Which component has the most importance?


I have been on a quest redoing my system to a high effecient SET Integrated Amp affair with 2 way diy speakers of 95 DB Effeciency to run my Pentode amp in 1.8 watts at Triode Mode Operation. The amp is a Decware 84C
with the speakers being Parker 95 Signatures which put out a 95 DB Effeciency with response 40hz to 40khz.My front end for now is a Toshiba 2950 DVD Player soon to be upgraded to a Tube cd player in the near future.
So here I am thinking I must improve the sound of my front end immediately; of course that is what LINN always taught us and over my years since the 80's of listening that is what I always thought until I came onto a tweek that has so profoundly changed all my prioities around on its ear.
I have been swapping out cables,tubes,creating DIY IC's,
diy power cords,replacing internal hookup wire and then I opened up the speaker and took a look inside and thats when I started down this road of tweeking even more.I had noticed the speaker had 2 Deflex panels installed directly in the back cabinet wall right behind the drivers, and the drivers had small guage solid core hook up wire on each of them with just one cap on the ribbon tweeter. Well the first tweek on my list was to replace the internal wire with cyro treated wire single core I had with a small green enamel on them. I wraped these with some heat shrink tubing to protect them from other wires in the scheme and the sound of the speakers became much more open and organic.
Every note took on additional richness and clarity of sound. The soundstage really opened up in all directions.
Tweek #2. I removed all the internal stuffing which consisted almost the bottom 2 feet of the short tall 39 inch speakers.
Why? Well the people at Deflex state to do this and specifically say to cover 80% of the internal cabinet with Deflex. So far I have added an additional 18 inches by 10 inches of Deflex into the speaker and the sound quality jump has been off the charts.THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE I HAVE EVER DONE PERIOD.
I am now in the process of installing Deflex throughout
the entire internal speaker cabinet except for the last bottom 7 inches or so.
The Deflex has improved the speakers and my system in every parameter, Soundstaging, speed, timming, dynamics,timbre,focus and accuracy. I find it such a huge improvement that I am not rushing out to get amy new cd player yet.
I'm thinking now that maybe Wilson Audio has been right all this time stating the importance of the Speaker interface in a system. I am such a happy camper now with my system that I have literally been losing some sleep lately which is okay since I'm retired and have nothing to do but tweek all day. LOL.
wELL MY CONCLUSIONS FROM ALL OF THIS?
I think now that the most critical component in the system is the speaker interface first and then the preamp or integrated in my case followed by the front end.
Atlest based on my observation that is what has worked for me. Well my last tweek on my speakers will be to replace the one and only cap in the non crossover speaker the 2 mfd
100 Volt Havoland with a Dueland Cooper or a V-cap. Luckily I only need to replace one in each speaker. This little tweek will cost almost $650.00 for the 2 caps which is more then what I paid for the pair of the speakers.
Well will it be worth the investment?
I am told by the speaker designer that the Dueland is someting very special indeed.
So we shall see.
Happy Listening
76doublebass
128x12876doublebass
They all have to work well together.

Getting speakers to fit the room correctly is the first thing to assure, then build and tweak from there.

Sometimes, the best tweaks cost little or nothing to implement.
i think they all are the most important. the front end has always to me means ,this is what you hear, linn,i understand, but if the cables, equpment,speakers can't come across with the front end ,then forget it....i know there is no formula, but here is mine,,,,, front end 100% cables 1/2 the money of the front end, including connects rca,power,speaker, then 100% for int.amp, as the front end....100% speakers....so in saying that.....1,000 cd,,,1,000 int.or pre power, 1,0000 speakrs, 1500 cables with conditioner...i would say i am still around this formula and it seems to work for me, as of today, i have listen to well respected 3,000 player, all kinds of dac out, preout, and compared it to my 750 player and ofcourse it is more refined, but not 2300 worth....to me the biggest and best money in the last five years i have spent is making sure i try to match, i now own the most inexpensive system i have ever owned and to me, i know the refinement is there, but i can buy alot of music and enjoy music and not equipment and no on loves equipment more than me.....
The single most important step is to get speakers that work well in YOUR room. The size of YOUR room and where you can reasonably place those speakers in YOUR room dictate what speakers will work for you. Come up with a short list then try to listen to as many as you can. Once you've made your speaker choice do the same for the amp. Pick the amp that works best with YOUR speakers.
Don't forget cosmetics, after all you do sit and stare at them everytime you listen to music. For example planar speakers can work very well in small rooms because of their radiation pattern but can be overbearing physically
you look at equipment while listening ....are you serious? just kidding....we all do that..ofcourse,,,eye candy is hard to beat.....