I frequently read about folk upgrading their loudspeakers or their amps or their various players, it seems like a never ending quest to gain that elusive 0.5% improvement in sound.
Based on my many years of going through similar actions, I have come to the conclusion that if I was starting out, I would first get the best loudspeaker I could afford. It must serve me a long time, as I slowly upgrade the rest of my equipment. I would plump for a slim line tower - this saves money on ridiculously overpriced stands. Next, I would get the best integrated amp I could afford after I have splurged on my loudspeakers. A separate Pre-amp is for the folk with tosh falling out of their pockets.
Then of course some connecting wire, I would start with a stranded copper minimum 14 AWG, 12 would be nicer but the reduction in resistance over a 2.5 to 3 meter run would be unnoticeable.
For myself, I would not bother with fancy schmancy cables, the difference in tonal quality is negligible to most people, as repeated A B tests have shown.
Lastly, my source - a decent CD player but one that has a wide consensus about the sound- something along the lines of a Rotel, Marantz or NAD. There are others of course. A turntable if you are old fashioned, reasonably priced but with the best cartridge you can afford. Over time, you will spend quite a lot on cartridges but the turntable fundamentally takes a long time to develop wear and tear on the main bearing.
If you buy good equipment and come down with upgradeitis, you will probably get a different amp as you hope to improve the synergy between amp and speakers. But if you bought a decent set of speakers in the first instance, everything else may change over time but your speakers will be your faithful companions over many years.
Based on my many years of going through similar actions, I have come to the conclusion that if I was starting out, I would first get the best loudspeaker I could afford. It must serve me a long time, as I slowly upgrade the rest of my equipment. I would plump for a slim line tower - this saves money on ridiculously overpriced stands. Next, I would get the best integrated amp I could afford after I have splurged on my loudspeakers. A separate Pre-amp is for the folk with tosh falling out of their pockets.
Then of course some connecting wire, I would start with a stranded copper minimum 14 AWG, 12 would be nicer but the reduction in resistance over a 2.5 to 3 meter run would be unnoticeable.
For myself, I would not bother with fancy schmancy cables, the difference in tonal quality is negligible to most people, as repeated A B tests have shown.
Lastly, my source - a decent CD player but one that has a wide consensus about the sound- something along the lines of a Rotel, Marantz or NAD. There are others of course. A turntable if you are old fashioned, reasonably priced but with the best cartridge you can afford. Over time, you will spend quite a lot on cartridges but the turntable fundamentally takes a long time to develop wear and tear on the main bearing.
If you buy good equipment and come down with upgradeitis, you will probably get a different amp as you hope to improve the synergy between amp and speakers. But if you bought a decent set of speakers in the first instance, everything else may change over time but your speakers will be your faithful companions over many years.
