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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
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I have a polarity switch and use it often.
Much of the time in makes little difference.The fact is, particularly for rock, the song or album is mixed from discrete tracks, any of which may be reverse polarity, and certainly many songs have parts right and parts in reverse at the same time!I would say only about 20% of Rock albums I can actually notice a proper polarity. And some of those it is based on the vocals, some on the percussion instruments.
And on NONE of them does the positive, or reverse sound ’bad’... But for those recording which do have a noticeable difference, the ’right’ one generally is slightly better sounding due to mainly better clarity.   
Then the FACT speaker crossovers alter the polarity to odd angles NOT 180! What good is polarity if your speakers alter the bass 120 off counterclockwise, at some peak frequency,  mids 90 off clockwise, and the treble 250 counterclockwise? Did you ever actually look at some of the charts in Stereophile???
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
If you’re having trouble hearing the difference between Correct Polarity and Inverted Polarity I suspect your system probably needs a tune-up. Inverted Polarity lacks bass and proper focus. Crossovers are a separate issue. How do you know your system is in correct Absolute Polarity? Answer at 11.
bobag's avatar
bobag
3 posts
 
Hi, 
I’ve been a music lover for 55 or so years and an audiophile for about 50 years. 
In my opinion, Paul McGowan of PS Audio is correct. While “GIGO” and “any system is only as strong as it’s weakest link” philosophies are both true, it seems to me that the engineering of transducers is the most difficult task and therefore generally the weakest link in audio reproduction. The amplification stages seem pretty mature by now. The digital front end is still a rather immature technology and is undergoing much change. 
Although vinyl can sound good and is undergoing a “resurgence fad”,  I rarely listen to my large vinyl collection including some direct to disks because of the inconvenience and because I regard the platform as impractical because of it’s built in seemingly insurmountable physical limitations. 
The biggest problem I have in choosing equipment is a proper comparison environment.
Well that is where I sit with audio opinion at the moment.
Good luck everyone! 🙂
niakapa0
1 posts
 
Yeah, I agree about the quality of the source component. I just replaced my 10-year old Audio Gd Dac 3SE  (and also a Chord Mojo occasionally used for convenience) with a used Bricasti M1SE dac and I am *staggered* by the improvement in sound.  Was using USB in all setups; will try network streamer next.

 I haven't listened to a lot of current DACs so I am not advocating Bricasti over any competitors. But its sound is truly stunning across all kinds of recordings, including 1980s pop.  

My speakers are a decade old open baffle from here (http://www.musicanddesign.com/NaOMini.html). (In those days everybody was trying Orion and its competitors open baffle speakers.) 

Not using special cabling etc.; just bluejeans. 
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
2,267 posts
 
Never thought I’d do this, but...hey GKait!  Gotta riddle for ya.  I changed out the jumpers on my speakers, MIT tails (12”) for NRG Omega’s (already owned) and not only did the resolution increase dramatically, but the PRaT improved as well.  My amp seems even more dynamic and full sounding in addition to the increase in clarity and air.  Why?
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