · « **Reply #53 on:** 16 Jun 2011, 05:49 pm »

I have to drop my two cents here...

After searching many years, experimenting with components and spending ludicrous amounts of money I have come to this conclusion. The most important piece is the radio.

BOSE WAVE RADIO (you must get the Titanium Silver model) A steal at $499.95.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/wave_systems/wms/index.jsp&perfsourceid=K9677&src=K9677&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla

buckeyefanandy · « **Reply #54 on:** 18 Jun 2011, 11:41 pm »

The music composition and the artist.

Tiny Tim is worse on a $100,000 system than Nile Lofgren on a $100 rig.

dflee · « **Reply #55 on:** 19 Jun 2011, 02:24 am »

Yea but Tiny Tim is even worse on the $100 rig vs $100,000 system.

JLM · « **Reply #56 on:** 19 Jun 2011, 03:20 am »

The listener.

Sonny · « **Reply #57 on:** 19 Jun 2011, 03:24 am »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 14 Jun 2011, 10:46 pm

Have to say your front end and make improvements downstream after that .

Matty_J · « **Reply #58 on:** 20 Jun 2011, 11:57 pm »

Quote from: Larkston Zinaspic on 15 Jun 2011, 05:56 pm

Since virtually anything in audio is meaningless without human hearing to qualify it, the ears are always going to be your most important instrument, AFAIK.

The rest is just a balancing act, IMO.

As far as your most important component goes, knowing the way most people are, it's probably going to be the first piece you reach for in a fire, which is typically the most expensive one.

Yes fire, hate pondering that... I always worry about fire, but I would grab my '57 Gibson first..i think

Elizabeth · « **Reply #59 on:** 21 Jun 2011, 02:08 am »

Fire:

I have replacement cost insurance on household goods of $110,000. so it should cover me. I have been with the same ins. co for 20 years, and i am happy with them. And yes the stuff is fully covered.
I would rescue the pet bird in his cage, and leave the junk.
I would immediately go to under building indoor garage and take my car out next. If the building went up, i want to have a car...