Actually he has everything wrong, and does not know which dynamic loudspeakers with real natural sound with resolution actually is or sounds like. Not till he has listened to some large active mosfet powered class A / AB ATC SCM ASL combined with the separate bass modules
@@ianjohnhorwood2605 Lol. I have listened to the ATC's btw. I'm also not referring to active speakers, since they don't represent 99% of audiophiles out there, and with them you aren't buying a separate amp. I ran an active setup in my SQ car system, I'm fully aware of what they are.
I think the truth is this simple: Any garbage link in the chain will ruin the final output. So if you have a terrible recording, there's nothing to be done. No amp can turn a poor recording on a compressed file into gold. Same for a terrible amp. Same for terrible speakers. Every link in the chain has to be strong. By the same token simply having one or two "great" links in the chain - for example, a great recording, or a super amp - does not ensure a great outcome. The upshot is that no one component is "most" important. You need each component in the system - including the source material, amp, speakers, and perhaps even your room setup - to carry its weight. In that way every component is equally critical - its just that some cost a lot more than others.
Most important thing by far is the actual recording quality itself. Although it limits what music one listens to, it makes by far the biggest impact on how a system sounds. I can get a clock radio to sound decent with a Jennifer Warnes album!🤪 That might not be a component but I see people worrying about buying a $5,000 cable when the music they choose to play is poorly recorded. Next of course is the design of the room.😎
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy I do realize that. 😉🤗 I just put on Jennifer Warren's recent album and was blown away from the difference in sound quality from listening to a journey album! Actually streaming.🤫 It was like a night and day difference.
I have a surround sound system in my basement for movie and audio listening. I spent about $6,000 on speakers and components total. And not all concert videos were created equal. I have the most Joy listening to live concerts on DVD and Blu-ray. Some of the excellent recordings for live concerts on DVD for example is a live concert by Boz scaggs at the American music Hall in San Francisco, the eagles farewell tour in Melbourne Australia. Another excellent concert on video is by Santana recorded in DTS HD. These are just a couple of examples and recording quality and venue in which it was recorded, very important. I also enjoy listening to two channel recordings on my vintage KD 500 Kenwood turntable. I accumulated quite a record collection over 40 years. Just wanted to say I just "love music and helps me to relax and escape to some other place! One other thing I do enjoy my movies in surround sound as well ❤️🩹
Speakers, Absolutely! You know how many friends I gave them that advise and they thank me till this day they made that choice. One guy ran into 1K bucks and he was totaly obsessed with getting a new sound system. He had an Old Marantz preamp with a sony power amp. I said Just get good speakers! He did and with his older equipment he ended up with a thousand-dollar sound just changing the speakers. That was a while ago, I forgot the speakers he got, but it sounded freakin great. Thanks for putting out that info. Me, I downsized for a number of reasons, but I kept my DAC time phase aligned monolithic speakers. They are actually 30 years old in mint condition and for me and my wife and my Bose 1801 amp, Marantz preamp they do do just fine.
I have the Salon 2 speakers in a smaller room that I drive with a Hegel H590 integrated amp. The Hegel does an excellent job with the inefficient Salons in a smaller space. Exquisite sound!!!
imho, the rank order is as follows: a.) speakers b.) amp/pre-amp c.) source. of course, a totally crummy source can wreck things. But great speakers and great amplification can make worlds of difference in sound quality
This is also a good lesson for people who don't understand what is a true Audiophile Purist or become one. All they know is name brand and high end models. That is sad !
Clint: I'm the viewer that recently asked where the 3rd woofer was on your Revel Salon 2 loudspeakers. The Studio 1 and Salon 2s are similar in appearance and I thought I was looking at the Salon 2s. I've auditioned The Studio 1s and gladly paid more for the Salon 2s. A fantastic loudspeaker, the most resolving and accurate I've heard. I agree about the awesome Beryllium tweeters on the Salons. Also that mini midrange adds so much as well. Your comments that you never heard anyone complain about having too much amp power is right on and I see you changed out the McIntosh 611s for their biggest monoblocs. Expensive, but a good move given the low efficiency of the Salon 2s. A question: Do you prefer copper or silver cables (interconnects, power cords, and speaker cables)? Your thoughts will be appreciated. Your videos are informal and great. Keep them coming.
Since we're talking about important things.....who makes that furniture piece? It looks like it is *nearly* deep enough to hold those mighty-Mac amps, which is quite an accomplishment.
One thing to keep in mind is that every speaker sounds different! Don't get sucked down the High End rabbit hole like I did!! I found out the hard way, after spending a fortune on gear,that more expensive,is not necessarily better! Keep your eye on the used market( ebay, craigslist,reverb,etc....) Small rooms: I recommend small two way designs(Epos,Celestion,B&W,Focal,KEF, types) for larger rooms,I like 2 or
Three way horn designs( Klipsch,EV,JBL,etc...) But what is critical is system matching,and room set up! You can get some high quality audio gear for a good price.
Steve, don't spend a lot of money until you are totally versed in the type of sound you want! Pick up some used thrift store speakers and experiment a little.speakers have the greatest variance of any component!!! Many high end small mini monitors tend to have a bass bump to them in order to sell them,but the tradeoff isn't worth it! When I built my speakers,I wasn't concerned with bass response ( as I have two large mirror imaged Audio Concepts dual Dynaudio 30W54 isobaric 12" subs)so,I have been in a better position than most to be picky.when a manufacturer strives to get decent bass response out of a small speaker,the whole system gets mucked up! 95% of the music is in the midrange! That's all I'm after! All that awesome midrange is gone while trying to produce bass out of a small woofer.(boom:::sizzle) that's what you get! Thick cones are designed to move air(Bass).thinner cones are designed to articulate complex frequencys.you make the call! I hope I helped!
