Hiking Boots/Shoes Recommendations?

Hiking boot recommendations?

Any recommendations for women's hiking shoes?

[Request] Hiking/outdoorsy style shoes that can handle lots of walking on concrete

Cold and wet weather hiking boots recommendations?

I am in need of a new pair of trail/hiking boots.

Hiking Boots for heavy use during the summer

Good pair of hiking shoes?

[Request] waterproof hiking shoes

[request] - Good quality walking shoes.

Hello Redditors. I'm in search of a classy yet extremely durable pair of hiking boots to take backpacking around the world for 12+ months with.

Hiking boots recommendations

Men's three season "urban hiker" (like Merrell MOAB but longer lasting)

BIFL Hiking boots for women

Hiking boots with good traction and can stand up to abuse.

Looking for a good pair of shoes for my weird feet

Request - Hiking Sandals

Request: Hiking Boots

Comfortable and cushiony shoes for walking on pavement 10KM/couple hours a day (UK)

Hiking sandals that last?

[Request] Powerful dishwasher with sanitize function?

I want the best god damned dishwasher money can buy.

Looking for the best, easiest to operate, cheapest dishwasher - Recommendation?

[Request] Best countertop dishwasher for reasonable price?

Can anyone recommend a good dishwasher?

Countertop/Portable Dishwasher

[Request] Dishwasher &lt;$1k Australian with QOL features and low water use

Dishwasher for Second Home

My friend bought a house with this KichenAid dishwasher from 1974. He says it works better than any of the other ones he has owned. He just has to convince his wife not to replace it.

What's a good Panel ready dishwasher under $1k?

Best socket set on the market $100-$150

[Request] Socket wrenches

I need a recommendation for a tool set that should last a lifetime. [Request]

Looking for a Mechanics tool set.

23 years later; GM Goodwrench socket set.

A Starter/Lifetime Tool set

Basic screwdriver set needed

Mechanic Tools that are BIFL

Trying to fill a tool roll for my truck and would like input on BFL tools like wrenches, pliers, socket sets, etc.

BIFL: Mastercraft ratchet set with lifetime warranty. Got it at 14, im 31. Went thru more abuse than you think!

Looking to upgrade my home hand tools

Was told to post this here. Husky 270pc toolset from Home Depot for $99, normally $199. Lifetime warranty too

[Request] Ratchet/Wrench/Etc tool set for home/bicycle/general use

Thoughts on a Honda Accord V6 2007?

2010 Honda Accord worth the buy?

Thoughts on a 2008 Honda accord v6 coupe EX-L?

2014 honda accord ??

After an initial round of research it seems like Honda Accord Hybrid is the right answer, but I want to pressure test that with you guys

2014 Accord V6 Touring (any thoughts?)

Which car ?

me again. 2010 2dr honda accord, 122k miles for $5,800. just want a reliable first car, thoughts?

Want to buy an Accord, any suggestions?

2020/2021 Honda Accord LX - Tell Me About Your Likes/Dislikes

Compact - Midsize suv

best small/midsize suv?

Looking for a used (06-14) reliable compact/mid-size SUV

compact/mid size suv

Midsize SUV

Recommendations for midsized SUVs to look at

Compact to Mid-Size SUV

Small to mid-size suv suggestions?

Midsize vehicle for three kids

Mid-Size SUV

Just tried a Lotus Elise Cup 250, driving impressions !

Dan Neil reviews Lotus Emira: As Good As It Gets

Considering a Lotus Elise - USA

How affordable are Lotus Elises from the 2005-2012 model year?

Lotus Exige Sport Final Edition review: farewell, Exige

I wanna know everything you know about a 2005 Lotus Elise

My Lotus Evora Review

Lotus retail sales up 24% in best performance for a decade

2022 Lotus Emira Looks to Be One of the Brand's Best

PURCHASING A LOTUS — Need Tips + Advice.

Looking for a good rpg/action adventure with a good story and good characters

Deep long rpgs?

Looking for a story-focused RPG

Looking for a complex RPG

Fantasy games with an detailed and immersive world?

[WSIB] I am in search for a open world RPG that will keep me busy for hundreds of hours.

Open world game with huge map, lots of things to do, and great graphics

WSIB Feeling a bit of an rpg lull and want something exciting like old school BioWare with a engaging story that doesn’t take 100 hours to play.

WSIB: long, immersive games with high quality storytelling and writing

looking for an open-world rpg

[WSIB] A turn based strategy game that isn’t 4X

Turn-based strategy game

Turn-based strategy games

[WSIB] Small-scale, medieval, strategy game, featuring pikemen and cavalry

(WSIB) Turn-based ”wargaming” game

[WSIB] Turn Based Strategy games

WSIB if I want a strategy game for dummies

WSIB Strategic Rpg

[WSIB] Good offline strategy/(ish) games?

