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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
dynaquest4's avatar
dynaquest4
368 posts
 
pts said:
"The majority, even the experts recommend to spend the most money on speakers."

Experts? Oh, you mean the people who are pushing for you to buy their product, or paid to write good reviews? Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

Synergy is everything. Ignore snobs and people who are obesssed with a certain brand. Try to get recommendations from unbiased people on what they’ve found works well together. Save money and buy inexpensive cabling and interconnects. That’s the biggest snake-oil racket in the whole industry.

"Snake Oil?"  Really?  Last year I priced out Nordost Odin cabling for my stereo system (which I think included a couple of their power cords) and it came to $137,000.  I thought that was very reasonable but, for me, a bit much so stuck with my MonoPrice and  Kimber Kables (which I got free).

Typed with tongue firmly placed in cheek, PTS!
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
2,267 posts
 
I second the single malt idea...and a good friend!
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
Definition of an expert. Someone who used to be a drip under pressure. 😛
schubert
4,867 posts
 
Wrong again , it's an academic that's more than a hundred miles away from home .
mikado463
24 posts
 
all good points (mostly) but IMO it's speakers and the environment in which they play that matter most. I laughed when the Op said he was blown away buy his new Marantz disc player, the only way that player could 'blow away' the Oppo  205 is if there was something wrong with the Oppo .......
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