I've been noticing that there are distinct ways to purchase and select a system.
The mix and match approach vs. buying everything from one mfg. and other variations.
Companies such as Meridian, Steinway/Lyngdorf, MBL, McIntosh, Krell and a few others (sorry for those names I left out, it wasn't intentional) make pretty much everything from the source (CD, DVD, DAC) to the pre-amp, power amp, speakers, even cables. For some, I think it's the best approach since they design everything purposely together to create something that's greater than the sum of all parts. I think this might become more important in the area of building a home theater system, especially with companies like Meridian and Steinway/Lyngdorf since they rely heavily on digital technology through out and they might use special cabling like Meridian's Speakerlink or something similar which is ethernet vs the traditional cabling that has been used for so many years. This approach allows the mfg to focus on designing their products together for a seamless tonal quality. Plus, some people think that esthetics are as important as the sound quality. Some just prefer the matched look of the products and they already know that the product they chose is of high quality and they just like the esthetics and a whole systems approach. I know growing up, I visited several homes where the owner just like McIntosh products and they just liked the look of their products. There's nothing wrong with this since most of the higher end products are high quality and it's just ends up being one's personal preference. Plus, the positive aspects are that everything is designed to work together and it's just a matter of which level of products to fit one's budget. It's nice to know that everything will work well, there's no mismatching of a component and some people really like that approach. For those wondering, I've walked into rooms at shows, stores, and homes where they had the entire system from one mfg and it was just unbelievable at how well the whole thing integrated. I've been in rooms with mix and match systems that sounded unbelievable and some where there were definite holes that needed to be filled.
The mix and match approach seems to be more involved with respect to the selection, procurement, and support processes. With the mix and match, it can sometimes be better because you are free to choose whatever you want, and because there are so many companies that only make speakers, only make electronics, or only make a specific component that is desired, this approach lets you constantly switch products out and upgrade as time/budget allow. The downside is sometimes one product simply doesn't match up with another. I notice that many people will go the route of selecting the electronics from one mfg and the speakers from another, which is very much a hybrid of both approaches. This seems to do well since the pre amp and power amp (which are closely tied to one another) are designed together and match up properly. It's definitely time consuming, anyone who's done this knows that it can be frustrating and if our budget is constrained, it takes a while to get to our ultimate goal. The most frustrating thing I learned about this process is when you upgrade on component, your weakest link is more visible and then you have to concentrate on upgrading that, and it never ends, you always find ways to improve the system, but sometimes the journey is what is the most fun if time permits. I used to practically live at my local stereo store constantly listening to products and going back and forth with loaner equipment, but it is a good way to get to know your local dealer as they can be invaluable when you least expect it. I've gotten some pretty good deals on used trade-ins from my dealer as they knew what I was looking for, and they would call me up right before they did the swap, so it worked out well for all parties involved. I like those situations. EVERYONE wins! But for those just starting out, the mix and match is a GREAT learning experience, while the whole system approach is for those that simply know pretty much what they want in a system and just want to bite the bullet, walk into the store and buy the entire system all at once and not have to spend much time listening to different components. And for some that works out nicely.
I've done both approaches myself, so I have a little experience doing both. I found that getting support during the setup (more involved with home theater systems) the whole system approach was better, at least for me. That's just my opinion. The reason is that the brand I chose was not exactly the easiest to set up and actually required someone that was trained in the set up procedures. I fortunately obtained through my dealer the set up training manual that their employees used when they attended the mfg training sessions so that was IMMENSELY helpful. Anytime I had any issues since I added and changed the system with other components that came out later, the mfg was VERY helpful in assisting me in the setup.
The mix and match approach is very attractive because sometimes there's a product that comes out that is just so compelling, that you just want that product and you may not be in a position to buy the entire system all at once. I think people that are more limited in their financial aspects are forced to buy components one at a time and they actually enjoy the pursuit of their ultimate system and the path of trying different things, buying and selling new or used and slowly updating products as time goes on. there seems to be quite a lot of people buying and selling items on eBay, Audiogon and other places on the internet, which makes this a LOT easier than prior to the internet. The biggest downfall of the mix and match approach is that these mfg sometimes just don't have much experience with matching their product to certain brands so they might not be of great help. So many of them will only have experience matching their products with a limited number of other mfg and that sometimes forces you to look at certain mfg to match components.