What are some good "smaller scale to control, but still feel large scale battle" tactical / strategy games?

Bullet Hell-Type Games: Atomicrops vs. I, Dracula: Genesis vs. Others?

WSIB if i want a completely story driven indie game but have already played undertale and oneshot (preferably similar to those 2)

Post apocalyptic enthusiast, Underrail or Atom RPG?

[SIB] Undermine or Atomicrops

WSIB if I like "Run into things, need to grow in power/special items to move further so I come back after unlocking said element" type of games.

Blsoodborne or Resident evil 2 ?

What should I buy? Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Doom: Eternal

[WSIB] Fast-paced top-down roguelikes?

[SIB] I Hate Running Backwards or Planetary Dustoff? Or something else?

SIB Nuclear Throne?

What can you recommend for minimizing pores?

I know you can’t get rid of pores but I’m wondering is there anyway to make them smaller? I use La Roche Posay products. They keep my acne mostly at bay but I feel like my pores are just so large. Part of it is genetic, but just wondering if there’s anything else I can do at home to help. Thanks!

OPEN PORES- WHAT TO DO? IS THERE ANY PRODUCT I CAN USE?

What skincare products have you used that helped with large pores?

What is the best thing to use to tighten pores on your face?

Can anyone tell me why my pores are so huge and what I can do to minimize them?

How to reduce pores.

Hey guys, how do I make my pores not look like this? Info in comments (deleted and reposted for an error in the title)

Pores reduction tips?

Advice for shrinking pores on and around nose?

[sun care] sunscreen that doesn’t irritate rosacea and perioral dermatitis

[Sun Care] Looking for sunscreen that doesn't irritate Rosacea

Sunscreen recommendations for rosacea

Looking for a sunscreen for my acne prone skin.

[Sun Care] looking for a sunscreen that works well for people with Eczema.

Desperate for a good sunscreen

Looking for a Daily Suncreen

I’ve tried them all and I still can’t find my holy grail for my dry rosacea skin. Any other recommendations?

Sunscreen, eczema and makeup, Help [Sun care]

[Sun Care] Help with not being able to use Sunscreen

How can i stop a really greasy face?

How to best defeat oily skin?

Is there any long-lasting solution for oily face?

Oily Face -&gt; Wash Face -&gt; More Oily

Extremely oily skin

Y’all know some sort of cream or product I can buy to make my face less greasy looking?

super oily face help needed

Oily Skin— please help!

Really oily skin

How to have less oily skin?

Adrian Krebs

Johannes Engler

Tavis Lochhead

Audio Advice

r/hometheater

 This type of power supply also allows the DACs to do a better job so the MRX1140 will sound a little sweeter and smoother with better dynamics as well over the MRX740. The MRX1140 adds another feature we really like. While the MRX740 and MRX540 both have two subwoofer outputs they're in parallel and all adjustments apply the same to each one. The MRX1140 has two independent sub outputs

 When you run ARC each sub will be calibrated individually plus you can adjust level and phase separately for each sub. If you're building a full-blown Dolby Atmos home theater with 11 or more speakers the MRX1140 is a fantastic choice from both the sound and flexibility standpoint. It will cost less than adding a separate power amp or amps to the MRX740 to get 11 channels and will drive most speakers with ease. If you're in the design phase for your home theater or deciding how best to upgrade your current theater you should definitely use our free home theater design tool at AudioAdvice

com. It will take the dimensions of your room and help you map out how many channels are ideal and locations of speakers and pretty much everything else you need to know for nailing your theater. When Anthem introduced the last MRX series almost five years ago they became an instant AudioAdvice favorite. The new models take everything great about the ones we loved and add better sound, streaming enhancements, great amp flexibility, upgraded ARC, and very cool web interface for setup

Today's review is on the new Anthem MRX540, MRX740, and MRX1140 home theater receivers. These are the three latest home theater receivers from Anthem and they offer incredible performance for the money. Anthem makes some of our favorite home theater components and the MRX540, MRX740, and MRX1140 raise the bar, yet again. Along with these three new receivers, Anthem also released a new line of surround sound processors and power amps which we also have reviews on. To read our full written review on the new Anthem home theater receivers click the link below to be taken to the full article on our site. Also, if you purchase a new Anthem receiver from us, you will receive the exclusive Audio Advice tips & tricks setup guide that will walk you through how to properly set up and calibrate your new receiver and will ensure you get the most out of your new gear.