@Analog Looney Nice vintage speakers but they don't image as precisely as non omni speakers do. Glad to hear that great vintage gear is being cared for and enjoyed! Cheers!
Sorry, I think you are wrong here. Source is very important. The placement of the speakers is equally important as well. I can see that the speakers in your room are not in optimal location.
Lol, everyone who hasn't sat in my chair and listened thinks my speaker placement is wrong. Everyone who has, thinks it's perfection. My point about source is that $600 (Now $799) gets you a pretty good sounding digital source. 5 times that price gets you marginal improvements. Better yes, but multiply your budget on any other component by 5 times and you usually get a lot more for your money IMO.
Speakers are the most important component!!!!, (2) amplification(3) source ,(4)preamp,(5)speaker cables,(6),interconnects. Speakers are what translates/converts electrical impulses to sound pressure waves, which our eardrums,via auditory nerves translates the info to our brain,converted back to neural impulses.Speakers are the only component that interfaces with us directly!! So, I totally agree with you! I have been designing/building/upgrading speakers for 30yrs.currently have about 30 pairs of Horn and small mini monitors,etc....
Hi Clint. Thanks for giving your opinion. Friendly audiophiles sometimes disagree, so, in the spirit of ideas, I will disagree with what you said. The first point is small. It is not helpful to look at the cost of a transport. The useful categories are; source, amps, speakers. The source includes transport and DAC. Moreover, you also need to move to media player/DAC (or analogue source). I would not spend much on a transport to spin red book CDs either! Basically the source is what the first amplifier gets and then makes louder. The big problem is you and others claim it makes sense to spend 50% of your money on speakers, and 50% on source and amps. This claim is difficult to defend. I do believe all of you got better sound when you got your speakers. Take a simple example. Say you had a properly installed and connected system. You paid $10k on source components, $10k on amps and $10k on speakers. If you upgrade your speakers, spend $20k on them, you get to 50% and I am sure the sound improves. BUT, the sound would also improve if you doubled up on either source or amps! The real question is, how would your system, now costing $40k with $20k speakers, sound compared to another $40k system where $13.3k was spend on each category of component? In a competitive market, manufacturers only spend money bringing products to market that they think will succeed. They do R&D. If buyers like a $20k speaker better than a $10k speaker, the expensive one has a chance of selling well. So how do you explain that ALL the manufacturers offer lines of amps and source components at higher and higher prices, and audiophiles buy them? How do companies survive offering phono cartidges that cost from $100 to $25k? Not all buyers can be fools. In my current system, I have not spent enough on the speakers. I upgraded source and amp components recently. Now I look forward to upgrading my speakers which only account for 15% of my system cost ! I plan double down on speakers and bring the portion up to at least 30%. However, I have been delighted with the improvements that all the upgrades made. I had my current speakers for 15 years and had no idea how good they could sound until I upgraded my source and amp components. Everyone wants to think that they made a good buy. All upgrades improve things. Just saying that a great speaker is the best thing for a mediocre system is not plausible (since the end result can't be better than what went into it), and subjective. You need to do A to B blind comparison auditions on your friends, and not just swap transports. I hope you don't mind that there are different opinions out there! You are free to hold yours of course.
A hastily gathered perspective: I think that speakers can make the most obvious difference, but it must also be considered that their output (as opposed to their sound) is affected by what they're fed and the room they're in. If you swap out speakers in a system the change will probably be more dramatic than swapping out anything upstream, but that's not to say an upstream change won't affect the speaker's performance (again, not its sound per se). I've had the same speakers since 1993, and changes upstream have improved my overall sound steadily; even changing power cords has improved the sound of my system. Synergy is important. With a good speaker, you will hear what the upstream changes have wrought (more detail, better transients, etc.). As for my speakers, I know I'm not getting what they're capable of because of my room's limitations; they're capable of a much deeper soundstage than I get now. This is actually a deeper topic than I thought when I started this reply . . .
Haha, yea if we discuss every detail, my video would have been days long. I've been in HiFi sales for 18 years, and an audiophile wat before that, so I wouldn't call my perspective "hasty". It might sound basic, but after analyzing the rest of everything, scrutinizing every detail in a sound system, I come back around to the speaker IMO. I don't count the room, the recording, or your ears as a "Component" in the audio system, so that's why I didn't mention them. I'm referring to actual hardware that produces the music. I think everything makes a difference, and I even make my own power cords, but I just wanted to help steer people to where their dollars will make the most difference as far as something you can buy at your local stereo shop, that's all. There's endless topics to discuss in audio, and I've got a whole list I mean to get to. Thanks for your comment. ;)
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Actually, I was referring to MY perspective being hastily gathered; sorry for the confusion. I gave a spot reply based on my thoughts and experiences as it occurred to me in the moment. I do agree with you on the basic issue in the abstract, yet I tend to think of the system as a whole and avoid putting too much into one component. Still, if you have the greatest front end and amps in the world but the speaker isn't up to the task, you're likely missing out on some music. A theologian might invoke the term "complementarianism;" The speakers are the big draw, but they need the other components (cabling included), likewise the other components need the speakers. Each provides what the other lacks and we get music as a result. Good video, by the way.
I think the key is to strike the right balance. Speakers may have the biggest influence on the overall sound reproduction, but drive them with an inappropriate amp and you will always have awful sound. I think the importance of the amp is mostly underestimated. I would love to have Clint's McIntosh amps. 👌
I’d like to tweak what he said about vinyl, I have an $800 Technics 1200 MK 5 turntable, with an Ortofon blue cartridge, and it couldn’t sound any better. They were the workhorse of the dance clubs for decades and built like a tank!
