jacksonbart Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Would interested to hear peoples opinion it terms of what has the biggest impact on the sound of their system. Below is my take, note, I dont include LPs are not applicable to me, so I would guess TT vary in sound quality more so than a CD/DVD player. I realize there has to be some assumptions made, such as when you refer to speaker cables/wire, that I am not talking about say string, I mean working cables of proper gauge for the length. Besides #1, which pretty much determines choices 2 through 10 I am interested on what you spend the most of your time/interest on that give you the biggest impact/results/enjoyment. 1. Your ears/head/brain 2. The software (aka CD, DVD, etc) 3. Tie: Speakers /Room acoustics 5. DACs (includes surround processing) 6. The amplifier / Receiver. 7. Preamp, if applicable 8. CD/DVD player 9. Component Interconnects 10. Speaker cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 The Room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokem Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 #1 Speakers and Sub #2 Receiver/Amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 good question: 1. The speakers (the only bargain in audio, cheap speakers, properly positioned, can sound amazingly good - the more dynamic, the better, the flatter on-axis response, the better, the more sensitive, the better, the greater the dispersion, the better) 2. The sub (the deeper, with greatest output, the better) 3. The amp (the fastest, most delicate sound with greatest headroom and lowest cost) 4. The pre-amp (the most accurate rendition, with flexibility and quiet) 5. The player (the least noise or wear on the ear) 6. The recording (the clearest notes with out crowding) 7. The room (the most important aspect, but the hardest to treat) 8, the cables and tweaks (least important, but easy to make effective changes for little money) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 The cable risers and silver prong-coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 wood volume knob http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NOB_C37_C you can turn it up.... or you can turn it down for only $485.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay L Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 room speakers preamp amp source source material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I gotta go with Jay on this one,the room is very important but as Colin noted the most difficult,imo.After speakers the pre is most important,the reason I say that is every one I've heard sounds different and has a huge impact on overall sonics.The amp is important but only in that it can do the job,decent build.The source is another big factor but without the previous it don't matter what the source is.Then the material,its the easiest of all to change and some would sound worse on quality equipment and some can make budget equipment sound listenable,all imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I think I would put speakers before the room because a bad speaker will always sound bad, whereas a good speaker will sound mediocre in a bad room, but will sound very amazing in a good room. The room is more of a limiting factor...in other words, there is no amount of treating a room that will result in a crappy speaker sounding as good. I think the best way to approach these discussions is to look at the level of improvement X dollars will accomplish, or the amount of money required to result in the same level of differences...and then on top of everything you have the WAF, but that's a personal issue. That said, it quickly gets expensive to treat your room. A pair of bass traps, basic absorbtive panels, and then a few curved masonite panels is going to cost you a few hundred dollars...and you could easily spend a couple thousand before you start getting the room perfect. I think spending a few extra hundred dollars on getting a better speaker will have better results...provided your room isn't already an insanely awful environment (which very few are). For example, if you had to decide between a heresy II speaker + room treatments and a cornwall II without room treatments, I personally would go with the cornwalls because they will have more bass. Or if I do go with the heresy, I would rather put the money towards a good subwoofer before treating the room with bass traps. However, I certainly would treat both environments down the road when funds become available again. The next most important thing and it's a very nearly a tie is the source material. If what you're listening to sounds like crap, then improving your speakers and room is only going to bring out the crap. What's the point in dropping $100,000 in a room with speakers when all the music you can afford is one mp3 CD of a sesame street sing along originally recorded to audio cassette by mic'ing the TV's speakers? (is that a bad enough scenario or should i make it worse? The reason I don't put source material first is because it's relatively very cheap to find CDs you like and you're bound to have music you really enjoy before you try upgrading your system. But after upgrading, you may find the need to improve your source material and you'll find your musical tastes start to change. so to put it in a nice fancy list: 1. speakers 2. room 3. source material 4. amp 5. DAC 6. pre-amp (which you don't even technically need) 7. cables Upgrades in amps and DAC and the pre-amp are more expensive relative to the first 3 to arrive at the same levels of differences. I would however like to point out the significance between the amp and speaker relationship; and that a bad combination quickly sounds awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I'm a true believer that the room the system is in will make or break the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 The guy blowing the horn. Everything else is just gravy . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 My khorn room has horrible acoustics (for now) but if you're in the sweetspot, it still can sound amazing. Someone can be standing 3 feet from me and it'll sound mediocre while I'm in sonic heaven. For that reason: 1) Speakers 2) Source (TT) 2) Material (LP) 4) Preamp 5) Amp 6) Room I do admit that if a room is REALLY bad (like the hotel room in Indy), room acoustics would move up considerably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I agree with Artto although I knew how he would answer: 1. Room 2. Room 3. Room 4 Any questions refer to #1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockbobmel Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 ---------------- On 2/28/2005 3:58:09 PM minn_male42 wrote: wood volume knob http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NOB_C37_C http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/images/products/ac/knobc.jpg" width=402 border=0> you can turn it up.... or you can turn it down for only $485.00 http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif"> ---------------- I'm gonna invent a glove for quiet knob turning, It virtually eliminates any static (which causes noise), Is great at stopping finger contaminants, and stops touch impact (noise again) Price=== A BARGAIN at $699. ($799. for left hand special orders only) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 ---------------- On 2/28/2005 11:07:34 PM Dylanl wrote: I agree with Artto although I knew how he would answer: 1. Room 2. Room 3. Room 4 Any questions refer to #1 ---------------- the room could be perfect..... but if you are using a cheap-a** speaker it will still sound like a cheap-a** sound all the problems with that speaker will be heard perfectly in that perfect room.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Bloss speakers in a good room beating my Heresys in a bad room...i dont think so....Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnyholiday Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 ripp out the bugg screens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 ---------------- On 2/28/2005 11:07:34 PM Dylanl wrote: I agree with Artto although I knew how he would answer: 1. Room 2. Room 3. Room 4 Any questions refer to #1 ---------------- Could not agree more. I have heard awesome sound from coming from mediocre components. It was the room. Unfortuantely, its the most difficult aspect for most of us to deal with so we have a tendancy to blame everything else. Or worse yet, spend 20 years and 20 grand swapping out equipment in vain. And BTW, I don't have a listening room. I too are guilty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokem Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I can't do anything about the family room. I have to work with everything in there and that's it. At least I have Klipsch speakers in there now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 neck and neck- speakers, room, and ears; everything else is just electrons moving about. Anything that has to do with changing the FORM of the energy (ok phono system runs a close second) is paramount to our perception of the sounds emanating from Allan's horn blower. Speakers are the air motion transformers changing electrical energy into waveforms. The room further modifies these. Our physical and emotional state, our EAR, is the final link changing the acoustical waves into whatever the heck our brain does that gives us pleasure from the sound source. The rest only figures into the equation in the most esoteric of systems and really has quite minimal contribution. But I did like DrWho's blurb on the topic (members of the mutual admiration society) Others will disagree. (whereever did I pick up this horrible phrase?) Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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