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Magic Ratio?

Mine is about 1/3 for source/amps/speakers. This is slightly skewed as I run active speakers & two sources.

There are certainly no hard or fast rules, especially if you are running a digital front end.
 
Based on like for like replacement costs including cables and interconnects: CD Player 20%; DAC/pre-amp 50% (also serves other sources TV, laptop etc.); active speakers 30%. Total spend c.£1,500.
 
I have little recollection how much I paid for my kit, most of which are at least a quarter century old. But weight wise, I'd say sources combined weigh around 30kg, amps a neat 30kg and speakers 62kg for the pair. So my ratio by weight is 25/25/50%.

I also have about 400kg of records and CDs. Will that do?
 
roughly 25% on amps, 25% on speakers, 35% on vinyl front end (deck, arm, cart, SUT and phonostage), 10% on digital and the remainder on cables and supports.
 
This equation gets bit complex when your turntable was bought 20 years before your new amp and secondhand speakers.
Based on the current secondhand values mine is roughly
Turntable. 40%
Amp. 59%
Speakers. 1%

I am not sure that has any meaning though.
 
James said:
I have little recollection how much I paid for my kit, most of which are at least a quarter century old. But weight wise, I'd say sources combined weigh around 30kg, amps a neat 30kg and speakers 62kg for the pair. So my ratio by weight is 25/25/50%.

I also have about 400kg of records and CDs. Will that do?
Click to expand...
Excellent! That's got the making of another thread!
 
“New prices” (ish) below - Pi and 135 bought new, Raidhos the most amazing s/h purchase at under a third of new list. Stunning, stunning, stunning.

Source: £100 Pi/Digihat
Amp/DAC: £6500 Bryston 135 cubed with DAC board
Speakers: £20,000 Raidho D1

The most amazing sounds I’ve ever managed.

Digital source last on a £ for £.
 
Mine is around the following:

Rega P9 / Ania / Ray Samuels F-117 - 65%
Bryston B60 Amp - 17%
ATC SCM10 / Target R4 Stands - 17%
Cables - 1%

But that's just how it happened really, the P9/Ania was a bit of a 'halo' purchase where I knew I would not need to change again, and as its all bought second hand there is better value in the market. The Bryston and ATCs are similar value and found for good deals, with the cables all bog-standard Van Damme stuff.
The Sony CDP was technically free so I have counted it as such.
 
My kit is just too vintage and of too many different decades, to do this sort of analysis! Even using an inflation calculator doesn’t help much as technologies, economy of scale etc change. I’ll use the upstairs system as an example as it is rather more simple than the main one:

Source: Marantz SA 8005 SACD player, about £550 5 or 6 years ago.
Preamp: Audio Synthesis Pro Passion stepped attenuator, about £400-500 in 1993.
Power amp: Leak Stereo 20, about £30 in 1958.
Speakers: JR149, about £130 in 1978.
Target R4 stands, vdH interconnects and Chord speaker cable, about £600-700 late-90s.

I’ve honestly no idea how to work that out as a ‘today’s price’ thing as some items, e.g. the Leak and JR149s, would be rather expensive if made now (think Falcon LS3/5A, EAR, Radford Revival or whatever nice UK-made valve amp). It all sounds nicely balanced anyway!
 
Current system is:
Source: 30%
Amp: 30%
Speakers: 40%
I would happily spend more on speakers if i were to switch to floor standing full range speakers.
 
Linn Classik + 2nd generation Harbeth P3s, bought secondhand for £320 and £600 respectively.

Call it 15:15:70.

If I used the Quad Elite kit I'm thinking of selling, it would be roughly 20:40:40.

Speakers first, basically.

Edit: Need to squeeze in 1% for speaker cable somewhere.
 
The most expensive parts in my system are (always have been) the speakers, ‘57’s or Cabasse Galion 4 in its latest incarnation.
Then the vinyl front end.
Everything in between is less important I feel, although I do have some posh electronics.
However those make the least difference I find.
Cables near zero percent of the total: I have used the same adequate cables for 30 years and just forgot about them.

Sorry Ivor indeed. Those Linn systems with Naits and Kans just sounded risible back in the day.
 
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