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audiophiles who are just getting the itch to upgrade

Hello, I am reaching out to the community of those audiophiles who are looking at this unprecedented time in our history to upgrade their components. Why? because we are now spending so much more time with our gear and looking for ways to improve it, because we can :-) My questions is this; if there was one component you could upgrade in my system, what would it be and why?
  • Linn Sonedek  LP 12 with Hercules board, Ittok II tonearm and Koetsu Black Cartridge
  •  Fritz Carbon 7 SE Speakers - http://www.fritzspeakers.com/DreamWeaverFritzCarbon7Mk2SpecPage.asp
  • Audio Mirror Tubadour III NOS DAC with   Miflex KPUC caps(courtesy of Don Sachs) and the Z foil resistors
  • Cary Audio SL80- Signature 1 with VH audio Reference V-Cap CuTF output caps plus Cary volume IR upgrade and mains cap upgrades. Running Gold Lions KT88 matched tubes, Shuguang Treasure CV181Z - 6SN7 Pre-Driver/Phase Inverter tubes,  Sovtek NOS 6922 Input Buffer Preamp tubes and  WINGED "C" (SED) 5U4-G GREY PLATE tube
  • Manley Labs Chinook phono pre-amp
  • Cullen crossover series speaker cables and power cords
Well that's it and I know that are a lot of you in this community who have far more experience with matching systems and upgrades than I do. Thank you for your assistance and happy listening ! 
128x128phill55

Showing 5 responses by daveyf

daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
I would suggest a front end upgrade first. As has been mentioned, the new Karousel bearing would be a nice start. If funds allow, a Radikal, Keel or Kore and then a new tonearm. Front end is where you typically get your biggest bang for the $.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
@phill55 You are asking about upgrades to the Linn that have quite varied price points. A Lingo 2 power supply used is about the same price as the Karousel bearing, whereas the Keel chassis is about three times the price of those two ( if new). 
Since you already have a power supply upgrade ( the Herc board) although not that great, it is better than the stock power supply. Therefore, to my mind the most potential for better SQ comes with the bearing...and that is the Karousel upgrade. A lot less $$ than the Keel and a major part of any LP12. I am going to look into the Karousel myself, and i just updated my LP12 with a brand new Cirkus a couple of years ago! The Cirkus upgrade was very easily heard and a BIG uptick in SQ. 
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
@phill55 Just noticed that the new Karousel bearing probably will not work with your Herc power supply. It certainly won’t work with Valhalla and I strongly suspect that the same issue will apply with your Hercules!
Before making a purchase commitment to Karousel, I would check this out with your vendor. If the new bearing won’t work with Hercules ( now pretty sure it will not!), then the next step would be to look at a power supply upgrade...meaning take a look at Lingo 4...or Lingo 3 and then go to Karousel.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
@phill55. I think that a Linn with the spec that you mention, even after the upgrade cost, will be, at least imo, superior to other tables at the same price point. You may get a different flavor at this price point with, for example an SME,but I don’t think it will be superior sounding. OTOH, if you want to spend a lot more, then yes, there are other options available that would beat out this spec’ed Linn.
Nonetheless, all of this is my opinion, you would need to hear what your money buys for you with for example a VPI or other options...Rega? All else will be mere speculation on your behalf otherwise.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
@phill55  I think that your comparison between your old Linn and the new VPI is valid, BUT I also think that IF you had updated your Linn to a higher spec and replaced the Ittok, your findings would have swayed again to the Linn. Everything you describe in reference to the differences can be laid basically at the feet of the Ittok arm vs the VPI arm...IMHO.
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