The actual problem here is:
At my price point where is it most difficult to find good value for money? How will it work in my home?
I don't think there is any way of saying "allocate x% to source, speakers, amplification, preamp" These things are all going to swap around between a $1000 system and a $100,000 system. How much money does one need to spend on a given component to make it not the weakest link in the chain.
I still think room acoustics are the biggest most un addressed issue in hifi because it's so multifactorial and there's no easy way to talk about it like comparisons of x vs y amplifier.
My system is a joke compared to other systems here, for sure, but I have implemented swarm subwoofers because I couldn't get the bass right in the actual living room I listen in here in the real world. We're listening to a lot of folk and folktronica, this isn't the Weeknd or Lil Wayne but I had to spend my money on subs.
I also couldn't position floor standing speakers or large boxes in a way that would get anything close to a good listening triangle. I liked big speaker sound but had to wind up with bookshelves to get them in the right space relative to where we listen.
If we listened in some ideal purpose constructed listening room with bass traps three layers of sheetrock and built in consultation with an audio engineer maybe we could say spend money on x, y and z in that order, but then again if we had that room the largest expense would almost surely be the room itself.
I think, in some ways, a big question is what to spend the least on. That's probably on working out your listening space and finding music and time to enjoy it with people you love. Spending the least money doesn't mean the least attention. The real "front end" is less fussing and more enjoyment.
At my price point where is it most difficult to find good value for money? How will it work in my home?
I don't think there is any way of saying "allocate x% to source, speakers, amplification, preamp" These things are all going to swap around between a $1000 system and a $100,000 system. How much money does one need to spend on a given component to make it not the weakest link in the chain.
I still think room acoustics are the biggest most un addressed issue in hifi because it's so multifactorial and there's no easy way to talk about it like comparisons of x vs y amplifier.
My system is a joke compared to other systems here, for sure, but I have implemented swarm subwoofers because I couldn't get the bass right in the actual living room I listen in here in the real world. We're listening to a lot of folk and folktronica, this isn't the Weeknd or Lil Wayne but I had to spend my money on subs.
I also couldn't position floor standing speakers or large boxes in a way that would get anything close to a good listening triangle. I liked big speaker sound but had to wind up with bookshelves to get them in the right space relative to where we listen.
If we listened in some ideal purpose constructed listening room with bass traps three layers of sheetrock and built in consultation with an audio engineer maybe we could say spend money on x, y and z in that order, but then again if we had that room the largest expense would almost surely be the room itself.
I think, in some ways, a big question is what to spend the least on. That's probably on working out your listening space and finding music and time to enjoy it with people you love. Spending the least money doesn't mean the least attention. The real "front end" is less fussing and more enjoyment.