Good amp, poor speakers...
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Highly efficient speakers can make a lower power amp sound better or demanding speakers can make a lesser amp sound worse ! But you cant make gold out of garbage ! But good synergy between the amp and the speakers is huge !
elnaldo
Lunatic Member
A good speaker will reveal that a not so good amplifier was indeed very good. My main system is a "mid-fi" average cheap amplifier and with a pair of good speakers became a really good system. A better amp will sound even better, but IMHO, upgrading from bad to good speakers makes a big difference. I've tested good speakers with a really crappy 2WPC amp (two TBA820 ICs), and it sounds really good, unbelieveble sound out of that amp.
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Depends on the speakers and the amp
Lol, these days amps are all pretty good -- since the late 70's I guess, at least by the early 80's the only audible differences are power.
As long as you are talking about "hi-fi" equipment and not two watt boom boxes, they are all decent to excellent.
Speakers are much more variable and since they are the part that turns electrical signals into audible signals (vibrations in the air) they are the most important part of any system. Except the listener's ears, of course.
Everyone's hearing is different, and changes with age. Worry less about "best" and more about "what you like"! "mid-fi" is quite good enough for many people, you don't have to spend a fortune to get very good sound.
As long as you are talking about "hi-fi" equipment and not two watt boom boxes, they are all decent to excellent.
Speakers are much more variable and since they are the part that turns electrical signals into audible signals (vibrations in the air) they are the most important part of any system. Except the listener's ears, of course.
Everyone's hearing is different, and changes with age. Worry less about "best" and more about "what you like"! "mid-fi" is quite good enough for many people, you don't have to spend a fortune to get very good sound.
In a word, no. Having said that, certain combinations are probably more forgiving than others.
BMC
Active Member
I once had a Soundesign all in one 80s BPC hooked up to some decent 70’s Fisher ST-440? speakers. I had a Pioneer CD player on top of it, and people thought a Pioneer receiver was running those Fishers. It sounded really good for what it was.
I tried the Soundesign speakers that came with the receiver with a Pioneer receiver and it sucked big time. So there’s my anecdotal contribution to this thread.
I tried the Soundesign speakers that came with the receiver with a Pioneer receiver and it sucked big time. So there’s my anecdotal contribution to this thread.
E2
Addicted Member
Semanon
Super Member
Find the speakers you like, then find an amp to match. Any system is only as good as it’s weakest link, but speakers are way more variable in tone and quality than amps.
If I could not have good speakers and amp, my choice would be good speakers and a mediocre amp.
wmgwizard
Addicted Member
A good amp is not supposed to sound like anything but a "wire with gain", unless you are under or over powering the speakers then the amp is of little consequence.
Speakers OTOH, can have a HUGE affect on what you hear. Aside from the obvious differences in driver size, count and layout, power and placement will also have a significant effect on what you hear.
As we all hear and listen differently, I suggest you start with a pair of speakers that fit your budget and space. Little speakers in a big room or large speakers in a small is usually a recipe for dissatisfaction. Listen to everything you can and pull the trigger on what YOU like.
Then find an amplifier with sufficient power to drive them to satisfactory levels without clipping or distortion.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg ??
Speakers OTOH, can have a HUGE affect on what you hear. Aside from the obvious differences in driver size, count and layout, power and placement will also have a significant effect on what you hear.
As we all hear and listen differently, I suggest you start with a pair of speakers that fit your budget and space. Little speakers in a big room or large speakers in a small is usually a recipe for dissatisfaction. Listen to everything you can and pull the trigger on what YOU like.
Then find an amplifier with sufficient power to drive them to satisfactory levels without clipping or distortion.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg ??
twiiii
Lunatic Member
Like the man said poor speakers just sound poor. Now older speakers of quality can be improved with better amps if the designer allowed his speakers to be. Some speakers really improve throwing away the passive crossovers and using the appropriate amps being fed by the right electronic crossover. This applies to some Altecs, JBL's, Bozaks, and EV's. Klipsch not so much unless you want tube sound for the mid and tweeter and SS for the woofers. I can also see where some Mac line arrays would improve using an amp like the MC 901. But hey! most of us don't have that kind of cash. I still think they should make a model with half or 1/3 power. 200 or 300 for the bass SS section and 100 or 150 watts for the tube midrange high frequency spectrum.
arcorob
Addicted Member
Bottom line, as been said by many experts, speakers will be the reveal as the last link in the chain. NO major amp will make poor speakers sound good and the speakers you like should be you first priority, Relatively, there is really no such thing as a bad amp as they all pretty much put out the same ranges. There will be nuances in clarity, how soundstage is presented, etc, but the key as I said is speakers. I have $50 amps that with the right speakers sound amazing and I have 1000 dollar amp that cannot make bad speakers sound good.
The key is your speaker budget, what type of sound you like, etc. and these days, its alot easier to get amazing speakers at low cost vs the 70's --> 90's
I recently was floored by the sound of some bookshelf speakers I have been testing (I am a tower guy) and just cant beleive the amazing sound they can pump from these little boxes. Check my review in spekers on the ELac;s and the JAMO's...
The key is your speaker budget, what type of sound you like, etc. and these days, its alot easier to get amazing speakers at low cost vs the 70's --> 90's
I recently was floored by the sound of some bookshelf speakers I have been testing (I am a tower guy) and just cant beleive the amazing sound they can pump from these little boxes. Check my review in spekers on the ELac;s and the JAMO's...
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