Loudspeakers are the most important. Without a good set of speakers how are you gonna know what’s good or bad or what’s even an improvement?!?! Yes playing back vinyl correctly is a source that needs care and some money thrown at it in choosing the proper performing setup. None of this is rocket science just common sense type things.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Well....... more specific even. Theory being, everything before it including psu's, op-amps & tube gain stages in a preamp can be upgraded. As well, everything after it too can be upgraded, like amps, crossovers & drivers. However, The volume control quality is the heart. Everything goes in & everything comes out of it. Get the best you can, even if it's in an integrated with preamp outs. 🔈🔉🔊 PS, If you read this far, my answer is, a 128 step relay switched balanced attenuator.😁
In many ways, it's a dumb question. Every system will have its own unique weak link. That said, in over 30 years of this hobby, I've found to my surprise that the amplifier is the most unforgiving component and is the one I spend the most money on.
It's hard to say what the most important is. cables just carry signals but, the shielding to prevent outside influence is important. It's like cameras, the lens can be argued to be the most important because of the garbage in garbage out theory. there is no silver bullet
I run rca's out of my denon universal player b/c I want that Denon dac to do the conversion before I send it to the Sony avr. If I run hdmi or optical to the Sony avr the Sony avr dac converts the signal. At least I think that is what I am doing, lol.
Yep! Haha. I decided it's such a pain to take down, that I'm going to leave it up, then turn it on for Christmas in July, then turn it off until Thanksgiving. Makes it a lot easier. It's a nice diffusor, ha.
Every audio system has its sound. Most people will never hear its 100% peak performance due to variables such as noise and room acoustics (for speaker systems). For speaker systems, room probably attributes 60% listening experience. That means in a poorly sounding room, superlative speakers won't sound much better than cheap speakers. 39% attributes by clean power. Once those are figured out, the rest comes flavor of the month ....
He basically said the source material is heavily in the realm of diminishing returns at this point. A speaker upgrade or room treatment will give more objective performance increase than changing from one digital source to another digital source.
Really like the video very nice set up. I have the five channel MC 255 and wonder do rear mains when connected cause the meters to respond when the Front means are not connected? I only use the center and plan to use rear speakers and now have Monos for my mains. Thanks
I don’t think it’s the source but the source recording so much of todays music has been remastered to the point it is not close to the original recording.
My point was that people assume a relatively cheap CD player is "garbage", and they aren't. You get a lot in a digital source for a reasonable price point. So many dealers had a $599 Marantz CD player as the front end of their $100,000 systems at AXPONA, and they sounded fantastic. The "garbage in-garbage-out" touters, generally want to put 50% of their entire system budget into the source, and that's not a wise decision IMHO.
Don’t forget about power cords ,interconnects ,speaker cables ,digital cables ,Power conditioning. Once you have a good sounding system this is how go to the next level , I have seen $15,000 systems smoke $45,000 systems.
Yes an no. Emotion impact has a little to do with sound quality and source gives you that. You might have the best sound and no emotion connection to musicians so ever and so so source with top notch preamp/amp/speakers give you exact that. A top notch source with a competitive integrated amp will make you cry to the point you can forget about sound as long as it is good enough.
Question. Say your speakers are great and your amps. My question would be about the prepro. Sound quality, will the McIntosh beat Marantz? Say MX121 vs Marantz 8802a?
Hello sir, I have a question for you. When I was younger in 90's, all hifi system was equalizer equipped. I talk about equalizers with 16 or 24 frequencies and 2 chanels . Have one is for me the best way to correct the littles imperfections of ours systems but it sims they fell into oblivion. What do you think about this disparition ? And sorry for mistakes in my english, it's not my native langage. Thank you for your attention. See you.
You are the most important component in the system. You make all decisions, good or bad. There are no real bad components, but an awfull lot bad sounding Systems.
I was referring specifically to components that you would buy in a Hi-fi system, meaning Source, preamplifier, amplifier, speakers, and cables/rack. Obviously, room, the recording, and your ears, are also important.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Your room sounds VERY lively, I’m sure you will not get anywhere near good sound as is - too many reflections, probably bloated bass since It seems like a smaller room. Have you been giving it some thoughts with acoustic panels, and maybe bastraps? I know it will change the room visually, but your system “demands” a proper acoustic treated room to sound it’s best… too much money spend, without it. All the best.
Hi. Regret that this is not true. The chain is as good as every link in it.. Good speakers but lousy source... lousy sound. Period. Lousy amplifier... lousy sound. No matter how "good" a speaker is, every link matters. Simple logic.
I am in the market for McIntosh amps, however I am not sure what to get. I made a blind purchase of Linn Klimax 350 passive speakers, 1000 watt each. However, I don't know what kind of amps I should be getting. What would you recommend that works both for listening to music and use as a home theatre? Do you think I should go for Mc462 or MC 611 or MC 1.25kw?
Well those look to have a powered bass section still, so you'd be more than fine with an MC462 I'd think since bass is w hat takes most of the power. Looks like a nice speaker.
Cleattis, You feel the need to tell everyone what is right and wrong with Audio. With that big plastic & glass POS in the center of those Speakers and fancy amps with lights that just need to be on lol, You Probley need to shoot up to $1500 Bucks
Yes, and more so now. I've got several sound panels around the room printed with my photography, and now I have a better rug. I'm talking to the on-camera mic here, so the audio doesn't come out like a lav mic. I had a thin rug then, and now I've got a thick shaggy one, that helped clean things up.
I thought "source" meant the recording. Ive heard some lousy recordings, the better the system the more you hear the bad recording ie noise and lousy acoustics.
