Ever hear the Maria Maldaur sing "it ain't in the meat, its the motion?" Size is not everything. Power is not everything. Otherwise, audio would be so simple...the guy with the most watts wins! Certainly it makes sense to buy good components. It is also true that some of the really touted components that require a real investment can be more finicky and less forgiving of the supporting equipment. And good audio is not always achieved by the highes bidder. Otherwise, audio would be simple...the guy that spends the most wins!
The word "synergy" was brought up early on in this thread by Velo62. Good synergy between components can make a modest system sing. One of the most muscially satisfying systems I have heard combined a Rotel 965LE CD player ($699) with an Alchemy D.I.T.B. ($249, 18 bit Crystal chip) with a Audion PX25 single ended tube amplifier and Audio Note Lexus cables, and Reynaud MK II speakers. Kudos to the dealer in Massachusetts that had experience with the synergy between Reynaud and Audio Note! The whole shooting match was assembled for about $5,000...the amp being used. The system mated well to the room where it was used, which was modest in size, but not small. Conversely, a big solid state amplifier in the same room resulted in rattling glass. If the components and environment are not well matched, you may have to turn the amp up louder than you might wish to get detail, which would bring vibration back into the room.
I have an old (but sparklingly mint) Marantz 2252B receiver...bought very early in my days up the audio ladder. One day I hooked up a modest pair of JBLs purchased around 1992...rated at about 60 rms watts...which pretty much matched the amps output. Amazing! Now the sale receiver hooked up to a pair of B&W 805s or Monitor Audio MA700 golds sounded very ordinary...these speakers cost 4-8x as much as the JBLs.
I think it is a good idea to approach audio as a system rather than as a collection of components. Find people who have experience with the brands that you are interested in owning...talk to them about cables. The difficult part of this hobby is that all the combination of components can introduce variables that affect the ultimate sound. So getting it right is like fine tuning any musical instrument. And by all means enjoy the music.
The word "synergy" was brought up early on in this thread by Velo62. Good synergy between components can make a modest system sing. One of the most muscially satisfying systems I have heard combined a Rotel 965LE CD player ($699) with an Alchemy D.I.T.B. ($249, 18 bit Crystal chip) with a Audion PX25 single ended tube amplifier and Audio Note Lexus cables, and Reynaud MK II speakers. Kudos to the dealer in Massachusetts that had experience with the synergy between Reynaud and Audio Note! The whole shooting match was assembled for about $5,000...the amp being used. The system mated well to the room where it was used, which was modest in size, but not small. Conversely, a big solid state amplifier in the same room resulted in rattling glass. If the components and environment are not well matched, you may have to turn the amp up louder than you might wish to get detail, which would bring vibration back into the room.
I have an old (but sparklingly mint) Marantz 2252B receiver...bought very early in my days up the audio ladder. One day I hooked up a modest pair of JBLs purchased around 1992...rated at about 60 rms watts...which pretty much matched the amps output. Amazing! Now the sale receiver hooked up to a pair of B&W 805s or Monitor Audio MA700 golds sounded very ordinary...these speakers cost 4-8x as much as the JBLs.
I think it is a good idea to approach audio as a system rather than as a collection of components. Find people who have experience with the brands that you are interested in owning...talk to them about cables. The difficult part of this hobby is that all the combination of components can introduce variables that affect the ultimate sound. So getting it right is like fine tuning any musical instrument. And by all means enjoy the music.