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What is the most important component in your system.

To me it is my ARC Ref 6 preamp. I have used a few other preamps, ML38s , ARC Ref 5se,  with my current system and none has taking me closer to music then my ARC Ref 6 preamp. Years ago I always thought it was my B&W 800 Matrix speakers and then my Krell FBB amp. But found out that to get the best sound from my 800s it is a preamp..Years ago i never knew how important a good preamp was in reproducing music. And sure everything adds up ,like interconnects , power cables , speaker cables, platforms and all those tweaks that we use and try. Now i not saying that i was never happy with my 800s and Krell or even my ML 38s. But adding my current preamp really makes my other components bring out their best. 
tattooedtrackman

Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,644 posts
 
OP:

Sorry, I was being a little hyperbolic. :) 

What I meant was that without good room acoustics, you are never going to have a very good environment in which to listen to equipment. Mind you, the ear brain mechanism is complex, and discerning, so even in a bad room you might be able to tell differences in components, but spending a lot of money in equipment you'll put into a bad sounding room is, in my mind, misguided. 

Make a great sounding room, and then you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of speakers, and be able to hear the subtlest of benefits. 

Best,

E
erik_squires
16,644 posts
 
The room and treatments. 

Without that, everything else is just bragging about how much you spent. 
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