Speakers and amplifiers show audiophiles are confused.


An audiophile buys a pair of speakers for $50K or $100K then asks what amps make them sound best. That’s about as smart as marrying a girl without knowing her personality. What are the specs that will insure your expensive new speakers and amps will work optimality with each other? There’s got to be an app for that, well no there isn’t because there are too many variables and companies don’t present their specs in a standard ways. Why is it that speaker and amplifier manufactures don’t recommend specific amps for their speakers? Beyond power, impedance, and making your own crossovers how do you choose amplifiers to get all the potential out of your speakers?

128x128donavabdear

Selecting a grab-bag of "THX" gear and hoping it all sounds great together as a 'team' is an interesting approach but one I'd deem aimed more at mid-fi, and folks who don't have the time or inclination to audition (or don't trust their ears if they do).

As for me, I'll stay clear of that general approach towards gear acquisition as I trust my ears over THX on the front label. My system has been a work in progress over thirty plus years. I'm not much into guessing/hoping (except jellybeans in a jar).

It is a bit of work, but in the end it's a personally tailored system you can enjoy.

I’m not much into guessing/hoping (except jellybeans in a jar).

Are you certain? Jelly Belly “BeanBoozled” mystery flavors.

Barf, Booger, Dirty Dishwasher, Old Bandage, Stinky Socks, Spoiled Milk, Canned Dod Food, Liver & Onions, Rotten Egg, Stink Bug, Dead Fish … finale, Toothpaste.

:-)

@musicaddict

Selecting a grab-bag of "THX" gear and hoping it all sounds great together as a ’team’ is an interesting approach but one I’d deem aimed more at mid-fi, and folks who don’t have the time or inclination to audition (or don’t trust their ears if they do).

I think that is a fair assessment, exactly the market that needs something like that to guide them +1.

The THX rating seems to also have a high end market as well, Perlisten, KEF, Meridian, Parasound, and Benchmark. KEF’s US demo room at their NJ HQ is THX Dominus certified and they wear that like a badge of honor. Perlisten partnered with Storm Audio and Dirac at CES and bragged about their THX Dominus creds, this room is pretty high end:

https://youtu.be/iYG3OyGc8oY

Look how Benchmark positions their THX amp in the high end:

Pair the DAC3 (DAC-preamplifier) with the AHB2 (power amplifier) to create the ultimate high-resolution music system. These matched Benchmark components are designed to reproduce music without imparting audible noise, distortion, or coloration. 

https://benchmarkmedia.com/collections/amp

 

@donavabdear  really comparing concert amps to home audio? Bob carver said it best , pro amps are made to play loud and not break, not to sound good. The  wall of sound is still one of the best sounding concert setups and that was how long ago?