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What componant degrades the signal least/most?

There have been many threads on this website over the last several years which addressed the effects of different cables on the sound of a system.

In my mind virtually every other componant was a greater effect on, or adds it's own signature to the signal more than cable does. Every componant has connections (every connection is a loss of signal) resistors, capacitors, power supplies, boards. These things will effect an input signal more than a pair of terminations and a length of wire.

We all know that CDs and LPs are capable of sounding amazing. In the best systems they can be truly breath-taking. Most of us do not experience this at home though.

Where was that beautiful music lost? What componant contributed most to the loss of that signal?
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Showing 2 responses by eldartford

eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Mechanical/Electrical transducers are the problem.

1. The microphones used to make the recording.
2. If you play an LP, the pickup.
3. The speakers.

IMHO These account for about 95% of the sound quality, assuming that the electronics are at least midfi stuff (Denon, Rotel, Adcom, NAD..etc.) Getting that last 5% costs all the money, and is a complete waste of time if the original recording wasn't top drawer.

PS: Really good or really bad room accoustics can play a big part even if the overall quality isn't great. I have mentioned before how good dixieland jazz sounds when played through honky horn speakers in an unfinished cellar.
Some professional performance halls have accoustic panels that can be raised and lowered so as to alter the hall accoustics to suit the particular performance format.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Ohlala...at first I thought your remark about Circadian rhythms was off the wall, but on second thought I suspect there is some truth in it. However, the effect acts on your ears and brain rather than on the audio hardware. I know that my eyesight varies from day to day, and there is no reason to believe that hearing doesn't vary also.

Note also that your ears are transducers.
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