The other trend in the mix and match approach is the AIO electronics/speaker. There are plenty of companies such as Devialet, Wadia, etc. that are designing a system that has everything in one well designed and built product and all you really have to do is add a source (now a computer) and select the speakers/cable and that's it. That does make sense for people that want something simple, requiring less room, don't want to hassle with lots of cables and these systems have plenty of power to drive pretty much any speaker system on the market (Maybe not at full volume levels) but definitely enough to drive most speakers at desired listening levels. I find this approach is great for those that want a bedroom/office or just live in an apartment or small home and simply just want good audio without all of the vast array of boxes and cables. They do have the high WAF factor.
Obviously, there is, or at least was a growing trend in the higher end AIO system like the Meridian M/F80, B&W, Arcam, etc. make higher end boom boxes, for lack of another word, where high quality components are put into one box. While not the most optimal system, these systems still can provide good audio with a limited budget, but more importantly can be easily moved from room to room and generally provide good sound. I've read reviews where some of these products actually started rivaling larger systems. And there is something to be said about taking your system with you when you travel or you want to take it from room to room. In this category the Meridian M/F80 comes to mind and while the looks were questionable for some, that thing would surprise most people when you turned the thing on. I miss them not making that product, but maybe Meridian will release an updated product. For some, it's all they need or want due to limited budget, room size, etc.
Obviously, the third method is DIY, but most of the time that's typically DIY speakers, which can many times work out quite well. I've been amazed at some people's DIY speaker projects. Yes, I've seen some that were not that good, but I've heard some that were flat out quite good sounding. Selecting good components and just making their own cabinet that's well designed and mfg is what some people can be quite good at. And sometimes, they end up becoming a speaker company. Nothing wrong with that, it's just their passion. I'm surprised some of the mfg haven't offered a "Heathkit" approach where they provide everything except the solder and soldering gun and your labor to put together each component. This is a trend I thought might have caught on a little more with respect with the electronics, but apparently not quite as much as I was hoping. Some people simply don't have the money or they want some project to work on with their kids as they grow up where the kids spend time learning about nice quality equipment but on a limited budget. That's what some were doing when I grew up as Dad (usually) would take us to HeathKit and buy DIY amps, pre amps, etc. It's a lot of fun for kids to get that experience.
bottom line, no matter which direction you travel in this, there will be pros and cons and it's just a matter of figuring out what your thresholds are.
The mix and match approach vs. buying everything from one mfg. and other variations.
Companies such as Meridian, Steinway/Lyngdorf, MBL, McIntosh, Krell and a few others (sorry for those names I left out, it wasn't intentional) make pretty much everything from the source (CD, DVD, DAC) to the pre-amp, power amp, speakers, even cables. For some, I think it's the best approach since they design everything purposely together to create something that's greater than the sum of all parts. I think this might become more important in the area of building a home theater system, especially with companies like Meridian and Steinway/Lyngdorf since they rely heavily on digital technology through out and they might use special cabling like Meridian's Speakerlink or something similar which is ethernet vs the traditional cabling that has been used for so many years. This approach allows the mfg to focus on designing their products together for a seamless tonal quality. Plus, some people think that esthetics are as important as the sound quality. Some just prefer the matched look of the products and they already know that the product they chose is of high quality and they just like the esthetics and a whole systems approach. I know growing up, I visited several homes where the owner just like McIntosh products and they just liked the look of their products. There's nothing wrong with this since most of the higher end products are high quality and it's just ends up being one's personal preference. Plus, the positive aspects are that everything is designed to work together and it's just a matter of which level of products to fit one's budget. It's nice to know that everything will work well, there's no mismatching of a component and some people really like that approach. For those wondering, I've walked into rooms at shows, stores, and homes where they had the entire system from one mfg and it was just unbelievable at how well the whole thing integrated. I've been in rooms with mix and match systems that sounded unbelievable and some where there were definite holes that needed to be filled.