Anthem ARC Genesis Setup Guide: https://youtu.be/Ua08GENR5eY

Read our full review here: http://audioadvice.io/anthemreceivers  
Read our article on the new Anthem Processors: http://audioadvice.io/anthemprocessors  
Read our article on the new Anthem power amps: http://audioadvice.io/anthemamps

Chat with us online: https://audioadvice.io/aa-chat | Call for sales and support: 888.899.8776

Read our article on speaker layout options: http://audioadvice.io/speakerlayouts​
Try out our free home theater design tool: http://audioadvice.io/designtool

Read more product reviews & shop on our website: https://audioadvice.io/aa-blog
Follow us on Instagram: https://audioadvice.io/aa-insta
Raleigh, North Carolina Location: https://audioadvice.io/aa-raleigh
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New Anthem MRX540, MRX740, MRX1140 Receivers Review ...

&#x200B;. The Anthem MRX 1140 another one I could get behind here. Good room correction, lots of tweaking to be done with that.

Looking to build a theater room in my basement; 20x20 room. One egress window in the rear which will be blacked out. 7 1/2 foot ceilings.

Going with Sony VPL-VW715ES projector.
Looking for 7.2.4 atmos sound

Problem is I have already gotten 3 different quotes. All over the place. One extremely overpriced but hard stance that such equipment is needed (all of the amps). Another has basically a nonchalant attitude and threw a quote together in 5 minutes. The third company understood i didnt want to pay 100k like the first, but i feel like they quoted me out some cheap equipment.

All quotes include pricing with the projector 

Quote 1:
Savant smart home

5SF120PWAT perforated screen (hard stance to create a movie theater like atmosphere)

Marantz av7705 preamp

Rotel rmb1584 5 channel amp

Rotel RB-1590 Stereo Power Amplifier

Bowers and wilkins CWM73S2 x7

Bowers and wilkins CCM75S2 x 4

Rel T-9inch sub x2

Upgraded wifi

Install -$13,000 

Roughly 90k

Quote 2:

Anthem MRX 1140 11.2-channel home theater receiver

Furman Discrete Symmetrical Power Filter, 20 Amp

Kef CI4100QL-THX x7

JL E1110 subs x 2

Kef in-ceiling x4 tbd

Universal Remote Control MRF-350 RF and remote

Slate gray screen 120

Install -$5,000

$41,000

Quote 3:

Da lite 133 in screen

Origin D83 8inch in ceiling x4

Origin LCR65 in wall x7

Paradigm defiance v10 sub x2

Universal remote control MRF-350 Rf and remote

Panamax m4300 surge protection 

Denon AVR-X6700H amp

Install -$4,000

Cost $29000

Would be grateful for any advice. Thanks!

<div class="md">Looking to build a theater room in my basement; 20x20 room. One egress window in the rear which will be blacked out. 7 1/2 foot ceilings.

Going with Sony VPL-VW715ES projector.
Looking for 7.2.4 atmos sound

Problem is I have already gotten 3 different quotes. All over the place. One extremely overpriced but hard stance that such equipment is needed (all of the amps). Another has basically a nonchalant attitude and threw a quote together in 5 minutes. The third company understood i didnt want to pay 100k like the first, but i feel like they quoted me out some cheap equipment.

All quotes include pricing with the projector 

Quote 1:
Savant smart home

5SF120PWAT perforated screen (hard stance to create a movie theater like atmosphere)

Marantz av7705 preamp

Rotel rmb1584 5 channel amp

Rotel RB-1590 Stereo Power Amplifier

Bowers and wilkins CWM73S2 x7

Bowers and wilkins CCM75S2 x 4

Rel T-9inch sub x2

Upgraded wifi

Install -$13,000 

Roughly 90k

Quote 2:

Anthem MRX 1140 11.2-channel home theater receiver

Furman Discrete Symmetrical Power Filter, 20 Amp

Kef CI4100QL-THX x7

JL E1110 subs x 2

Kef in-ceiling x4 tbd

Universal Remote Control MRF-350 RF and remote

Slate gray screen 120

Install -$5,000

$41,000

Quote 3:

Da lite 133 in screen

Origin D83 8inch in ceiling x4

Origin LCR65 in wall x7

Paradigm defiance v10 sub x2

Universal remote control MRF-350 Rf and remote

Panamax m4300 surge protection 

Denon AVR-X6700H amp

Install -$4,000

Cost $29000

Would be grateful for any advice. Thanks!
</div>

Home theater purchase help (3 quotes)

shopify

RX-V6A 7.2-channel AV Receiver with MusicCast.

