If I were fortunate enough to find, say … an old pair of KEF Reference Model Two’s in a charity shop for a ton or so - would I need to get them gold-plated to even things up ? Must ask Paul McGowan … him being such a sage n all …
He’s probably just trying to generate sales for his new ‘Aspen’ series of (expensive) loudspeakers.
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Since I, and many, most likely have 2 sources the balance shifts quite rapidly. That said the speakers are 20% of total system. One source is twice the speakers the other source is 40% of the more costly source. Riaa is 4% of total system minus speakers. Stand is equal to riaa. How much are the cables? 
Don’t cheat by looking at my profile
Wow I would be looking for much more on source…say 30 source and 10 for cables…just a thought…
Maybe one day I’ll look at better sources but I’m currently done with upgrades. After I have settled with the system (main components and speakers), I usually won’t look at higher level gear but concentrate on tweaks or higher quality cables. I guess I have some crazy infatuation with cables as I tend to spend a lot of money here. My sources(DAC) all cost above £2k actual price paid although MSRP are higher. One of the power cord in my system actually costs more than the DAC that’s connected to it.
I’ll be getting a posh USB cable next week as it has been on my mind for quite some time.
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Good cables do make a difference especially the power cords…
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It’s looking like 25%ish for me🤔
£8k on Source (just my LP12 with associated Phono Stage and PSU’s)
£6k on Amplification (all this new Naim kit)
Leaving upto £5k on Speakers (yet to be selected and purchased)…
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17.6% ?
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Sounds like a question that might appear on the Högskoleprovet?
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30%
Source. Marantz 30n SACD/DAC with blue sound node. 3K
Amp. Moonriver. 5K
Speakers. Harbeth P3ESRxd. ~3500
misc cables. $500
200/202 as spare with Totem Forests just to show I am Naim person
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OMG. I have some stuff to sell you ! Kidding but I’m not sure I would agree with allotment. Different strokes for different folks
Lol, I think anyone who has watched many of Paul’s videos knows he seems like a pretty straight shooter.
Would he like for you to buy his gear sure! But he doesn’t answer your questions that way. He’s still a person that loves music and he answers from the heart and not just to try and push his own products.
Tom from power sound audio is like that too! And I appreciate that!!
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Well total system cost depends on how many sources you’re listing but I think the real equation is taking the system as a single source system really so assuming new equivalent RRP as much of my system is olive:
GyroDec/GyroPower QC/SMEIV/AT-OC9/Trichord Dino/NC Power supply - approx £9k
NAC82/HiCap/250 - approx £11k
ATC SCM40 - approx 4K
TOTAL £24k, Speakers 4K so approx 16% which is I think about right for a balanced system. I can certainly confirm that the next level up in the ATC range (SCM50 passive) at around £10500 needed a whole lot better amplification to control them.
Of course if you ignore the Gyro and consider NDX at around £5000 then system cost falls to £21000 and thus speaker cost is around 25%
Jonathan
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My system (audio element only):-
dCS Rossini/Vivaldi source £43k
Dan D’Agostino Amplifier £22k
Kudos Titan 606 Speakers £11k
Chord Cables etc. £16k
So, speakers about 12.3% of the total. With the Home Cinema stuff included, the speaker element rises to about 16% of the total.
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I would answer 3.5m.
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Krona?
The 606s are very, very good. Likewise, mine get Mrs DGs approval, they look good and are lounge friendly.
DG…
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Heheh … I also do quite like ‘our Paul’, and do, indeed …
watch his vids, on occasion. He reminds me … for some reason or other, of another Boulder, Colorado resident - Mindy’s old man, Fred McConnell, of ‘Mork & Mindy’ fame … who ran the music store (leased from the property owner, Arnold Wanker !)
… back in the days when I had to ‘make do’ with a Luxman L-120A integrated (& PD284 turntable) with B&W DM7 mk II speakers
Because a basic but decent speaker is a very simple device and will always replay the information given by great front-end with good control even though it may be bandwidth limited or have an uneven frequency response. Lex Linn Sara.
You want the magic, not the magician.
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If depends on your definition of “decent”. To me, no speaker curtailing the bottom couple of octaves, or adding significant colouration, is a decent speaker. It may replay with good control, but what is the point of a good source, if the speaker cuts off an important part of the spectrum, or adds its own “music” in the form of colouration?
A good loudspeaker will convert to sound whatever it is fed, without adding or removing anything (in practical terms, adding or removing as little as possible). The challenges in achieving this are why good speakers tend to be expensive - and why early on in system building the speakers may be a high proportion of system cost, but reduce as source (and amplification) are brought up to their best.
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The issue is that many cheap speakers have flaws that most are probably unaware of until you have lived without them. Troels Gravesen talks alot about the differences between low quality vs high quality drivers. Lower quality tweeters often have distortion that comes across as a sparkly top end. Where the treble can be “heard”. You don’t know it’s there until it’s gone. It’s the same with distortion in mid woofers. Some complain of sibilance on certain recordings with the likely culprit being cone breakups and distortion due to low parts quality or design flaw. Again, you don’t know it’s there till it’s gone. Same with timing issues and mid tweeter integration. Of course a great source will sound better than a lesser one but low quality speakers will still have issues that a source can’t fix.
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