Best Stereo Upgrade Value

Speakers. Period.

Bass traps

everything matters. great speakers will not make a poor source or amplification sound good, but great source and amplification will get the most out of decent speakers. Which is better? I once placed my $15k Shindo system in my bedroom setup with $500 speakers and it sounded great, the $1,200 bedroom system with my main system speakers accurately articulated the upstream deficiencies.

Subwoofers are often a help.

I think my answer is yes.

I have been dedicated to pursuing high end audio for 50 years… since in college. I swapped quite a few preamps, phono stages… then CD players when they came out in the beginning. Then, I’m thinking I have done five whole system upgrades… to a new much higher levels.

During that time one component really stood out as a enormous change: a tape deck, preamp, phono stage, turntable, speakers, streamer, and amp. So, at one point or another most components have been shockingly outstanding.