what speakers demand high end electronics

As previously mentioned, Alan Shaw says his speakers will do just fine with inexpensive amps. Two questions for him - define 'just fine,' and define 'inexpensive amps.'

I have no doubt his speakers will sound very good with modest - to most people here anyway - amplification. But my experience leads me to believe/know that better amplification sounds better.

It all starts with the recording quality and the room. There's the source first crowd, which makes a very good arguement. There's the speakers first crowd, which makes an equally compelling arguement.

I am of the weakest link being the most important crowd. Not sure it's really a crowd though, as I just named it now. The weakest link is the most important, as that's what you'll hear the most of.

Hopefully there's no cables first crowd, but I'm sure there is somewhere.

To bring this back on topic, I think it's obvious that Allan Shaw is a speakers first guy.

I have heard sets with expenisve speakers and simple electronics and most of the time I don't like those sets. Expensive speakers ofthen let you hear all the things that the cheaper electronics do wrong. I've heard sets where the CD player was more expensive then the speakers that sounded very fine to my ears.

The new price of my amp is almost twice as expensive as my speakers.

In general, very good speakers require very good source components. If the signal coming to the speakers isn't very clean, then the sound won't be either.

Greg

kbarkamian,
Your reasoning is correct. The weak link in a given system will compromise the performance of the other components within that chain without fail, no matter how high the quality of those components. Regarding the original question, the better the amp, the better the speaker will sound.

I think Alan Shaw's comments are primarily intended to encourage potential Harbeth buyers to write the check when they might be hesitating out of fear that they would also need to make another substantial investment in amplification.

By stating that Harbeth speakers work just fine with inexpensive amps, he removes an obstacle to the potential buyer, thus possibly making another sale.

It's a classic sales technique.