I agree with you that the speakers are your most important component in determining your sound. There are differences in CD players, but cost can be prohibited overall. The best CD player that I have ever heard was the Audio Research cd8 followed by the Cd7, which are both tube CD players, both new they were about 7 grand, used about 3,000 to 4000. Although I loved them both and the cd8 more so overall, I settled on a used Audio Research Cd3, which is solid state for about one grand, 5500 new. Did I lose out in sound quality? yes, but for the amount of time that I actually listen to cd, I would say no, but I must admit that it is very hard to un hear what I heard in the Cd8, it was that good and it made you put cd in after cd. I didn’t miss vinyl for the week that I had either the cd8 or cd7. As for vinyl 1500 is a good starting point, but you do get more the more you move up. I currently have a VPI Classic 1 that I’m very happy with, but I have heard better with 5,000 to 20,000 record players, SME comes to mind. For vinyl the platter, the tone arm, the bearing, the cartridge- moving magnet vs moving coil and the phono preamp determine what sound you get. With streamers, there are differences but the Dac becomes more important and Dac technology changes more than any other technology. Hey Clint, what RC car are you using now?
Yea, there are differences in CD players and TT's, I probably underemphasized that in my video to make a point, but they're just less-so than speakers and other components IMO. For RC, I've got some videos coming. I've got a few projects in the works. I'll try to get a vid up tonight I shot yesterday.
Sorry but your marantz cd player is a crap audio player. It does not have detail or resolution, nor does it have natural sound, It is as coloured as you can get. Your mcintosh amplifiers are not revealing, are definitely not in any way shape or form the last word for detail and resolution. And last not least those revels are a hard load with all those drive units. Does not matter how much money you throw into those loudspeakers, they also are not the last word in natural sound ( sound of metal drive units ) for natural detail with resolution either. They also have too many passive crossover parts in them, and with the combined load of all the drive units, you are never going to get the ultimate detail with resolution. It does not matter that they are built like brick houses, it is the passive nature of all the too many internal components plus the load of all those drive units combined do not work in giving the most natural detail and resolution that is possible. Your whole system has too many deficiencies. If you want to hear a system that sounds uncoloured with natural detail with resolution, I suggest that you go listen to some large 3 way class A /AB active mosfet powered ATC SCM ASL, with the separate active bass modules set up in a proper studio environment. Then you will realise what detail with resolution actually is and what natural sound should sound like.
Sure. I don't even know of a $200 CD player, it must be junk. But $600 is a different story. Well this year it went up to $799 now thanks to massive inflation.
steve knows more of what he's talking about then you trying to make a $1 on u tube , haha Garbage in ?? So you run out and buy Mac thinking at night it looks like a disco What ever you tell these people thay should do the opposite
Love this video! Speaking the truth keep it up!
thank you my friend.
Actually he has everything wrong, and does not know which dynamic loudspeakers with real natural sound with resolution actually is or sounds like. Not till he has listened to some large active mosfet powered class A / AB ATC SCM ASL combined with the separate bass modules
@@ianjohnhorwood2605 Lol. I have listened to the ATC's btw. I'm also not referring to active speakers, since they don't represent 99% of audiophiles out there, and with them you aren't buying a separate amp. I ran an active setup in my SQ car system, I'm fully aware of what they are.
I think the truth is this simple: Any garbage link in the chain will ruin the final output. So if you have a terrible recording, there's nothing to be done. No amp can turn a poor recording on a compressed file into gold. Same for a terrible amp. Same for terrible speakers. Every link in the chain has to be strong.
By the same token simply having one or two "great" links in the chain - for example, a great recording, or a super amp - does not ensure a great outcome.
The upshot is that no one component is "most" important. You need each component in the system - including the source material, amp, speakers, and perhaps even your room setup - to carry its weight. In that way every component is equally critical - its just that some cost a lot more than others.
I think the room might be the most important.
Most important thing by far is the actual recording quality itself. Although it limits what music one listens to, it makes by far the biggest impact on how a system sounds. I can get a clock radio to sound decent with a Jennifer Warnes album!🤪 That might not be a component but I see people worrying about buying a $5,000 cable when the music they choose to play is poorly recorded. Next of course is the design of the room.😎
For sure recording and room play very important roles. I'm specifically referring to just the stereo components in this video though. ;)
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy
I do realize that. 😉🤗 I just put on Jennifer Warren's recent album and was blown away from the difference in sound quality from listening to a journey album! Actually streaming.🤫 It was like a night and day difference.
which j warnes albun is decent?
Yep. Mastering of the audio itself is most important.
I have a surround sound system in my basement for movie and audio listening.
I spent about $6,000 on speakers and components total. And not all concert videos were created equal. I have the most Joy listening to live concerts on DVD and Blu-ray. Some of the excellent recordings for live concerts on DVD for example is a live concert by Boz scaggs at the American music Hall in San Francisco, the eagles farewell tour in Melbourne Australia. Another excellent concert on video is by Santana recorded in DTS HD. These are just a couple of examples and recording quality and venue in which it was recorded, very important. I also enjoy listening to two channel recordings on my vintage KD 500 Kenwood turntable. I accumulated quite a record collection over 40 years. Just wanted to say I just "love music and helps me to relax and escape to some other place!
One other thing I do enjoy my movies in surround sound as well ❤️🩹
I mainly agree but would just fine tune it - speakers + subwoofer combination !
The timing of my seeing this video is totally serendipitous lol. Thank you!
Speakers, Absolutely! You know how many friends I gave them that advise and they thank me till this day they made that choice. One guy ran into 1K bucks and he was totaly obsessed with getting a new sound system. He had an Old Marantz preamp with a sony power amp. I said Just get good speakers! He did and with his older equipment he ended up with a thousand-dollar sound just changing the speakers. That was a while ago, I forgot the speakers he got, but it sounded freakin great.
