And I suppose taped recordings sound better than the record from which it was dubbed,right
That's copy. The subject here is different: sound reproduction.
Actually, Herman is correct in his assertion, both empirically (you can try it) and measurably.
The linear & non-linear distortions produced by the speaker, and amp-speaker interface are very broad -- not to speak of spkrs placement within a room; by comparison, the distortion product due to up-chain electronics is small.
Also keep in mind that more source components are reasonable performers nowadays -- as opposed to the '70s when Linn marketed the concept of "source first" (they sold a source components after all...). EVen Linn doesn't advocate this anymore (not with the same vehemence, anyway): the sales pitch now is, "system". Likwise in advertising, where the all-round excuse for unsuccessful campaigns was, "garbage in garbage out". Cheers
