Vote

What, in your opinion, has the greatest effect on a system's "sound"?

Stereophile  |  Jan 25, 1998

What, in your opinion, has the greatest effect on a system's "sound"?
Speakers
38% (163 votes)
Amplifier/Preamp
6% (26 votes)
Source: CD player or turntable, etc.
9% (38 votes)
Cables and tweaks
1% (5 votes)
The room
18% (77 votes)
Listener's state of mind
6% (25 votes)
Equal amounts of everything
21% (90 votes)
Total votes: 424

Conventional wisdom has always held that a pair of speakers can make the biggest difference in how a system sounds. But these days other components may be equally or more important, depending on the situation.