Thanks for putting out that info.
Me, I downsized for a number of reasons, but I kept my DAC time phase aligned monolithic speakers. They are actually 30 years old in mint condition and for me and my wife and my Bose 1801 amp, Marantz preamp they do do just fine.
The basic rule of thumb that's been suggested by many, is that speakers should cost approximately half of the total cost of your system.
I have the Salon 2 speakers in a smaller room that I drive with a Hegel H590 integrated amp. The Hegel does an excellent job with the inefficient Salons in a smaller space. Exquisite sound!!!
I would agree. Currently in the process of getting my friend set on MBL 101 E’s and working back from there.
I used to have actual dreams about the MBL 101E's, ever since I saw/heard them out at shows, haha.
100% agree with you speaker is the most important. I have a old school mid range speaker but new speakers around 1000 dollars dont come close to it.
Agree. That's also my opinion for the last 40 years. The most money should be spent on speakers. At least 50% of the total system cost.
imho, the rank order is as follows: a.) speakers b.) amp/pre-amp c.) source. of course, a totally crummy source can wreck things. But great speakers and great amplification can make worlds of difference in sound quality
Exactly. We're on the same page then.
Thankfully it has suddenly gotten easier in the last year to get good components again.
Researching good recordings has also gotten easier
Good information love the content.
This is also a good lesson for people who don't understand what is a true Audiophile Purist or become one. All they know is name brand and high end models. That is sad !
I use a $20 Pawn shop mint Marantz DV4200 for cd playback and it sounds great.
Clint: I'm the viewer that recently asked where the 3rd woofer was on your Revel Salon 2 loudspeakers. The Studio 1 and Salon 2s are similar in appearance and I thought I was looking at the Salon 2s. I've auditioned The Studio 1s and gladly paid more for the Salon 2s. A fantastic loudspeaker, the most resolving and accurate I've heard. I agree about the awesome Beryllium tweeters on the Salons. Also that mini midrange adds so much as well. Your comments that you never heard anyone complain about having too much amp power is right on and I see you changed out the McIntosh 611s for their biggest monoblocs. Expensive, but a good move given the low efficiency of the Salon 2s. A question: Do you prefer copper or silver cables (interconnects, power cords, and speaker cables)? Your thoughts will be appreciated. Your videos are informal and great. Keep them coming.
the most important component are my ears,
i just complete my mcintosh system see here,
czcams.com/video/I6BnV7nCaws/video.html
Good presentation Clete
Thanks for posting
Since we're talking about important things.....who makes that furniture piece? It looks like it is *nearly* deep enough to hold those mighty-Mac amps, which is quite an accomplishment.
Salamander. Tea, with 8 of the heavy duty castors, it's rated at 2000lbs of gear holding ability. More than my floor would withstand.
I’m 100% a board on your recommendations and all the journey begins choosing the speaker where shall I start lol 😂
One thing to keep in mind is that every speaker sounds different! Don't get sucked down the High End rabbit hole like I did!! I found out the hard way, after spending a fortune on gear,that more expensive,is not necessarily better! Keep your eye on the used market( ebay, craigslist,reverb,etc....) Small rooms: I recommend small two way designs(Epos,Celestion,B&W,Focal,KEF, types) for larger rooms,I like 2 or
Three way horn designs( Klipsch,EV,JBL,etc...) But what is critical is system matching,and room set up! You can get some high quality audio gear for a good price.
Steve, don't spend a lot of money until you are totally versed in the type of sound you want! Pick up some used thrift store speakers and experiment a little.speakers have the greatest variance of any component!!! Many high end small mini monitors tend to have a bass bump to them in order to sell them,but the tradeoff isn't worth it! When I built my speakers,I wasn't concerned with bass response ( as I have two large mirror imaged Audio Concepts dual Dynaudio 30W54 isobaric 12" subs)so,I have been in a better position than most to be picky.when a manufacturer strives to get decent bass response out of a small speaker,the whole system gets mucked up! 95% of the music is in the midrange! That's all I'm after! All that awesome midrange is gone while trying to produce bass out of a small woofer.(boom:::sizzle) that's what you get! Thick cones are designed to move air(Bass).thinner cones are designed to articulate complex frequencys.you make the call! I hope I helped!
1000% Speaker first. Doesn't matter how expensive are your amps and sources. A shitty speakers will only bring out shitty sound period !
Is that a C53 preamp you have in the middle ? I have the C52 and loving it !
Yes, the C53.
No one makes shitty speakers anymore.
@Analog Looney Nice vintage speakers but they don't image as precisely as non omni speakers do. Glad to hear that great vintage gear is being cared for and enjoyed! Cheers!
The most important component is not a single component. It is keeping oversight. We listen to system right?
Sorry, I think you are wrong here. Source is very important. The placement of the speakers is equally important as well. I can see that the speakers in your room are not in optimal location.
Lol, everyone who hasn't sat in my chair and listened thinks my speaker placement is wrong. Everyone who has, thinks it's perfection. My point about source is that $600 (Now $799) gets you a pretty good sounding digital source. 5 times that price gets you marginal improvements. Better yes, but multiply your budget on any other component by 5 times and you usually get a lot more for your money IMO.
Speakers are the most important component!!!!, (2) amplification(3) source ,(4)preamp,(5)speaker cables,(6),interconnects. Speakers are what translates/converts electrical impulses to sound pressure waves, which our eardrums,via auditory nerves translates the info to our brain,converted back to neural impulses.Speakers are the only component that interfaces with us directly!! So, I totally agree with you! I have been designing/building/upgrading speakers for 30yrs.currently have about 30 pairs of Horn and small mini monitors,etc....