Wirecutter

The RX-V6A sounds great, features surprisingly good room correction, and checks all the right boxes in terms of features.

amazon.com

Divine AV Home Theater

Audioholics

Kpaceguy

Andrew Robinson

r/Soundbars

r/audiophile

r/bravia

r/BudgetAudiophile

2 receiver rated at 100 watts at 2 channels driven. It's got a brand new look that's very different from the previous year's models. Up front the volume dial is now dead center, and next to that are some touch sensitive buttons. On the far right is the selection dial

 So no support for that out of the box at the time of this video. It also supports EARC. There's pre-outs for zone 2, the front left and right channels, and two subwoofer outputs. The subwoofers will play back the same exact signal, so they're wired in parallel

2.2 configuration, this receiver does handle those big action movies just fine. Sound effects were placed in their respective channels, and panning was convincing. As I said earlier, using this with subwoofers is a must, and does make this a fun little home theater receiver

 If you don't want to go through the on-screen menu, you can also access the same settings through the web interface. All you've got to do is type in the receiver's IP address slash setup and you'll be good to go. Under the Generals tab, we've got power control for the main and zone 2, get a sleep timer from 30 to 120 minutes, volume control for both zones, mute, add either off, you can attenuate it at 40, 20, or you can always keep it on. This is for when you hit the mute button on the remote control

Yamaha RX-V6A 8K Atmos AV Receiver Review

 We're not talking a subtle "oh yeah the sound is just so airy and the bass sounds tighter.". No, this is a point of fact.

I just went through a bunch of bullshit trying to get a Yamaha RX-V6A to sound even half decent for three months straight before I finally gave up and bought a Denon x3600. The difference is far beyond obvious. We're not talking a subtle "oh yeah the sound is just so airy and the bass sounds tighter."

Well I agree with at least the first sentence there.

I have a $30 Pyle amp I used while moving into my new house to power a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers connected to my TV, because i couldn't deal with the sound the tv put out otherwise. They sounded great with it, but when i got the rest of my gear in place, they definitely sounded better being fed from a proper receiver from Marantz.... that said, the MSRP difference is literally around $970 for about a 20% at best improvement.

But at the same time, I have a pair of $30 Radioshack speakers that when connected to the dirt cheap amp, sound like absolute garbage - but when connected to the expensive Marantz, sound quite good. Its a very strange thing indeed.

I think what is more accurate is the most expensive products ***tend*** to elevate whatever they are connected to. (some other times, pairing cheap and expensive turns into a garbled mess for sure.)

Also nobody is going to argue with you that speakers are the most important thing in terms of how a system sounds. But an amp seems to be to me the next most likely thing to color the sound you are listening to, even if to a substantially lower degree.

<div class="md">Well I agree with at least the first sentence there.

I have a $30 Pyle amp I used while moving into my new house to power a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers connected to my TV, because i couldn&#39;t deal with the sound the tv put out otherwise. They sounded great with it, but when i got the rest of my gear in place, they definitely sounded better being fed from a proper receiver from Marantz.... that said, the MSRP difference is literally around $970 for about a 20% at best improvement.

But at the same time, I have a pair of $30 Radioshack speakers that when connected to the dirt cheap amp, sound like absolute garbage - but when connected to the expensive Marantz, sound quite good. Its a very strange thing indeed.

I think what is more accurate is the most expensive products tend to elevate whatever they are connected to. (some other times, pairing cheap and expensive turns into a garbled mess for sure.)

Also nobody is going to argue with you that speakers are the most important thing in terms of how a system sounds. But an amp seems to be to me the next most likely thing to color the sound you are listening to, even if to a substantially lower degree.
</div>

My Yamaha CA 810 sounds noticeably more clear and direct than the budget Denon AVR it replaced (using the same speakers/cart/turntable). The Yamaha also sounds different than my little desktop Kenwood 3700. 

This stuff can be real subjective and based on personal interpretation. I definitely wouldnt argue against speakers and cart making BIGGEST difference overall but the amp choice made a noticeable difference for me...

<div class="md">My Yamaha CA 810 sounds noticeably more clear and direct than the budget Denon AVR it replaced (using the same speakers/cart/turntable). The Yamaha also sounds different than my little desktop Kenwood 3700. 

This stuff can be real subjective and based on personal interpretation. I definitely wouldnt argue against speakers and cart making BIGGEST difference overall but the amp choice made a noticeable difference for me...
</div>

I thought I agreed. But a few things I’ve found when I stopped reading and started listening. 

The type of amp matters more then you’d think. Type A and AB are my choice for full range speakers.

A good tube amp makes good speakers much better.

High current matters.

<div class="md">I thought I agreed. But a few things I’ve found when I stopped reading and started listening. 

The type of amp matters more then you’d think. Type A and AB are my choice for full range speakers.

A good tube amp makes good speakers much better.

High current matters.
</div>

Ageee thay speakers are the main ingredient, but after that I would say its the amp and audio source. If the amp is not in the correct power range then it clips and causes terrible distortion. Overpowering a shittty amp is a great way to blow your speakers. Audio source is next and if you have a crappy stylus then its most definately notable. The preamp is a just a glorified switchboard with a volume knob, but it definately matters. I guess given that you have decent components and everything is setup correctly the preamp does have a pretty large impact.

I always liked the rule that the sound will only be as good as the weakest part of your system.

