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Which area of components to spend the most $ on? Boy I was wrong all my life!

I have been an audio junkie for about 25 years. All those years, I have read plenty of discussion posts and recommendations where to spend the most money on. The majority, even the experts recommend to spend the most money on speakers. Up to as high as 60% of the total budget.Example: CEO of PS Audio-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYwL7vPkPhg
I believed this all my life. Today, my eyes are opened. My total budget is about $15K.Before today, my system was:Speakers-Revel F36 Concerta 2 (For the money, this is the best speakers I’ve heard. I like it more than my previous Dynaudio Contour 30)Integrated Amp-Marantz PM-10 (Class D, balanced, 400wpc at 4ohms)CD Player-Oppo UDP 205 & Marantz CD 6005 (Some of the best in class)Line conditioner-Furman Elite PFi 15Cables-Kimber 8TC Speaker Cables (Sorry, not a cable nut. I’d rather spend money elsewhere)
I upgraded my front end CD player to... Marantz SA-11S3. I was BLOWN away! This is the greatest upgrade I have ever heard in my life. For 25 years, I was taught to spend the most in speakers. Sorry! It’s the FRONT END! The best source you can afford. The purity transcends down the river. I am blown away by the sheer improvement in detail, clarity, depth, the air around the instruments.
My philosophy has changed.
skimrn
desktopguy
101 posts
 
Interesting thread. In my experience, you can always make improvements on the front end of the system--the line or phono level sources, and yes, even interconnects sometimes--and hear those improvements pretty clearly on whatever speakers you have. But the reverse is not always true.

Once the low level signal stuff is tight, anything you improve on the speaker/high-level signal end may well result in dramatic, easily heard improvements.

And regarding digital, I've been unhappy in various ways w/digital since the '80s, and only recently really got happier with it, thanks to multibit digital DACs, specifically NOS (non-oversampling) multibit. This has been a real game-changer, to the point that I no longer even think about my digital source (just enjoy it).
kqvkq9's avatar
kqvkq9
77 posts
 
Well now I've always found a good bottle of single malt will improve things for much less than the prices under discussion.
roncagg
36 posts
 
+1  - or a nice double IPA, I’ve written as much over at audioshark.org, the best tweak you can make!
doak
189 posts
 
This quote from Beavis tidily sums it up: "Know what they say Butt-Head: You can’t polish a turd"
thehorn
34 posts
 
Skimrm,

I hear ya ..... at least in theory.

It's been a 40 year voyage into audio for me, and your right, when I stepped up to a high-end modified deck, and got some sot after NOS tubes for it, the differences in the entire system were profound. Transparency, timbre, deeper back stage, the music was cleaner. This was to a greater extent experienced when multiple instruments were playing simultaneous. The more complex the music, the noticeable differences were again heightened.

 

At the time I was using an M400 Carver cube amplifier, and it was fine, but I knew there were more esoteric amplifiers to be found. (I had owned a Classe' Audio DR-25 before the Carver). After living with the Carver for 20 years I went out and bought a pair of Classe' Audio DR-9's. Well blow me over with a feather, the sound stage was massive. Subsequently I sold off one of the DR-9's ... they sound better in stereo than in mono.            

 

I toyed with various speakers, using a pair of Roger Sound Lab, Elan's (modified), as a reference. They're a passive radiator design with a beautiful silk dome tweeter. For the money (including mods), they were a great bang for the buck (& could be made to sound incrementally better), but I've been at this game awhile and know what a great speaker can sound like. So better speaker were the next step.

 

I had some Paradigm's, got a hold of a pair of Meadowlark Huron Hot Rods, and finally settled on a pair of 946 Focal Electra's. New, these speakers retailed for approx $8,500 dollars. Lets be clear, the Focals are worlds apart from the RSL Elan's, but are the differences as profound as it was with the Cd upgrade, or the amp upgrade? In a word, no. Taking into consideration that the price difference between the Elan's and the 946's is about $6000-$6500 dollars, or 71%.

 

Now the difference in the two decks was $800, to $2100 (including the mods and the tubes), or 62%.

 

Comparing the data .... I'd say your Front End theory is pretty safe.

 

Obviously there's more to a system than these simple examples, but IMHO the concept of building a system that you like to live with (or aspire to move up to), should be built around your source. That's the place to begin. Why?

 

People move, over the years the size and shape of your sound rooms will change. Speakers should suit your room, so when you change your room, chances are you'll need to change your speakers. Your source remains the same.
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