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Relative component value to overall SQ.

There is a lot of discussion about various things in the hi-fi audio component chain and how they affect SQ and as a beginner it would be interesting to see how folks rate the relative value of these items.

This is not necessarily meant to be a hierarchy. What I would like to see is a percentage value for each item in the chain. Total must be 100%.

I realize this is an artificial construct but I think for newbies building a system it would help them know where to start and where to put initial emphasis.

For simplicity I am leaving out the signal source. Let’s assume that the CDP, DAC, streamer, server or TT are delivering an optimal signal of an optimal recording to the system.

I included room optimization since that is also likely critical.

The components are as follows; assign a percentage to each. Total must be 100 :

Speakers
Speaker cables
Amp
Amp power cord
Interconnect cables
Pre-Amp
Pre-amp power cord
Interconnect cables (to source)
Room optimization


n80
ricred1
1,412 posts
 
From my experience most people don't go out in purchase an entire system. We assemble a system over time and gradually try to upgrade components. Based on your question I would tell someone 35-50% should be allocated to speakers. How much money one has to spend would be a factor in how the rest of the budget is allocated. 
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I have to say some costs are total chance. Particularly if the person who 'came over and wanted ME to help them buy a system.. from scratch'. Used components usually one goes with what is good AND for sale. One could wait for eternity for all the specific used items one suggested as the 'only' one. Today I could pick out a hundred nice preamp and or amplifiers, ditto speakers in endless combinations.I would say the op is trying to box in the impossible. I would talk to the person FIRST. Do they think a high sensitivity speaker to go with a small tube amp? Or a solid bass gut massaging type speaker? How big is the room? does the system have to big time WAF, or can it dominate the room? Do they have any fantasy notions about some designs? Speakers in particular car be hated or loved for the way they look beside how they sound.                
There is no way a percentage can have any meaning as some sort of rule, except in the most generalized way. So generalized it becomes meaningless.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 

If it’s a simple answer you want, here it is: A- ignore the percentage paradigm (a word not part of my vocabulary until Michael Green showed up ;-). B- Find a pair of speakers you like the most at no more than half your budget (less if possible). C- Next an amp that is well-suited to driving them. D- Then a source component with the $ left, minus the cost of a cheap passive pre-amp IF it will work within the context of the speaker/amp/gain/etc. situation. If you’re lucky, your listening room already sounds good. If it doesn’t, consider acoustic treatment of it part of your speaker budget---the speaker/room is a system unto itself.

With a system budget of $5,000, one can get a pair of Eminent Technology LFT-8b ($2499/pr) or Tekton loudspeakers, ridiculous bargains with very high price-to-performance ratios. A good tube amp (which the LFT-8b, being a mostly-resistive 8 ohm and higher load, loves) is probably out of reach, so a good used 100w solid state (NAD? Adcom? PS Audio?) will have to do. A fine CD player can be had for a grand or so, as can a passable (for now) LP player. Some cheap speaker wire, and you’re done!

Just as with a first wife, you will most likely look back and see the mistake(s) you made in picking your first system.

elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
bdp24: Excellent  point finding an amp which is considered good with the chosen speakers! Important to have an amp working (synergy) with the speakers.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 
Now, if the system budget were increased to $20,000, one could then consider a pair of Magnepan MG3.7i driven by a Sanders Magtech amp. In that case, the percentage spent on speakers would be about the same as on the ET's in the $10,000 system. Just a coincidence!
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