kasperhauser
pfm Member
At least, mine apparently does.
Due to circumstances, I've spent the last 16 months listening to my system through a rather nice pair of vintage JBL L46, a large-ish two-way bookshelf speaker. These are proper old-school white-woofer JBLs, very capable, and I really like them; even so, my enjoyment/satisfaction with the sound during this time has been modest at the best of times. It has been a time of enjoying the music despite the sound, rather than enjoying the synergy of the two, which for me is the driving force behind hi-fi nerdery.
Yesterday I was able to bring the Shahinians back on line, and the transformation was instantaneous. Fantastic! My interest level in what I was hearing spiked off the chart; I couldn't get the records on fast enough, and ended up listening long past my bedtime for the first time in, well, about 16 months.
Now, bear in mind the only thing that changed was the speakers: same sources, same amps, etc. My conclusion is that once someone is lucky enough to find the speakers that do "it" for them, they are most of the way there - better sources, cables, isolation, etc. may provide more detail and better insight, tighter this and smoother that, but those things alone can't completely connect you to the listening experience the way the presentation and presence of the right speakers can.
Just out of curiosity, I swapped out amps, putting the modest vintage Rotel RA-413 integrated amp (25 wpc) in the mix. Different sound, yes, slightly bass shy, a little less refined on the highs (and actually, a little quieter background - this is a pretty nice little amp), but the impact persisted - same visceral, immediate connection to the music.
All this may just be an artifact of the way I personally listen, but that's my experience. Not sure what this does to the old "source first" maxim, but for me, if the speakers are right, the music is right.
Due to circumstances, I've spent the last 16 months listening to my system through a rather nice pair of vintage JBL L46, a large-ish two-way bookshelf speaker. These are proper old-school white-woofer JBLs, very capable, and I really like them; even so, my enjoyment/satisfaction with the sound during this time has been modest at the best of times. It has been a time of enjoying the music despite the sound, rather than enjoying the synergy of the two, which for me is the driving force behind hi-fi nerdery.
Yesterday I was able to bring the Shahinians back on line, and the transformation was instantaneous. Fantastic! My interest level in what I was hearing spiked off the chart; I couldn't get the records on fast enough, and ended up listening long past my bedtime for the first time in, well, about 16 months.
Now, bear in mind the only thing that changed was the speakers: same sources, same amps, etc. My conclusion is that once someone is lucky enough to find the speakers that do "it" for them, they are most of the way there - better sources, cables, isolation, etc. may provide more detail and better insight, tighter this and smoother that, but those things alone can't completely connect you to the listening experience the way the presentation and presence of the right speakers can.
Just out of curiosity, I swapped out amps, putting the modest vintage Rotel RA-413 integrated amp (25 wpc) in the mix. Different sound, yes, slightly bass shy, a little less refined on the highs (and actually, a little quieter background - this is a pretty nice little amp), but the impact persisted - same visceral, immediate connection to the music.
All this may just be an artifact of the way I personally listen, but that's my experience. Not sure what this does to the old "source first" maxim, but for me, if the speakers are right, the music is right.
