Many or most of you may already be familiar enough with stereo equipment to know the following, but for anyone who doesn't I thought I'd share what I've learned over years of spending ridiculous amounts of money and time on car and home audio/theater. I'm writing about stereo equipment in general, but the principles apply to the Z3 or any other car or home stereo. I've found you can spend an obscene amount of money on stereo equipment*. At the entry level, spending small amounts of money can have dramatic results in improving the sound quality and volume. As you continue to progress, however, you end up spending exponentially more money for smaller and smaller improvements in sound. Example: I once spent $600 on a Rotel single disc CD player that sounds minutely better than a $100 basic Sony model. You had to really listen hard in a side by side comparison to notice the difference between the two. That same $500 difference spent on speakers - buying a $1000 pair instead of a $500 pair - would yield a very noticable difference. Some of this is influenced by today's digital technology - there is a much bigger difference in sound quality between a top-end and low-end phonograph or cassette player than between a top-end and low-end CD, DVD, or Mini-disc player. With that said, unless you are very wealthy and can afford to spend lots of money on every component of your stereo system it is good to know where to spend your money to get the most improvement. Below is a ranking of where to spend money in your stereo system purchase or upgrade to get the most bang for your buck. This is generally and relatively speaking - and of course the whole system must be considered. Using the Z3 as an example, buying $1000 pair of MBQuart Q series wouldn't make sense if you were planning on driving them with the factory amplifier. The total system will only ever be as good as the weakest component (link in the chain), and the following list is the order of which links to concentrate on first. Speakers - Hands down this is the area to spend more money first. No other area will yield bigger improvements in sound quality per dollar, and no other component will differ as much from brand to brand. A marginal system with great speakers will always sound better than a great system with marginal speakers. The diminishing returns principle still applies, but the curve is much flatter than in other areas. Amplifier - Spending more money here will yield noticable improvements, especially if you are starting with a low quality component. Solid State Electronics - In terms of sound quality, more money won't get you as much here as you'd probably think. This is more true in car audio than in home audio, and there is a definite ranking within the category:
I can't stress enough how important it is to take your time and do your research before you buy any stereo component. Go to a local stereo shop that will take the time to demo equipment for you, and take two copies of your favorite CD with you. Compare different speakers, amplifiers, head units, or whatever, side by side with the same music. I think you'll find the above to be true. *(from second paragraph) For an idea of just how obscene the amounts can get find a local Mark Levinson or Wilson Audio dealer and pay them a visit (leave your wallet far, far away). $30,000 for a CD Player. $100,000 for a pair of speakers. $10,000 for a mono-amp that weighs 545 pounds! You need two of them and probably a fork-lift to make a stereo amplifier. $4,000 for cabling. It would be nice to have that kind of money. Me personally, for $100,000 I'd upgrade my $1000 car system with a Ferrari or my home theater with a nicer home.
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