The mix and match approach seems to be more involved with respect to the selection, procurement, and support processes. With the mix and match, it can sometimes be better because you are free to choose whatever you want, and because there are so many companies that only make speakers, only make electronics, or only make a specific component that is desired, this approach lets you constantly switch products out and upgrade as time/budget allow. The downside is sometimes one product simply doesn't match up with another. I notice that many people will go the route of selecting the electronics from one mfg and the speakers from another, which is very much a hybrid of both approaches. This seems to do well since the pre amp and power amp (which are closely tied to one another) are designed together and match up properly. It's definitely time consuming, anyone who's done this knows that it can be frustrating and if our budget is constrained, it takes a while to get to our ultimate goal. The most frustrating thing I learned about this process is when you upgrade on component, your weakest link is more visible and then you have to concentrate on upgrading that, and it never ends, you always find ways to improve the system, but sometimes the journey is what is the most fun if time permits. I used to practically live at my local stereo store constantly listening to products and going back and forth with loaner equipment, but it is a good way to get to know your local dealer as they can be invaluable when you least expect it. I've gotten some pretty good deals on used trade-ins from my dealer as they knew what I was looking for, and they would call me up right before they did the swap, so it worked out well for all parties involved. I like those situations. EVERYONE wins! But for those just starting out, the mix and match is a GREAT learning experience, while the whole system approach is for those that simply know pretty much what they want in a system and just want to bite the bullet, walk into the store and buy the entire system all at once and not have to spend much time listening to different components. And for some that works out nicely.
I've done both approaches myself, so I have a little experience doing both. I found that getting support during the setup (more involved with home theater systems) the whole system approach was better, at least for me. That's just my opinion. The reason is that the brand I chose was not exactly the easiest to set up and actually required someone that was trained in the set up procedures. I fortunately obtained through my dealer the set up training manual that their employees used when they attended the mfg training sessions so that was IMMENSELY helpful. Anytime I had any issues since I added and changed the system with other components that came out later, the mfg was VERY helpful in assisting me in the setup.
The mix and match approach is very attractive because sometimes there's a product that comes out that is just so compelling, that you just want that product and you may not be in a position to buy the entire system all at once. I think people that are more limited in their financial aspects are forced to buy components one at a time and they actually enjoy the pursuit of their ultimate system and the path of trying different things, buying and selling new or used and slowly updating products as time goes on. there seems to be quite a lot of people buying and selling items on eBay, Audiogon and other places on the internet, which makes this a LOT easier than prior to the internet. The biggest downfall of the mix and match approach is that these mfg sometimes just don't have much experience with matching their product to certain brands so they might not be of great help. So many of them will only have experience matching their products with a limited number of other mfg and that sometimes forces you to look at certain mfg to match components.
The other trend in the mix and match approach is the AIO electronics/speaker. There are plenty of companies such as Devialet, Wadia, etc. that are designing a system that has everything in one well designed and built product and all you really have to do is add a source (now a computer) and select the speakers/cable and that's it. That does make sense for people that want something simple, requiring less room, don't want to hassle with lots of cables and these systems have plenty of power to drive pretty much any speaker system on the market (Maybe not at full volume levels) but definitely enough to drive most speakers at desired listening levels. I find this approach is great for those that want a bedroom/office or just live in an apartment or small home and simply just want good audio without all of the vast array of boxes and cables. They do have the high WAF factor.
Obviously, there is, or at least was a growing trend in the higher end AIO system like the Meridian M/F80, B&W, Arcam, etc. make higher end boom boxes, for lack of another word, where high quality components are put into one box. While not the most optimal system, these systems still can provide good audio with a limited budget, but more importantly can be easily moved from room to room and generally provide good sound. I've read reviews where some of these products actually started rivaling larger systems. And there is something to be said about taking your system with you when you travel or you want to take it from room to room. In this category the Meridian M/F80 comes to mind and while the looks were questionable for some, that thing would surprise most people when you turned the thing on. I miss them not making that product, but maybe Meridian will release an updated product. For some, it's all they need or want due to limited budget, room size, etc.
Obviously, the third method is DIY, but most of the time that's typically DIY speakers, which can many times work out quite well. I've been amazed at some people's DIY speaker projects. Yes, I've seen some that were not that good, but I've heard some that were flat out quite good sounding. Selecting good components and just making their own cabinet that's well designed and mfg is what some people can be quite good at. And sometimes, they end up becoming a speaker company. Nothing wrong with that, it's just their passion. I'm surprised some of the mfg haven't offered a "Heathkit" approach where they provide everything except the solder and soldering gun and your labor to put together each component. This is a trend I thought might have caught on a little more with respect with the electronics, but apparently not quite as much as I was hoping. Some people simply don't have the money or they want some project to work on with their kids as they grow up where the kids spend time learning about nice quality equipment but on a limited budget. That's what some were doing when I grew up as Dad (usually) would take us to HeathKit and buy DIY amps, pre amps, etc. It's a lot of fun for kids to get that experience.
bottom line, no matter which direction you travel in this, there will be pros and cons and it's just a matter of figuring out what your thresholds are.
