Source First or System Synergy?

Thanks Max for giving it a go! :smiley:

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True, unfortunately this place is more about climbing the upgrade ladder, and the entry levels are quickly dismissed.

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Let’s say possibly at least a little bit because of the source (and electronics) first mantra?

I did make a (hopefully obvious) flippant comment earlier and I am not saying that the reverse, essentially North Korean type zombification such as on the Harbeth HUG Speakers Only is any better, in fact I think it’s worse as it completely ignores and disregards the rest and the balance.

In that sense both extremes are detrimental if they mean ignoring the other end. If it’s a process and a path to reach the balance, I guess we could call it more tactics. I personally do start with the speakers (and vs room) when building my system these days … the right (your) speakers are tricky to find sometimes but kind of make you like the sound of your system, while the rest improves it. Still, for me true love comes only when the right amp and a very good source/DAC that plays to the same character and preference are in place too. And in this direction of travel I feel there is less anxiety, for me.

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I have always been a staunch ‘source first’ advocate. However, with the advent of digital, the cost of capable sources (streamers/DACs) has fallen relative to say vinyl IMV. This doesn’t mean a digital source is any less important to a system’s ultimate SQ though.

I always used to upgrade from the front to the back of my system, i.e. source first, pre amp, power amp and lastly speakers, with the aim to achieve balance as an end game. That has always worked well for me.

The problem with that is you can spend a lot of time with an unbalanced system as you improve kit from the front to the back.

Now, with digital sources, I see things a little differently. I now err towards a ‘balance first’ approach but ensuring I don’t skimp on the digital source (and I include the server/NAS and server software as part of the digital source).

Due to space restrictions in my new home, I have recently moved from a OC 500 streaming system to a NC 200 streaming system and was keen to go straight to a balanced system to avoid the imbalance of ‘source first’ appproach and also avoid the temptation to upgrade, again leading to a period of imbalance. I therefore went straight to NC222/300/250, with modest, but capable, Russell K Red 100 speakers. A beautifully balanced and rewarding system.

Cables and supports still play a part in the ultimate SQ, as they always have, but now we need to pay attention to our local networks i.e. Ethernet cables, and switches (including switch power supplies) for example. I have learned that ‘optimising’ your local network is an important ingredient in the ultimate capability of any system with a streamer/DAC source.

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Which kind of optimization are you talking about here. Could you please elaborate a bit ?

By optimising I mean separating digital traffic to the streamer from the rest of the digital traffic in the home with the deployment of switches, the use of more capable switches in the audio chain, experimenting with switch power supplies and Ethernet cables, keeping switches, routers, servers/NASs physically and electrically separated from your hifi and plugged into a different mains circuit to the hifi.

After lots of experimenting I have ended up with a Cisco 2960 switch handling the general home network traffic and a EtherREGEN switch (powered by a Farad Super3 linear power supply) dedicated to the music traffic (Qobuz), and a Melco N1 serving the local music files to the 222. I have also put a iFi iPower X Switch Mode Power Supply on my BT Smart Hub 2 router.

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Is see, thx for this clarification but is the 2960 not EOL/EOS now ?
Perhaps not as critical in an Hifi Env :wink:

I believe the Cisco 2960 has been superseded but I bought mine used anyway. If you go for one of these be careful which model you buy (there are several threads on here about this switch) and make sure it has been factory reset. It is a managed switch and if it has been configured you need to know what you are doing. Factory reset makes it essentially plug and play.

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Yep right. Thx

Definitely source first makes sense to me, every time I make improvement to the source, I can hear more insight into the music, more musicality of the timbres of instruments, the voices, the sound stage, the depth, the layer, the more cleanliness, more prat, more of everything. If you put your money to speaker, the amp, you hear more thundering noises, basically you hear more sound, more bass, more treble as opposed to better music.

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It’s not so simple at all and largely depends on user preferences. For example, I know about myself that I’m a midrange-centric listener. For now that means that only 2 types of midrange drivers really working for me - either paper cones or ATC. It’s not about quantity but quality. Another example - shifting quite many amps I found that a big proportion of those are quite trivial sounding. It doesn’t mean bad just not sophisticated enough. And it’s again a qualitative thing.

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