Quote Originally Posted by John Ashman
I agree. My saying for people who want maximum performance for the money is to buy the very best speakers they can afford and then buy the least expensive gear that does them justice. Sure, a $10K preamp/amp might do them justice, but so might a $2K integrated. And if that $8K went towards better speakers? Yikes.
I'm a back end guy myself.

No...wait...that didn't come out right .

Without question, the speakers and room acoustics will have the biggest effect on perceived sound. I agree wholeheartedly with your strategy.

Quote Originally Posted by john
This is the point with which I disagree. It is NOT just subjective, otherwise, we're going around in circles and getting nowhere. Objectivity is the guide post we need to get somewhere.
It will never happen. Every designer has specific ideas on how they want their speakers to sound. Von Schweikert uses a sota playback system when voicing his speakers to make them as close to "live" as possible. Likewise, ATC engineer their speakers to be ruler flat and as faithful to the original as possible. Both have the same objective goal yet play the two side by side and they couldn't sound more different.
While many companies build to taste, the companies that are objectively moving forward, IMO, are *also* subjectively moving forward and making a *real* difference in quality as opposed to a perceived one.
Agreed. This is why you see diamond and beryllium(sp?) tweeters.
This is why I disagree with how many companies build speakers - they're doing it to impress people, not to be more transparent
You lost me on this thought.
Most speaker companies just cater to their following and that's it. If they cared about furthering the perfomance, they'd abandon most of their design elements.
Well, I doubt you'll find any mission statement on the planet with a goal to "alienate the existing client base." If a company has a house sound and it's successful, naturally they will want to stay within the same parameters. Therefore, every company is somewhat restricted by market demands. Let's remember they are here to make a profit. When B&W gave their engineers free rein, unfettered by market demands or profitability requirements, they came up with the Nautilus, a speaker unlike anything else in their line. Infinity did the same thing with the IRS. Statement pieces that truly push the sota are wonderfull, but rarely profitable.