Sounds like a great plan to me let’s do it
Great bones make your good components sound much better. But, they can also show it's limitations. That is my experience at least. 😊
Great bones?
I should have said foundation. Amp & speakers are what I meant. That was my priority after saving my pennies.
Hi Clint. Thanks for giving your opinion.
Friendly audiophiles sometimes disagree, so, in the spirit of ideas, I will disagree with what you said.
The first point is small. It is not helpful to look at the cost of a transport. The useful categories are; source, amps, speakers. The source includes transport and DAC. Moreover, you also need to move to media player/DAC (or analogue source). I would not spend much on a transport to spin red book CDs either! Basically the source is what the first amplifier gets and then makes louder.
The big problem is you and others claim it makes sense to spend 50% of your money on speakers, and 50% on source and amps. This claim is difficult to defend.
I do believe all of you got better sound when you got your speakers. Take a simple example. Say you had a properly installed and connected system. You paid $10k on source components, $10k on amps and $10k on speakers. If you upgrade your speakers, spend $20k on them, you get to 50% and I am sure the sound improves.
BUT, the sound would also improve if you doubled up on either source or amps! The real question is, how would your system, now costing $40k with $20k speakers, sound compared to another $40k system where $13.3k was spend on each category of component?
In a competitive market, manufacturers only spend money bringing products to market that they think will succeed. They do R&D. If buyers like a $20k speaker better than a $10k speaker, the expensive one has a chance of selling well. So how do you explain that ALL the manufacturers offer lines of amps and source components at higher and higher prices, and audiophiles buy them? How do companies survive offering phono cartidges that cost from $100 to $25k? Not all buyers can be fools.
In my current system, I have not spent enough on the speakers. I upgraded source and amp components recently. Now I look forward to upgrading my speakers which only account for 15% of my system cost ! I plan double down on speakers and bring the portion up to at least 30%. However, I have been delighted with the improvements that all the upgrades made. I had my current speakers for 15 years and had no idea how good they could sound until I upgraded my source and amp components.
Everyone wants to think that they made a good buy. All upgrades improve things. Just saying that a great speaker is the best thing for a mediocre system is not plausible (since the end result can't be better than what went into it), and subjective. You need to do A to B blind comparison auditions on your friends, and not just swap transports.
I hope you don't mind that there are different opinions out there! You are free to hold yours of course.
A hastily gathered perspective: I think that speakers can make the most obvious difference, but it must also be considered that their output (as opposed to their sound) is affected by what they're fed and the room they're in. If you swap out speakers in a system the change will probably be more dramatic than swapping out anything upstream, but that's not to say an upstream change won't affect the speaker's performance (again, not its sound per se). I've had the same speakers since 1993, and changes upstream have improved my overall sound steadily; even changing power cords has improved the sound of my system. Synergy is important. With a good speaker, you will hear what the upstream changes have wrought (more detail, better transients, etc.).
As for my speakers, I know I'm not getting what they're capable of because of my room's limitations; they're capable of a much deeper soundstage than I get now. This is actually a deeper topic than I thought when I started this reply . . .
Haha, yea if we discuss every detail, my video would have been days long. I've been in HiFi sales for 18 years, and an audiophile wat before that, so I wouldn't call my perspective "hasty". It might sound basic, but after analyzing the rest of everything, scrutinizing every detail in a sound system, I come back around to the speaker IMO. I don't count the room, the recording, or your ears as a "Component" in the audio system, so that's why I didn't mention them. I'm referring to actual hardware that produces the music. I think everything makes a difference, and I even make my own power cords, but I just wanted to help steer people to where their dollars will make the most difference as far as something you can buy at your local stereo shop, that's all. There's endless topics to discuss in audio, and I've got a whole list I mean to get to. Thanks for your comment. ;)
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Actually, I was referring to MY perspective being hastily gathered; sorry for the confusion. I gave a spot reply based on my thoughts and experiences as it occurred to me in the moment. I do agree with you on the basic issue in the abstract, yet I tend to think of the system as a whole and avoid putting too much into one component. Still, if you have the greatest front end and amps in the world but the speaker isn't up to the task, you're likely missing out on some music. A theologian might invoke the term "complementarianism;" The speakers are the big draw, but they need the other components (cabling included), likewise the other components need the speakers. Each provides what the other lacks and we get music as a result. Good video, by the way.
I think the key is to strike the right balance. Speakers may have the biggest influence on the overall sound reproduction, but drive them with an inappropriate amp and you will always have awful sound. I think the importance of the amp is mostly underestimated. I would love to have Clint's McIntosh amps. 👌
the most important component are my ears,
i just complete my mcintosh system see here,
czcams.com/video/I6BnV7nCaws/video.html
I’d like to tweak what he said about vinyl, I have an $800 Technics 1200 MK 5 turntable, with an Ortofon blue cartridge, and it couldn’t sound any better. They were the workhorse of the dance clubs for decades and built like a tank!
The biggest problem that I continuously have is the recordings.
The source is absolutely the most important
Loudspeakers are the most important. Without a good set of speakers how are you gonna know what’s good or bad or what’s even an improvement?!?!
Yes playing back vinyl correctly is a source that needs care and some money thrown at it in choosing the proper performing setup.
None of this is rocket science just common sense type things.
1. Room/2. Setup/3. Loudspeaker
Thank you....
Volume control hardware is where I start the system build. 🔈🔉🔊
So, a preamp? That is where much of the magic happens for me. The Parasound JC-2 was eye opening.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Well....... more specific even. Theory being, everything before it including psu's, op-amps & tube gain stages in a preamp can be upgraded. As well, everything after it too can be upgraded, like amps, crossovers & drivers.
