2. amps-preamps
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Amp more important than speakers?

The common wisdom seems to be the opposite (at least from speaker makers), but I have tried the many speakers that have come thru my house on lesser amps or my midfi A/V receiver and something was always very wrong, and things often sounded worse than cheap speakers.
On the other hand, I have tried many humble speakers on my my really good amps (& source) and heard really fine results.

Recently I tried my Harbeth SHL5s (& previously my Aerial 10Ts, Piega P10s, and others) on the receiver or even my Onkyo A9555 (which is nice with my 1985 Ohm Walsh 4s, which I consider mid-fi), and the 3 high end speakers sounded boomy, bland, opaque.

But when I tried even really cheap speakers on my main setup (Edge NL12.1 w/tube preamp) I got very nice results
(old Celestion SL6s, little Jensen midfi speakers).

So I don't think it's a waste of resources to get great amplification and sources even for more humble speakers.
My Harbeth SHL5s *really* benefit from amps & sources that are far more expensive than the Harbeths.

Once I had Aerial 10Ts that sounded like new speakers with vocals to die for when I drove them with a Pass X350 to replace an Aragon 8008.

Oh well, thanks for reading my rambling thoughts here...

So I think I would avoid pairing good speakers with lesser amps,
rgs92

Showing 1 response by systembuilder

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systembuilder
111 posts
 
I personally believe if you get the amplification right on a limited budget and work on a low noise floor you will have the best results. As you go into better speakers they will reveal more but that isnt a good thing if you dont have your upfront gear right.

Often you see people trash great speakers and when you see what they are using to run them you understand why.

I feel synergy is essential beyond all else. But contrary to popular belief I feel its better to find a sonic signature or blend that works for you and then find a speaker that fits your system. You can always tweak with cables etc. And I know were going for neutral but if you are on a budget you have do your best to paint a canvas with a few drinks in you
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