<div class="md">Ageee thay speakers are the main ingredient, but after that I would say its the amp and audio source. If the amp is not in the correct power range then it clips and causes terrible distortion. Overpowering a shittty amp is a great way to blow your speakers. Audio source is next and if you have a crappy stylus then its most definately notable. The preamp is a just a glorified switchboard with a volume knob, but it definately matters. I guess given that you have decent components and everything is setup correctly the preamp does have a pretty large impact.

I always liked the rule that the sound will only be as good as the weakest part of your system.
</div>

Agreed!  Installed  8 Orbs speaker system with woofer unit to a Technics/Danon/Pioneer system that’s at least 30 years old:  🎶

<div class="md">Agreed! Installed 8 Orbs speaker system with woofer unit to a Technics/Danon/Pioneer system that’s at least 30 years old: 🎶
</div>

Sounds fair.    
Really, I just want some scientific testing.. evidence to support either case.    
abx comparisons that people can, or can't.. tell a difference.    


Same thing with high end speakers, headphones, amps, and dacs.  Then after that, I'd also like to see audio formats tested.  Vinyl, cd, mp3, flac.. etc.. and see what can be realized as better quality.    


I doubt this will ever happen, as who in the industry would support such a test?    
Audio is a weird market imo.    
It exists in a place mostly free of science, free of measurements.. heavily laden with opinions.. and pretty sounding buzz words.  All the while being boosted by marketing and reviews in a way that no other consumer devices are.  It's just truly a strange animal.

<div class="md">Sounds fair. 
Really, I just want some scientific testing.. evidence to support either case. 
abx comparisons that people can, or can&#39;t.. tell a difference. 

Same thing with high end speakers, headphones, amps, and dacs. Then after that, I&#39;d also like to see audio formats tested. Vinyl, cd, mp3, flac.. etc.. and see what can be realized as better quality. 

I doubt this will ever happen, as who in the industry would support such a test? 
Audio is a weird market imo. 
It exists in a place mostly free of science, free of measurements.. heavily laden with opinions.. and pretty sounding buzz words. All the while being boosted by marketing and reviews in a way that no other consumer devices are. It&#39;s just truly a strange animal.
</div>

Hey man, I get where you're coming from.  I was like you once.  At the time I was running speakers that cost more than 3x my front end electronics.

It's good that you are checking out lots of different gear in addition to reading about the technology.  The specs and measurements for stereo electronics don't tell the whole story.  

I agree that speakers are the part of the system that will change the sound the most.  If they are not good, then it's definitely what matters most.

On a turntable, assuming everything is working well (bearings lubricated, leveled, cartridge rake angle, azimuth, VTA, VTF, speed, anti-skate all set, and suspension and damping where applicable), then yeah the cartridge makes the biggest difference.  A setup problem that prevents you from getting to the bottom of the groove will hold any cartridge back.  I guess I'd argue that setup is more important than cartridge.

Unpopular statement: the "watts are watts" crowd is wrong.  If you don't hear a deference-don't spend the money, that's just logical.  People buying in all price ranges have this attitude. If you can't hear the difference between amps it might be time to look into better speakers.  

OP your gear is good and enjoying the music is what the hobby is all about.  I'm glad you're interested.  But let me assure you there is another league of system, and another after that.  If the megabuck amps didn't make a difference, the manufacturers wouldn't sell enough to stay in business.  Many of the amp manufacturers are decades old and have large followings.  Customers are excited for the new amp releases and line up to order the new models, because they know it will sound better.

One last thought on equipment manufacturers, the best ones only release new products when improvements have been made, not every 6-12 months like the stuff you find at box stores.

<div class="md">Hey man, I get where you&#39;re coming from. I was like you once. At the time I was running speakers that cost more than 3x my front end electronics.

It&#39;s good that you are checking out lots of different gear in addition to reading about the technology. The specs and measurements for stereo electronics don&#39;t tell the whole story. 

I agree that speakers are the part of the system that will change the sound the most. If they are not good, then it&#39;s definitely what matters most.

On a turntable, assuming everything is working well (bearings lubricated, leveled, cartridge rake angle, azimuth, VTA, VTF, speed, anti-skate all set, and suspension and damping where applicable), then yeah the cartridge makes the biggest difference. A setup problem that prevents you from getting to the bottom of the groove will hold any cartridge back. I guess I&#39;d argue that setup is more important than cartridge.

Unpopular statement: the &quot;watts are watts&quot; crowd is wrong. If you don&#39;t hear a deference-don&#39;t spend the money, that&#39;s just logical. People buying in all price ranges have this attitude. If you can&#39;t hear the difference between amps it might be time to look into better speakers. 