However, The volume control quality is the heart. Everything goes in & everything comes out of it. Get the best you can, even if it's in an integrated with preamp outs. 🔈🔉🔊
PS,
If you read this far, my answer is, a 128 step relay switched balanced attenuator.😁
In many ways, it's a dumb question. Every system will have its own unique weak link.
That said, in over 30 years of this hobby, I've found to my surprise that the amplifier is the most unforgiving component and is the one I spend the most money on.
It's hard to say what the most important is. cables just carry signals but, the shielding to prevent outside influence is important. It's like cameras, the lens can be argued to be the most important because of the garbage in garbage out theory. there is no silver bullet
Came for McIntosh, noticed those same lamps i bought in ~2001
Ha! Mine are even older than that.
I run rca's out of my denon universal player b/c I want that Denon dac to do the conversion before I send it to the Sony avr. If I run hdmi or optical to the Sony avr the Sony avr dac converts the signal. At least I think that is what I am doing, lol.
Imagine playing music thru Clint's high end system but thru a pair of bad speakers. What's it gonna sound like?
Still in the Christmas spirit? We can see the tree in the tv 😭
Yep! Haha. I decided it's such a pain to take down, that I'm going to leave it up, then turn it on for Christmas in July, then turn it off until Thanksgiving. Makes it a lot easier. It's a nice diffusor, ha.
Every audio system has its sound. Most people will never hear its 100% peak performance due to variables such as noise and room acoustics (for speaker systems). For speaker systems, room probably attributes 60% listening experience. That means in a poorly sounding room, superlative speakers won't sound much better than cheap speakers. 39% attributes by clean power. Once those are figured out, the rest comes flavor of the month ....
1% for everything else huh? Lol. Then a $20 clock radio should sound great in a perfect room with clean power.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Well - that might surprise you ...
The most important is the quality of the recording... 100%!! Then I agree it's the speaker most definitely.
the most important component are my ears,
i just complete my mcintosh system see here,
czcams.com/video/I6BnV7nCaws/video.html
He basically said the source material is heavily in the realm of diminishing returns at this point. A speaker upgrade or room treatment will give more objective performance increase than changing from one digital source to another digital source.
Really like the video very nice set up. I have the five channel MC 255 and wonder do rear mains when connected cause the meters to respond when the Front means are not connected? I only use the center and plan to use rear speakers and now have Monos for my mains. Thanks
I would think so, if you're using the right channels on the amp, since an amp doesn't know a surround from a main.
I don’t think it’s the source but the source recording so much of todays music has been remastered to the point it is not close to the original recording.
Me listening to CZcams Music on AirPods: _interesting..._
Haha
I mean they are the final transducer before your ears.
If garbage in, garbage out isn't true, then just put a kazoo in front of your system and be satisfied.
My point was that people assume a relatively cheap CD player is "garbage", and they aren't. You get a lot in a digital source for a reasonable price point. So many dealers had a $599 Marantz CD player as the front end of their $100,000 systems at AXPONA, and they sounded fantastic. The "garbage in-garbage-out" touters, generally want to put 50% of their entire system budget into the source, and that's not a wise decision IMHO.
The room as simple as that, I hear many echo in your room….
Don’t forget about power cords ,interconnects ,speaker cables ,digital cables ,Power conditioning. Once you have a good sounding system this is how go to the next level , I have seen $15,000 systems smoke $45,000 systems.
Yes an no. Emotion impact has a little to do with sound quality and source gives you that. You might have the best sound and no emotion connection to musicians so ever and so so source with top notch preamp/amp/speakers give you exact that. A top notch source with a competitive integrated amp will make you cry to the point you can forget about sound as long as it is good enough.
the most important component are my ears,
i just complete my mcintosh system see here,
czcams.com/video/I6BnV7nCaws/video.html
I had a McIntosh stereo preamp and amp, now I need it to ask you what do you think about the sunfire TGA-7200 for surround?
Question. Say your speakers are great and your amps. My question would be about the prepro. Sound quality, will the McIntosh beat Marantz? Say MX121 vs Marantz 8802a?
Hello sir, I have a question for you.
When I was younger in 90's, all hifi system was equalizer equipped. I talk about equalizers with 16 or 24 frequencies and 2 chanels .
Have one is for me the best way to correct the littles imperfections of ours systems but it sims they fell into oblivion. What do you think about this disparition ?
And sorry for mistakes in my english, it's not my native langage.
Thank you for your attention. See you.
You are the most important component in the system. You make all decisions, good or bad. There are no real bad components, but an awfull lot bad sounding Systems.
Yes, but what I was getting at is Source, Preamp, Amp, Speakers, etc. Literally just the audio producing components.
What about the room acoustics - must be no.1
I was referring specifically to components that you would buy in a Hi-fi system, meaning Source, preamplifier, amplifier, speakers, and cables/rack. Obviously, room, the recording, and your ears, are also important.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Your room sounds VERY lively, I’m sure you will not get anywhere near good sound as is - too many reflections, probably bloated bass since It seems like a smaller room. Have you been giving it some thoughts with acoustic panels, and maybe bastraps? I know it will change the room visually, but your system “demands” a proper acoustic treated room to sound it’s best… too much money spend, without it.
All the best.
hi, The MOST Important Component in an Audio System ..ARE YOUR ->EARS. !
Of course. I was specifically referring to an electronic component in the audio system though.
Hi. Regret that this is not true. The chain is as good as every link in it.. Good speakers but lousy source... lousy sound. Period. Lousy amplifier... lousy sound. No matter how "good" a speaker is, every link matters. Simple logic.
That’s not true. If you had everything the same and through in like r700 speakers vs 800 b&w the bowers will make the setup sound way better lol
It really is the wrong question..
