percentages

[lmr]

Granted it maybe a little lite hearted but what is the percentage as to what makes a good system? Speakers 50%, source 25%,pre/amp 30%, cartridge 15%, tonearm 10%, cables 10% and let us not forget the isolation feet for 5%. Doesn't seem to add up right to me in sound improvement.

[Jim]

I'll say, 40% speakers, 30% source, 30% preamp/amp -- if we're considering all sources the same (CD/TT/digital). But I might also say that all 3 components are equally important. If any one of them are bad, the end result is sub-par. You could break down a turntable into all sorts of components.

I personally don't think that cables really matter. Either it's sufficient gauge or it's not.

[PGT]

70% speakers, 20% preamp/amp (assuming digital signal path), 10% everything else.

[DYohn]

100% on everything.

[GreenKiwi]

70/20/10 or 60/20/20

Get the best speakers that you can afford and you like the sound of... then get an amp/preamp that is capable of driving those speakers... then get a source.

Personally, I think that there is a much bigger difference in sound between $500 speakers and $1500 speakers than there is between a $500 DAC and a $1500 DAC (hell, a used XDA-1 is a sweet sounding DAC you can have for $200 or so), or even different preamps or amps. USP to XSP or XPA-200 to XPA-1. Not that improving amps or DACs are a bad thing, just they end up being more about refinement of a sound.

(Digital sources here... if you have a TT... expect your percentages to be 70/20/40... =D intentionally over 100% )

[Dark Ranger]

I think the percentages will vary depending who you're talking to.

Personally, I feel that speakers, room treatments, and the recording itself carry greater importance than the electronics. That being said, I also believe that overall system balance is an important key to maintaining great sound. For example, I wouldn't pair a set of $5,000 speakers with a $100 Class T amplifier as a permanent solution. Once the essentials are taken care of, then one can start upgrading the electronics as needed.

Rather than list percentages, I'd do a ranking system where the item higher on the list carries greater importance:

• Speakers
• Room / Recording
• Analog sources / conversion / pre-amplification / amplification
• Digital sources / processing

[villock]

60% Speakers
15% Tubes
15% Turntable
10% Good Clean Vinyl

This is all anyone will ever need

[PGT]

I've run B&W Nautilus 801's on a $400 Yamaha RX-595 stereo receiver with a $99 Yamaha CD player as source and using lamp cord for speaker wire and the throw-away RCA's. Sounded MOTHER****ing fantastic. That might be like 99% speakers, 1% other. LOL.

[DYohn]

Serious answer: If you are building a system from scratch, expect the fact that your budget will be too small no matter how large it is to start with,

First shop for speakers. Get the absolute best sounding-to-you speakers that you can afford. In fact, if you find ones you love but you can't yet afford them, stop and save until you can. If you have to blow your entire budget on speakers and start saving again for everything else, do that and use them as decoration in your room for a while. Seriously, the speakers mean the most to how any system will sound.

Second, purchase a decent quality amp and preamp. Get an amp that has sufficient power for your speakers and a preamp that has the features you desire. Spend as much as you have to to get what you need, but you can afford to cut some cost corners here if you have to.

Next shop for a source, and spend as much as you have to to get exactly what you want. Don't compromise on the source. At the same time, buy whatever interconnects and speaker wire is necessary to hook everything up, but do NOT spend big bucks here. Get well-made wires that are adequate and do not fall for the audiophile wire hype. Later if you want to experiment with that game, fine, but to start with you simply need to hook things up.

Next, get the right tools to measure your room so you can determine what room treatments are necessary, or hire someone to do it for you. You'll want to have at least $500 to $1000 available to fix room issues. After speakers, the room is the second largest contributor to what you actually hear.

Lastly, no matter what speakers you own, consider adding a subwoofer to fill out the bottom couple of octaves. All speakers and all rooms can benefit from a subwoofer, in my opinion.

And enjoy the music.