OP your gear is good and enjoying the music is what the hobby is all about. I&#39;m glad you&#39;re interested. But let me assure you there is another league of system, and another after that. If the megabuck amps didn&#39;t make a difference, the manufacturers wouldn&#39;t sell enough to stay in business. Many of the amp manufacturers are decades old and have large followings. Customers are excited for the new amp releases and line up to order the new models, because they know it will sound better.

One last thought on equipment manufacturers, the best ones only release new products when improvements have been made, not every 6-12 months like the stuff you find at box stores.
</div>

While I get your sentiment, I've noticed a huge difference between my setup and a friends with the same speakers.

Mine:  Denon e-300 with infinity beta 40's.  my speakers are out from the wall and toe'd in towards the listener with a rug in the middle of the room. there's a lack of bass and overall presence

His:  Cambridge audio integrated with speakers shoved into a corner/desks in front of the speakers and a bare hardwood floor.  His system sounds incredible, so clean, so much presence.

&#x200B;

I don't know how to describe what I mean by presence, but there is a night/day difference between his setup and mine.

<div class="md">While I get your sentiment, I&#39;ve noticed a huge difference between my setup and a friends with the same speakers.

Mine: Denon e-300 with infinity beta 40&#39;s. my speakers are out from the wall and toe&#39;d in towards the listener with a rug in the middle of the room. there&#39;s a lack of bass and overall presence

His: Cambridge audio integrated with speakers shoved into a corner/desks in front of the speakers and a bare hardwood floor. His system sounds incredible, so clean, so much presence.

&#x200B;

I don&#39;t know how to describe what I mean by presence, but there is a night/day difference between his setup and mine.
</div>

To me it seems fairly self-evident that the more analog you get, so to speak, the bigger the impact.

The two big things are the source material and the actual sound generating items, ie the speakers, as you say .

If you have quality material going in - like a really well mastered Audio CD - you have a great starting point. If you have shitty mastering, or some pointless "hi-res", or lossy compression taken to ridiculous extremes with low bitrates, nothing you do can salvage the situation.

From there, it becomes mostly irrelevant for a while. The DAC - any modern DAC is going to be more than fine. Pre-amping, again, no big deal. Amping itself gets a little more important, because now we're in to the things that actually start generating the electrical impulses that will become sound. Sufficient power here to drive the speakers is important, a clean design with low noise floor to minimize hiss and distortion etc also. Speaker cables - as long as they are thick enough and have enough copper, that's going to be fine without any bullshit snakeoil nonsense. 

But by far the biggest impact is definitely in the speakers. Some small shit speakers will always be shit speakers no matter what you connect them to. So the biggest changes you can actually hear will definitely be in the speakers, I would agree there. 

Although, you can't ignore the room, the room is one of the biggest overall factors. Sound treatments can take mediocre speakers/systems and make them sound beautiful, and a bad room with hard walls and reverb all over the place can make even hyper expensive speakers sound like cheap crap

So overall - everything matters. Some things matter more. The gross, physical aspects like how much air gets moved by the speakers, and how the room behaves have by far the largest impact.

<div class="md">To me it seems fairly self-evident that the more analog you get, so to speak, the bigger the impact.

The two big things are the source material and the actual sound generating items, ie the speakers, as you say .

If you have quality material going in - like a really well mastered Audio CD - you have a great starting point. If you have shitty mastering, or some pointless &quot;hi-res&quot;, or lossy compression taken to ridiculous extremes with low bitrates, nothing you do can salvage the situation.

From there, it becomes mostly irrelevant for a while. The DAC - any modern DAC is going to be more than fine. Pre-amping, again, no big deal. Amping itself gets a little more important, because now we&#39;re in to the things that actually start generating the electrical impulses that will become sound. Sufficient power here to drive the speakers is important, a clean design with low noise floor to minimize hiss and distortion etc also. Speaker cables - as long as they are thick enough and have enough copper, that&#39;s going to be fine without any bullshit snakeoil nonsense. 

But by far the biggest impact is definitely in the speakers. Some small shit speakers will always be shit speakers no matter what you connect them to. So the biggest changes you can actually hear will definitely be in the speakers, I would agree there. 

Although, you can&#39;t ignore the room, the room is one of the biggest overall factors. Sound treatments can take mediocre speakers/systems and make them sound beautiful, and a bad room with hard walls and reverb all over the place can make even hyper expensive speakers sound like cheap crap

So overall - everything matters. Some things matter more. The gross, physical aspects like how much air gets moved by the speakers, and how the room behaves have by far the largest impact.
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I can certainly hear a difference between my Yamaha natural sounding receiver/amp and my Onkyo high-current receiver/amp. I think it’s more of a preference thing and I prefer the sound of the Onkyo.

<div class="md">I can certainly hear a difference between my Yamaha natural sounding receiver/amp and my Onkyo high-current receiver/amp. I think it’s more of a preference thing and I prefer the sound of the Onkyo.
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I can convince myself for days at a time that the amplifier makes no difference after all.

