Best Way to Spend ~ $2000 for System Improvement


Hi fellow music lovers! I have about $2000 right now to improve my system. It can be for any component, but I'm thinking amplification first, power, pre, or integrated. SS or tube.

To begin, right now I have a Mccormack 0.5 Deluxe power amp with "A" revisions, an Eva 2 passive preamp, Metrum Octave v1 DAC, Dell laptop for music files. Sometimes I use a Teac H750 as a transport and GMA Pico Executive speakers. The room is small, about 14x18x10ft. I listen to about 50/50 rock and classical, mostly full orchestral. As far as just sound goes, I would like the bass to be "fast". No delay or overhang, not exaggerated, but detailed. Detail is important at any frequency, the more the better, but not at the expense of musicality. I realize at this price point, compromise is necessary, and treble would be the best place for that. No harshness allowed, but I'm in my later 50s now and don't hear treble like I once did.

I hope I've given enough info to get some good suggestions. I like the sound now, but think it could be better, maybe a slightly lower noise floor and a little more pace and rhythm while retaining it's sweetness and smoothness. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. BTW, if any existing question answers any part of this question, feel free to link it.
xrayz

Showing 2 responses by srosenberg

Some great advice has already been given - an active preamp or cabling are great ways to inject a little 'caffeine' into your system.  For the former, Atma-Sphere and Modwright are tops on my list.  For the later, perhaps some nice silver IC's might push you in the right direction - I have replaced cables costing multiples of their price with ClearDay.

Read Al's cautionary note on system gain twice (his posts are always worth reading a few times).  He makes a very good point - something I recently had to work through!
a tube preamp with a SS power amp is a very nice way to go!  in tubes, the Modwright SWL 9.0SE is fantastic and should be well within your price range.  Atmasphere preamps would be another to look into - great gear and peerless customer service.  If you're only considering solid state, the two you mentioned are nice, as well as the Pass Labs X1.