I am in the market for McIntosh amps, however I am not sure what to get. I made a blind purchase of Linn Klimax 350 passive speakers, 1000 watt each. However, I don't know what kind of amps I should be getting. What would you recommend that works both for listening to music and use as a home theatre? Do you think I should go for Mc462 or MC 611 or MC 1.25kw?
Well those look to have a powered bass section still, so you'd be more than fine with an MC462 I'd think since bass is w hat takes most of the power. Looks like a nice speaker.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy thank you
your question no 1 should be : how many sq m you got....
Cleattis, You feel the need to tell everyone what is right and wrong with Audio. With that big plastic & glass POS in the center of those Speakers and fancy amps with lights that just need to be on lol, You Probley need to shoot up to $1500 Bucks
The source IS the most important component! GIGO
Ha! My point was, even a $350 CD player isn't garbage. I want to know where all these "garbage" sources are that people are referring to.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy you're confusing most 'important' with most 'expensive'.
An "audio expert" talking to the cheapest, worst microphone available
Is your room acoustically treated?? Slight echo.
Yes, and more so now. I've got several sound panels around the room printed with my photography, and now I have a better rug. I'm talking to the on-camera mic here, so the audio doesn't come out like a lav mic. I had a thin rug then, and now I've got a thick shaggy one, that helped clean things up.
I thought "source" meant the recording. Ive heard some lousy recordings, the better the system the more you hear the bad recording ie noise and lousy acoustics.
I agree with you that the speakers are your most important component in determining your sound. There are differences in CD players, but cost can be prohibited overall. The best CD player that I have ever heard was the Audio Research cd8 followed by the Cd7, which are both tube CD players, both new they were about 7 grand, used about 3,000 to 4000.
Although I loved them both and the cd8 more so overall, I settled on a used Audio Research Cd3, which is solid state for about one grand, 5500 new. Did I lose out in sound quality? yes, but for the amount of time that I actually listen to cd, I would say no, but I must admit that it is very hard to un hear what I heard in the Cd8, it was that good and it made you put cd in after cd. I didn’t miss vinyl for the week that I had either the cd8 or cd7. As for vinyl 1500 is a good starting point, but you do get more the more you move up. I currently have a VPI Classic 1 that I’m very happy with, but I have heard better with 5,000 to 20,000 record players, SME comes to mind.
For vinyl the platter, the tone arm, the bearing, the cartridge- moving magnet vs moving coil and the phono preamp determine what sound you get. With streamers, there are differences but the Dac becomes more important and Dac technology changes more than any other technology. Hey Clint, what RC car are you using now?
Yea, there are differences in CD players and TT's, I probably underemphasized that in my video to make a point, but they're just less-so than speakers and other components IMO. For RC, I've got some videos coming. I've got a few projects in the works. I'll try to get a vid up tonight I shot yesterday.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Thanks Clint and I did get your point, thanks man.
the most important component are my ears,
i just complete my mcintosh system see here,
czcams.com/video/I6BnV7nCaws/video.html
Dude you got a vid on garbage on, garbage out, and we can barely hear you
Great ideas but you could make a lot better video if you invest in a remote microphone to get it on you and a lot less echo on the audio.
System synergy?
You've seen the Greek Audiophile club video? ;)
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy no, I don’t really watch anything Greek. Strongly disagree with their sexual orientation.
Check your ears first, then spend money in thing you can hear.
what are the speakers
Revel Ultima Studio 2's.
Sorry but your marantz cd player is a crap audio player. It does not have detail or resolution, nor does it have natural sound, It is as coloured as you can get. Your mcintosh amplifiers are not revealing, are definitely not in any way shape or form the last word for detail and resolution. And last not least those revels are a hard load with all those drive units. Does not matter how much money you throw into those loudspeakers, they also are not the last word in natural sound ( sound of metal drive units ) for natural detail with resolution either. They also have too many passive crossover parts in them, and with the combined load of all the drive units, you are never going to get the ultimate detail with resolution. It does not matter that they are built like brick houses, it is the passive nature of all the too many internal components plus the load of all those drive units combined do not work in giving the most natural detail and resolution that is possible. Your whole system has too many deficiencies. If you want to hear a system that sounds uncoloured with natural detail with resolution, I suggest that you go listen to some large 3 way class A /AB active mosfet powered ATC SCM ASL, with the separate active bass modules set up in a proper studio environment. Then you will realise what detail with resolution actually is and what natural sound should sound like.
Hi Clint pls do a video with your biggest rubber band ball😃😃
Si
Yhea amps don’t matter at all with some LRS speakers. LoL
$500 gets you a pos cdp
Lol
I can easily hear the difference between a $200 CD player and a $2000 CD player. The $200 CD player sounds like the mono button is pushed in.
Sure. I don't even know of a $200 CD player, it must be junk. But $600 is a different story. Well this year it went up to $799 now thanks to massive inflation.
Covid weight ?
A CD player costs $20 max...if you pay more, you are a fool
had 20 euro sony 2nd hand and its not even 15% to denon dcd 2000ae or nad cd player . Im sory you are wrong
My opinion is your system kinda sucks. If it were put it in my living room though, it's coolness factor would rise dramatically!!!!!
the most important component are my ears,
i just complete my mcintosh system see here,
czcams.com/video/I6BnV7nCaws/video.html
I think you are drunk brother. Come back here when you are back to normal LOL !
@@ceddy1031 no that is because I have metabolism illness since 5 years,,so it looks to you like i had some wine
no my system rocks ,it is so awesome.
steve knows more of what he's talking about then you
trying to make a $1 on u tube , haha Garbage in ?? So you run out and buy Mac thinking at night it looks like a disco What ever you tell these people
thay should do the opposite