I was reading Robert Harley's editorial in the March issue of TAS where he gives out the results of their reader's survey and was struck by the fact that the single most popular products in the magazine are loudspeakers.
I find this interesting for a couple of reasons: chief among them that loudspeakers seem to be the product least experimented with.
By that remark I mean it would seem easier to try a new DAC, power device, preamp or amp than a pair of loudspeakers. Their survey shows that the second most popular items are a tie between computer audio and turntables - so certainly folks are interested - but still the number one interest item is speakers.
On the one hand I agree that the speakers make the single biggest difference in the way you bring music into the home. As many long time readers know I have always felt that you put your money first into speakers, then electronics and finally accessories and interconnecting cables. We don't make loudspeakers, so this is just a personal opinion - and yes, I know this flies in the face of the other camp who feel the source is more important and speakers last.
Since most people I know rarely ever change their loudspeakers - yet routinely play around with different cables and electronics - am I just hanging out with the wrong people?
Or could it be that loudspeakers garner so much interest because they are the cornerstone of a system and typically the most expensive element - something we sit home and read about and aspire to over the long term - but don't necessarily experiment with?
I am just asking.
