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Upgrade amp. or speakers first?

I have a Krell KAV 300i, and a pair of B&W N804's, all about 12 years old. Want to upgrade and want to know which should be first to go. The speakers or the amp? I listen to mostly jazz, some small scale classical, and R&B. I am leaning towards the 803D's or 804D's. Will budget up to 8k for amplifier(s). I have listened to some McIntosh, the new ARC integrated and Rotel amps. I recently got an Ayre QB-9 for digital source ( ITunes-Macbook ). Will upgrade, but not all at once. Thanks for any suggestions.
atj2

Showing 2 responses by sounds_real_audio

sounds_real_audio
942 posts
 
For sure you can change speakers and the sound will always change dramatically but is it change you can live with? Been there done that. Sure for a different sound get a different pair of speakers.

The single ended guys go at it the other way, They start with the amps and then of course choose speakers to go with the usually limited power they have.

From my experience a superb sounding amplifier will sound superb or at least very good on a set of capable speakers.
sounds_real_audio
942 posts
 
Always is not a good answer. Amplifiers and preamplifiers are the heart of the music. It seems to me that to often people purchase speakers and then must search for an amplifier that will drive that speaker, and not just drive the speakers but create a sound stage and believability, texture and nuance. Some speakers are hard to drive and require expensive amplification.
This would be a good time to consider amplifiers and preamplifiers. They just might transform your 804's.

I used to come at this problem from the opposite direction but experience has changed my mind.

Good luck
Jim
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