Then I turn my tube amp back on (same speakers, same preamp, same sources; I have a big old dual 4PDT switch I made) and uh, well, I just can’t justifiably agree with you on that one.

Even among solid state amps there are minor differences. Harder to hear just in solid-state land, but they’re there. Mostly falls under the crosstalk and upper transient clarity, which manifest as what we call “imaging” and “soundstage,” or basically “is the sound from the left and right coherent and in sync enough to maintain the stereo realism in the recording?”

Mostly, I have heard some very bad amps (yes, from name brands, of various kinds from mid-90’s stereo receivers to 2000’s low-end AVRs). Most stereo integrated amps over $300 sound the same, most AVRs over $600 sound the same (I say that because they tend to pack more in and cut corners and the 7 channels make for more cut corners). Most pre-90’s vintage amps were better and sound pretty good for the money (your $30 flea market amp is likely to be pretty great; $30 is not its value, just its cost).

I have also designed and built some very bad amps, both headphone and power, and I know some of the things that make them bad and actually make a difference. The power supply really matters. One of the best sounding headphone amps I designed is a dual-mono design, and I was amazed myself at the impact it had on the sound.

Class-D amplifiers are also something, and a noticeable qualitative difference in my experience. They’ve got punch and dynamics, and by that I mean they can respond very quickly to complete changes in volume, and the electronic design if you look into it tells you why pretty clearly. You research them and see how they’re switching amplifiers operating at a very high frequency and that they use power reserves from the supply very efficiently and at a moment’s notice—and you listen to one and you’re like, yep, that’s how I’d expect that to sound given the design. It just makes sense, and it sounds good. But they do sound different!

Which brings me back to tubes. They’re obviously adding distortion, but they are in some ways more accurate than many solid state amps where it matters. Harder to measure because they’ll have higher total THD (they introduce harmonics by nature) but lower first order distortion and good characteristics otherwise. Output transformers matter in tube amps and change the sound significantly. Coupling capacitors matter in tube amps—not only do amps sound different in my experience but the same tube amp with different coupling capacitors will have a different sound as well! I believe they matter more for tube amps because of the high voltage applied; you get different electrical characteristics when a coupler is blocking 525 DC volts and passing an AC signal than just applying a little 3v AC only. Again, subtle differences, but they’re there. Mostly, a well designed tube amp is simple: the signal passes through two or three vacuum tubes with clean DC volts on the plate, and the amplified version is taken off the other end.

So no, not all amps sound the same. Most *good* solid state amps sound about the same, as in all quite accurate, and then there’s “Class D”, and then there’s tube amps, and then there’s truly excellent tube amps, and once you’ve heard one you’ll never be able to say something like this with a straight face. It’s not about money; my favorite amp is a restoration and rebuild I did myself. It wasn’t $3,000, but it blows my $30 (well, $25 if I remember right) flea market amp out of the water, as it does with my $650-in-1997 5.1 AVR I still use for the TV. It’s not like one is a gritty mess and the other is smooth, but they’re very different. They just are.

<div class="md">I can convince myself for days at a time that the amplifier makes no difference after all.

Then I turn my tube amp back on (same speakers, same preamp, same sources; I have a big old dual 4PDT switch I made) and uh, well, I just can’t justifiably agree with you on that one.

Even among solid state amps there are minor differences. Harder to hear just in solid-state land, but they’re there. Mostly falls under the crosstalk and upper transient clarity, which manifest as what we call “imaging” and “soundstage,” or basically “is the sound from the left and right coherent and in sync enough to maintain the stereo realism in the recording?”

Mostly, I have heard some very bad amps (yes, from name brands, of various kinds from mid-90’s stereo receivers to 2000’s low-end AVRs). Most stereo integrated amps over $300 sound the same, most AVRs over $600 sound the same (I say that because they tend to pack more in and cut corners and the 7 channels make for more cut corners). Most pre-90’s vintage amps were better and sound pretty good for the money (your $30 flea market amp is likely to be pretty great; $30 is not its value, just its cost).

I have also designed and built some very bad amps, both headphone and power, and I know some of the things that make them bad and actually make a difference. The power supply really matters. One of the best sounding headphone amps I designed is a dual-mono design, and I was amazed myself at the impact it had on the sound.

Class-D amplifiers are also something, and a noticeable qualitative difference in my experience. They’ve got punch and dynamics, and by that I mean they can respond very quickly to complete changes in volume, and the electronic design if you look into it tells you why pretty clearly. You research them and see how they’re switching amplifiers operating at a very high frequency and that they use power reserves from the supply very efficiently and at a moment’s notice—and you listen to one and you’re like, yep, that’s how I’d expect that to sound given the design. It just makes sense, and it sounds good. But they do sound different!

