To those with multiple tables/arms/cartridges

Although I tend to take a purist approach to audio. (No tone controls, minimal switches and connectors, etc, etc.) I have lately come to believe that some of these gospel truths can be occasionally violated with no important negative consequences.

Nandric, In the US, students are typically graded on a scale of A to F, where F = Failure. An "A" student would be in the very top category.

Case in point re violating gospel: The other night I set up my pair of Beveridge 2SW speakers, which I have owned for more than a year but which I had never heard, because I sent the direct-drive amplifiers off for check-up and upgrades the minute I uncrated them. Just got them back after 8 months. All I had on hand in my basement as a signal source was an old tuner, the preamp section of an old solid state NAD integrated amplifier, and some ancient "give-away"-quality RCA interconnects. Also, no woofer to complement the Bevs below 80Hz. (The 2SW has a built in 12db/octave x-over at 80Hz; you need a woofer/subwoofer.) Nevertheless, I hooked the tuner up to the NAD preamp and the preamp to the Bev direct-drive amplifiers which sit in the bases of the speakers, set the tuner for a local FM high quality classical music station, and fired up the Bevs for the first time. After about 15 minutes of warm-up, the sound was absolutely glorious. I was riveted to the spot for two hours, or until 1 AM, when I finally had to get some sleep. This to me was a demonstration of the primacy of the transducer. All the other gear is merely seasoning on top of what the speaker can do. If the speaker is second rate, no amount of audio jewelry or switch avoidance can overcome that. If the speaker is of high quality, you almost cannot miss.

Dear Henry, the most important fact in our hobby is what
one self believes. The other may believe, for example, that
those thin gold platings on the connectors wear off even
from looking at them. But the theory that they get better
by each put in /put out exertion is remarcable. How often
do you need to change all the connectors involved?

Once again Lew.......we find ourselves in agreement.
Unlike the famous Linn philosophy which attracts adherents due to a simple logic........if the speakers can't create 'magic'.........no source will compensate (IMHO of course :-))

Henry, The particular FM station I tuned into plays classical music only. At that time of night, they have a female disc jockey who has been doing the late shows for decades. I have heard her voice on many many different speakers and in many different systems. When she came on the air in between musical pieces to announce the time, the news, or what music was coming next, it was almost eerie; she seemed to be sitting no more than 6 feet away from me. (I know this is a tired audio cliche', but it does apply.) I could sense the resonance of her body as she spoke. That Beveridge guy was clearly a genius of sorts (maybe not an "Einstein" but a genius nevertheless); there is much about the speakers that is totally unique, even including the way the ESL panels work, which is fundamentally different from all the other successful commercial ones. The diaphragms do not carry a high DC bias voltage, which may be why my speakers still work so well after 34 years. (Built in 1979.)

To my understanding and hopefully I have learned my lessons we do concentrate very much on the front end while the basics behind the system (power supplies - oh yes it can make a difference, power distribution, fuses, matching parameters between preamp/amp/ speakers) are of some importance in a good system. How much difference does it make when changing a tonearm to the better, or a cartridge, while the back end misses a good standard.

I know some might argue that isolation platforms, speed control, matching of tonearm and cart (compliance) are even more important. of course this is also a crucial workplace. Nevertheless how often did I experience in my High End life that people are not aware what they are missing or just have no idea what it could change in their system. Usually the first reaction is blocking all advisory or consulting hints. Maybe it will also lead to aggression or other kind of lousy behaviour just trying to solve their cognitive dissonance. This is understandable and a certain kind of protection, also not investing too much money in some kind of voodoo toys they might think.

Oh yes, sometimes I start thinking that we were born to reach a level and then defending it for all the time. Are these good perspectives...?