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High End System Building. How important is the matching, cabling and room? Thoughts ?

The last 20 years as an audiophile and now a dealer has taught me a very important lesson. Everything matters. The equipment can be great but no matter how much you spend the matching is very important. The cabling is also important. Some think cabling is all about making it sound better. I prefer my cabling to not get in the way. It’s like it can’t be a clogged faucet for your sound.  Materials and shielding are very important. In addition to that the room is very important. You may not have a perfect room but you build your system to work in the room you have. I don’t have all the answers but you can’t just spend money and have a great system. Combination of equipment, cabling and room has gotten me there. I’ve tried a lot of gear and cables and this is how I feel. What are your thoughts everyone? 

calvinj

Showing 3 responses by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
7,646 posts
 

@patrickcarey 

 

Great story. Thanks. That is how it starts and over time better components allow greater positive effect of wires… and it goes on and on.

ghdprentice
7,646 posts
 

The way I look at it is that time invested in choosing, configuring and tweaking can result in a much better sounding system. So, let’s say you go all out and invest 1,000 hours and $5K or $10K… invest the same huge amount of time (1,000 hours) and $25K… and your system will sound a lot better… same for $50K… etc.

Investing huge amounts of intelligently used time will result in a better sounding system. But holding time constant, then the financial investment results in a better sounding system. Huge amounts of both are the best way to go.

ghdprentice
7,646 posts
 

OP,

I completely agree with your opening statement.

 

I fortunately accidentally bought a house with an exceptionally great audio space. I carefully populated it with the highest quality synergistic components with transparent (Transparent) wires that I could afford, and spent as much time as I could afford tweaking the system and the venue and have a great sounding system.

You work within the constraints. I have heard fantastic systems in rooms the size of walk in closets where careful choice of components and treatments produced incredible sound, ridiculously expensive systems carefully set up and less expensive, meticulously assembled systems.

You use what you have in the way you said.

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