slfoth I think it is important to distinguish between good "performance" versus just "sounding good".
Carefully matching amp and speakers along the lines you spoke of is key to getting good performance, which can be measured. Good performance matters a lot but alone does not mean one will like the sound or even that it sounds better. But you cannot accurately reproduce all forms of music similar to the original without it.
Good sound is totally subjective and is a judgement call. Good performance is not required. It may sound lovely in some cases to some people but cannot compete with good performance any more than a nice driving Toyota Camry (very nice car!) can compete with a state of the art luxury vehicle.
My recommended strategy is get the good performance first using specifications to match components (as opposed to pure luck or just hope) then tweak from there as needed to get the sound just right.
Its not a black and white thing. There is a match between a low power SET amp and high impedance high sensitivity speakers (optimized performance) as well as a match between high power high current SS amps and smaller and harder to drive, lower efficiency speakers still with good bass extension. There is also everything in between (less optimal at least on paper). Both done right should perform fairly optimally though each will still likely sound different for various reasons and the choice will come down more to personal preference based on a myriad of factors in the end.
Of course one can always just choose to roll the dice and pick each component you like for whatever reason. Most any amp and speakers are "compatible" to the extent that you can connect the two with no issue and hear what you got. You might get lucky but chances are if you want it all then it will take much longer to get anywhere near that goal than otherwise.
Cheers!
Carefully matching amp and speakers along the lines you spoke of is key to getting good performance, which can be measured. Good performance matters a lot but alone does not mean one will like the sound or even that it sounds better. But you cannot accurately reproduce all forms of music similar to the original without it.
Good sound is totally subjective and is a judgement call. Good performance is not required. It may sound lovely in some cases to some people but cannot compete with good performance any more than a nice driving Toyota Camry (very nice car!) can compete with a state of the art luxury vehicle.
My recommended strategy is get the good performance first using specifications to match components (as opposed to pure luck or just hope) then tweak from there as needed to get the sound just right.
Its not a black and white thing. There is a match between a low power SET amp and high impedance high sensitivity speakers (optimized performance) as well as a match between high power high current SS amps and smaller and harder to drive, lower efficiency speakers still with good bass extension. There is also everything in between (less optimal at least on paper). Both done right should perform fairly optimally though each will still likely sound different for various reasons and the choice will come down more to personal preference based on a myriad of factors in the end.
Of course one can always just choose to roll the dice and pick each component you like for whatever reason. Most any amp and speakers are "compatible" to the extent that you can connect the two with no issue and hear what you got. You might get lucky but chances are if you want it all then it will take much longer to get anywhere near that goal than otherwise.
Cheers!