Which brings me back to tubes. They’re obviously adding distortion, but they are in some ways more accurate than many solid state amps where it matters. Harder to measure because they’ll have higher total THD (they introduce harmonics by nature) but lower first order distortion and good characteristics otherwise. Output transformers matter in tube amps and change the sound significantly. Coupling capacitors matter in tube amps—not only do amps sound different in my experience but the same tube amp with different coupling capacitors will have a different sound as well! I believe they matter more for tube amps because of the high voltage applied; you get different electrical characteristics when a coupler is blocking 525 DC volts and passing an AC signal than just applying a little 3v AC only. Again, subtle differences, but they’re there. Mostly, a well designed tube amp is simple: the signal passes through two or three vacuum tubes with clean DC volts on the plate, and the amplified version is taken off the other end.

So no, not all amps sound the same. Most good solid state amps sound about the same, as in all quite accurate, and then there’s “Class D”, and then there’s tube amps, and then there’s truly excellent tube amps, and once you’ve heard one you’ll never be able to say something like this with a straight face. It’s not about money; my favorite amp is a restoration and rebuild I did myself. It wasn’t $3,000, but it blows my $30 (well, $25 if I remember right) flea market amp out of the water, as it does with my $650-in-1997 5.1 AVR I still use for the TV. It’s not like one is a gritty mess and the other is smooth, but they’re very different. They just are.
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I actually think most people here, including myself, would agree with you. Say this on audiogon on the other hand...

The only thing I really notice from more expensive amplification is a better signal to noise ratio, but that’s also my main concern so it has value. That is about it unless you’re dealing with some insanely hard to power speakers.

<div class="md">I actually think most people here, including myself, would agree with you. Say this on audiogon on the other hand...

The only thing I really notice from more expensive amplification is a better signal to noise ratio, but that’s also my main concern so it has value. That is about it unless you’re dealing with some insanely hard to power speakers.
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So I’ve been reading a lot on amplification and Ive come to the opinion that speakers are absolutely the end all- be all in audio.  I mean sure, a 15 watt $20 amp might be an issue in sonic quality.... but the debate about these other pieces has raged on for 40 years with no proof on either side... I hypothesize that we all believe what we want to believe. So if you want justification for spending $5k on an amplifier then you will hate what I have to say.. you will claim you can hear the differences. You won’t, however, commit to a bet for the price of that amp that you covet.  I submit to this community that speakers, cartridges, and preamps are where we get the color from our systems. An average- $30 flea market amp from 30 years ago will not sound any worse than a $3,000 new amp. I also know that this has been debated a million times and that 90% of you are offended by this truth. That said, if it could be proven otherwise, it would have by now. Roast me.

<div class="md">So I’ve been reading a lot on amplification and Ive come to the opinion that speakers are absolutely the end all- be all in audio. I mean sure, a 15 watt $20 amp might be an issue in sonic quality.... but the debate about these other pieces has raged on for 40 years with no proof on either side... I hypothesize that we all believe what we want to believe. So if you want justification for spending $5k on an amplifier then you will hate what I have to say.. you will claim you can hear the differences. You won’t, however, commit to a bet for the price of that amp that you covet. I submit to this community that speakers, cartridges, and preamps are where we get the color from our systems. An average- $30 flea market amp from 30 years ago will not sound any worse than a $3,000 new amp. I also know that this has been debated a million times and that 90% of you are offended by this truth. That said, if it could be proven otherwise, it would have by now. Roast me.
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Speakers (with decent/fair amplification) are all that matter. And if we’re discussing vinyl, I’ll give you the cartridge/stylus. Change my mind.

 Guys, this is the brand new 7-channel, 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos RX-V6 by Yamaha. This is an awesome receiver

 We're actually going to be doing some dyno testing of this unit using these RP-8000F towers by Klipsch. Let's see what this baby is really capable of, and does it actually put out its rated output of 100 watts per channel with two channels driven. We'll get into more specs and stuff, but first, send it over to Derek. He's going to go ahead and unbox this thing

 We're the brothers of Divine Audio Visual, and we have something very, very, very special for you today. I'll hand it over to Warren, and he'll get you into this a little bit. Guys, this is the brand new 7-channel, 5.1

 So really, really nice. And then you scroll through the different, the different settings. Once you actually access your menu using this knob right here, this, you know, you can select by pressing N. This is a dual zone receiver, really nice texture on the top here

Best AV Receiver 2020?! Under $600 NEW Yamaha RX-V6a Receiver Dyno Test & Review! TSR-700

I have really enjoyed the sound of this receiver, but trying to connect to it via MusicCast works maybe 30% of the time. The software is very frustrating to use, and there’s no way I would buy this receiver again.

Anthem MRX 1140 vs Yamaha RX-V6A

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