[DavidMahler]

In what order do these factors play the biggest roll in sound quality:
 

1. The Recording Itself  (including how the music was mixed and mastered)
2. Source (quality of the DAC, CD player or Vinyl rig)
3. Amplifier/Preamp (quality of the components within and the synergy it has with the transducers it is connected with)
4. Headphones / Speakers (quality of the transducers)
5. A person's own hearing limitations (everyone's hearing is different, sometimes significantly, based on genetics and sometimes hearing loss or even just pure blockage)
6. Cables and all interconnects involved (from the wall all the way to the transducer, all cables and cable material involved in creating the purest tone)
7. Power supply and all power related variables (this includes having clean power from your wall)

 
I think these are the main categories and obstacles in sound reproduction.  A person's own hearing limitations can be very hard to quantify because no one can hear how anyone else's brain/ear symmetry works, but I thought it was reasonable to put it in the factors as I think it may be the most important.
 
These factors are just bulleted, they are not ranked.  How do you rank them from your own experience?

 

[Anaxilus]

I would probably rank them in the same order you have them listed w/ amp and speakers flip flopping depending and the same w/ cables and power.

 

[MacedonianHero]

LOL...Dave, you're the expert. You'd be as qualified as anyone around here.
 
Tell me how far I'm off:
 

1. The Recording Itself  (including how the music was mixed and mastered)
2. Headphones / Speakers (quality of the transducers)
3. Amplifier/Preamp  are equal for me Source (quality of the DAC, CD player or Vinyl rig)
4. Cables and all interconnects involved
5. Power supply and all power related variables

 
Thanks.

 

[XXII]

You've missed one of the most important things which is that SQ is subjective. A person's preferences play a major role in his perception of SQ.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

You've missed one of the most important things which is that SQ is subjective. A person's preferences play a major role in his perception of SQ.

Beyond mathematically proven theorems, everything in this world is subjective.

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

In what order do these factors play the biggest roll in sound quality:
 

1. The Recording Itself  (including how the music was mixed and mastered)
2. Source (quality of the DAC, CD player or Vinyl rig)
3. Amplifier/Preamp (quality of the components within and the synergy it has with the transducers it is connected with)
4. Headphones / Speakers (quality of the transducers)
5. A person's own hearing limitations (everyone's hearing is different, sometimes significantly, based on genetics and sometimes hearing loss or even just pure blockage)
6. Cables and all interconnects involved (from the wall all the way to the transducer, all cables and cable material involved in creating the purest tone)
7. Power supply and all power related variables (this includes having clean power from your wall)

 
I think these are the main categories and obstacles in sound reproduction.  A person's own hearing limitations can be very hard to quantify because no one can hear how anyone else's brain/ear symmetry works, but I thought it was reasonable to put it in the factors as I think it may be the most important.
 
These factors are just bulleted, they are not ranked.  How do you rank them from your own experience?

What do you think the ranking of these components is?

 

[revolink24]

Headphones
Source
Amp
 
All others are irrelevant, since tastes vary and highly expensive cables/tweaks are rubbish.

 

[Henerenry]

Source for me all the way.
 
That being said I think the "weakest link in the chain" applies here. That being said, I'm not a massive believer in cables, I'd probably sspent the least amount of money here.

 

[Uncle Erik]

1. Recording quality
2. Listener's hearing
3. Speakers/headphones
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4. Amp quality
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5. Source quality*
6. Power supply **
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7. Cables ***

* This goes for digital. If you're using a turntable or reel-to-reel, the quality of the source is important.
** Power supply only insofar as the *internal* power supplies in the gear. Even if your power cable sells for four figures and you have some fancy balanced AC delivery, a crappy power supply will still put AC ripple or worse into an amp. You don't want that going into a CD player's output or what regulates the speed on a turntable, either. All the little aftermarket tweaks mean nothing compared to the actual power supply in your gear.
*** Cables only work if you believe they work. Unfortunately, blinded tests make it difficult to tell whether or not you're hearing a cable you believe in.

 

[9pintube]

IMO  1st) Source - "Garbage In Garbage Out"..............2nd) Amplifier/Preamp ....... 3rd) Power supply and all power related variables .......4th) The Recording Itself  .......5th) Headphones / Speakers .........6th) Cables and all interconnects involved ......7th) A person's own hearing limitations (This one throws all the 1-6 choices out the window,    Because if you can't hear or have a limited range in what you can hear, your order would be different or not important to you anymore anyway.............Ps. not trying' to be a smart ass, JMO........By the way #2 and my #4 choices can be flip flopped in many situations!!

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Beyond mathematically proven theorems, everything in this world is subjective.

Since you only know the content of your senses, everything is subjective.  In fact I don't think you even exist.


 
Quote:

Headphones
Source
Amp
 
All others are irrelevant, since tastes vary and highly expensive cables/tweaks are rubbish.

So you can pass judgment on things you have not even heard?   
 
 
I am not sure that ranking equipment in the audio chain makes any sense.   If your source material is crap a million bucks of subsequent equipment isn't going to make it sound good.  Likewise if you have a serious hearing loss nothing much is going to help.  There seem to be  some unstated assumptions about the minimum level of quality of equipment.
 
 
This thread seems to encourage departures from logic.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

[n3rdling]

Quote:

1. Recording quality
2. Listener's hearing
3. Speakers/headphones
.
.
.
.
4. Amp quality
.
.
.
.
.
5. Source quality*
6. Power supply **
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
7. Cables ***

* This goes for digital. If you're using a turntable or reel-to-reel, the quality of the source is important.
** Power supply only insofar as the *internal* power supplies in the gear. Even if your power cable sells for four figures and you have some fancy balanced AC delivery, a crappy power supply will still put AC ripple or worse into an amp. You don't want that going into a CD player's output or what regulates the speed on a turntable, either. All the little aftermarket tweaks mean nothing compared to the actual power supply in your gear.
*** Cables only work if you believe they work. Unfortunately, blinded tests make it difficult to tell whether or not you're hearing a cable you believe in.

Agree completely based on my experience thus far.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Since you only know the content of your senses, everything is subjective.  In fact I don't think you even exist.


 
 
 

Oh I'm here....trust me.

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Oh I'm here....trust me.

You could be a figment of my imagination.

 

[DavidMahler]

I've been thinking about this and I've come up with........
 
1. A person's hearing (by this I didn't really just mean technical limitations but also the subjectivity)
 
a close second
 
2. Recording quality
 
3. Quality of the transducers (From my experience the transducers are much more a part of the end result than the source)
 
4. Source (garbage in / garbage out yes, and in a high-end rig the source can make or break the sound, but using an HD600 versus a pair of iBuds is a bigger sonic improvement than using an iPod versus a MSB Diamond DAC)
 
5. Amplifier (if a transducer is in desperate need of an amp, aka K1000.....then they go hand and hand in terms of importance, but for my money Amp is tied with Source for 4th place)
 
6. Clean Power
 
7. Cables and interconnects