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A stupid question for which there's no sensible answer.

I know, I know. At least I've labeled it properly.

Here goes: of the following elements of a system, how would you rank their influence on the sound? In other words, generally, which would someone want to upgrade or prioritize, and in what order,  if all of the following pieces were inferior to an amp/preamp and speakers they were happy with? Power cables, connector cables. speaker cables. streaming source, music source, dac (I vote for this one as #1), room treatment, speaker placement, type of chair, earwax quotient, what you ate for lunch, etc.

I hereby give my permission for everyone to tell me this is an idiotic question since the real answer is: it depends. (But I did put a "generally" in there somewhere). Anyway, I prefer that we debate this based on what we've experienced when we've tinkered. So I guess I'm really interested in anecdotes.

m669326

Showing 2 responses by williewonka

williewonka
3,131 posts
 
  1. speaker cables
  2. interconnects
  3. power cables
  4. power distribution box
  5. speakers
  6. amp 
  7. phono
  8. turntable 
  9. cartridge
  10. digital source
  11. room treatments

williewonka
3,131 posts
 
@clearthinker - the OP asked...
how would you rank their influence on the sound?
So my question to you is - how would I know just how good a TT is IF the cables were less than excellent???

He did not ask which component or cable was the most important. If that were the case my response would have been very different

Personally I would put speakers before source, because without great speakers you are not getting the benefit of a good source

My cables have influenced the sound of my system much more than any component purchase.

Regards - Steve

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