most important component to great sound

[walter duque]

1 quality of recording
2 power amp (or amps)
3 speakers (with more power you'll get the most out of your speakers)

 

[zieglj01]

I don't think room is number one based on my experience as well as from reading others experience (Siegfried Linkwitz, Dennis Murphy, AJ, and other members here).

I for one over the years, find that many speakers can work
in different rooms. The key is to set them up properly. >>
I am not going to change rooms around, or sell a house and
buy a new one for speakers. Also, life is too short for me to
spend a lot of time with the different receiver set-up options.
It sure is interesting, when one hits the pure direct mode.

I for one, want the speakers to reveal the source/recording,
that I am listening to.

 

[sterling shoote]

As I recollect, all of my "quality recordings" are simple, such as vocalist and guitar. The more miking, and instruments the less likely I will be satisfied. Perhaps if I had speaker arrays with multiple crossovers I might recognize a greater number of recordings in my music library as being high quality. At any rate, I've really enjoyed the views shared here about what's really important.

What is surprising is that our unique perspectives cause us all, it appears, to see it differently. When I was just getting into hi-fi, back in the early 70's, I started out with what i perceived was the best system I could afford. This system consisted of a Marantz 2230 receiver, a BSR record changer, and a pair of 3 way Marantz speakers. The speakers were no substitute for the popular JBL L100's of the day. The record changer did not track recordings very well, and the receiver needed warranty work in the first week of its usage. What a way to get into it all. Now, after going through about $85,000 over the years upgrading I am no longer chasing for a sound which is just over the horizon. I am satisfied. I also realize now that if I had made better decisions initially I could have had a system which would likely saved me a whole lot of money, frustration, and still be functioning today.

For any here just getting into it, reading well crafted advertisements put together by masters of marketing can make purchases of audio equipment a very emotional experience. This turns things upside down where the newly indoctrinated audiophile continues to see the equipment with an emotional slant, and, unfortunately, the music with an analytical view. Folks, don't go there. It's a very unhappy place where satisfaction does not exist.

 

[Steve81]

I vote for Quality of recording as #1 as well.

Then the speakers.

Then the room and placement.

All three are clearly critical to optimal performance, but I'd still rank the room in the top spot, particularly over the speakers.

The recording we have precious little control over; people will always buy the music they like; if it happens to be recorded well, that's just a bonus. I can say without a doubt, I'd never give up AC/DC to listen to well recorded chamber music. YMMV.

I discount the speakers because frankly, it isn't rocket science to buy a pair of well engineered speakers; sites like AH are making it a lot harder to buy poorly engineered crap than it once was, and companies ranging from behemoths like Harman Intl down to the little ID manufacturers many of us love are delivering excellent speakers at practically every price point.

Then there's the room, and I think its impact has been underestimated. FR mentioned an tile bathroom as a potential worst case scenario, but I'd go in the exact opposite direction: the anechoic chamber. Whether or not we realize or acknowledge it, the room has a huge impact on what we're hearing.

What's worse, dealing with the room seems like a dark art, even among enthusiasts. How many of us plop the speakers wherever it's convenient, run some sort of room correction software, and call it a day? How many of us use absorbers and diffusers? How many of us even know HOW to use them?

All this isn't to say it's impossible to tame a problematic room; it's a matter of time and potentially money. Still, for what's likely to be 95%+ of enthusiasts, the room dominates more than we'd care to admit, and we're either unaware of the issue or too lazy to do anything about it.

My 2 cents.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I can say without a doubt, I'd never give up AC/DC to listen to well recorded chamber music.

Soooo misguided...