![]() ![]() It took me exactly two semesters to move out of the dorm complexes at USC and into a pretty darn nice apartment with a roommate in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, which is near where Rick Caruso’s Grove shopping mall is located now. #Should i get speakeramp or subwoofer PcThe ultra-rigid Naim speaker cables got in the way of my gnarly PC laptop (I was so glad to get rid of that nightmare along with its dot-matrix printer), which was needed to actually do my studies in the mid-1990s. I learned quickly that setting up an audiophile system in dorm room half the size of a prison cell was pretty close to impossible on a physical level. The system began with by a well-hyped Rotel 855 Compact Disc player, an Audio Alchemy DAC, and a super-esoteric-at-the-time Naim NAIT 8-watt integrated amp from the U.K. I started out on the East Coast side of the argument as a kid, as I actually downsized from floorstanding Polk speakers into tiny bookshelf Celestion 3 speakers that I won in a sales contest when selling AV gear in high school. The JBLs of the world seem to lean more on the notion that can have all of the fancy front end components you want, but if your speakers don’t have any bass or can’t play at a compelling volume level, then your system might just suck. In some ways, you could consider this the “East Coast argument,” if only by contrast with the high-flying West Coast position. Scottish audio company, Linn, has historically made the argument that your system can only sound as good as your source (thus you should invest in one of their timeless, but expensive, LP-12 turntables). The argument over which is most important in your audiophile system–your source component(s) or your speakers–is an age-old debate with strong proponents on both sides. PS: I think the amount you've allocated to speakers, amps, dacs so far is great.SHARES Twitter 290 Facebook Email Print LinkedIn Pinterest SMS WhatsApp What is your budget? has a great guide and spreadsheet for choosing the best subwoofers at just about any price point. If you don't have a PC source to use Audiolense or Accourate, a miniDSP 2X4 HD with DiracLive is a cheap way to integrate and EQ that/those sub(s). #Should i get speakeramp or subwoofer upgradeIf you don't have a subwoofer yet, getting that plus a good DSP solution like Audiolense to integrate and EQ it will be by far the biggest(and most cost effective) upgrade you can achieve. I suspect it's likely the same story for your amp, and I'd only upgrade that if your system doesn't get as loud as you like. ![]() Only reason I would upgrade the DAC is if it doesn't support your use case(ex: multi-channel audio). Your DAC is a fantastic one, and it is already perfect to well beyond the limits of human hearing, so there is zero possibility of getting any upgrade there(even with a $90,000 DAC). Upgrading your speakers/sub is like upgrading the engine, and optimizing your room and DSP is like upgrading the brake system. ![]() is akin to trying to get faster track times out of your car by upgrading the floor mats. Trying to get better sound by upgrading DACs, amps(if you don't need more volume), etc. To put it in more perspective, I'd be willing to bet that the differences between your left and right B&W 607 are greater than the differences between the very best and very worst DACs measured here. The truth is that if you don't need more volume, then speakers, subs, room, speaker placement, listener placement, and DSP(Audiolense, Accourate, Dirac, etc.) account for 99.9% of the sound quality you hear. ![]() That advice is certainly common on many forums, but it's (imo) based in large part on non-controlled(non blind) listening tests that are heavily influenced by placebo/expectation bias. ![]()
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