Burning question regarding upgrading paths


Thanks visiting my thread!

While you are here, please ponder on the following queries and answer to the best of your abilities. Each of these questions is designed to upgrade my state of mind. You ability is timed and will be weighted against the answers given by people who are the same age as you.

1) What is the best way to upgrade existing system "A"?
(upgrade=more clarity, dynamics and better soundstage)
(you only have $2000 to allocate)

A= Cal Audio Delta-AQ Emeralds
Meridian 518-Mapleshade ultrathin
Cal Audio Sigma-AQ Emeralds
Aragon 8002-AQ Argent/Midnight double biwire
KEF 103/4
LAT International on all electronic components

A) Upgrade DAC
A dac with tube output is prefered.
B) Purchase preamp
A tube preamp is prefered.
C) Upgrade cable between amp and speaker
Silver cable is prefered.
D) Digital cable
Make me a believer.
E) None of the above
Sell system A and start over
F) I don't care.

2) What is the fundamental utilitarian purpose of Zen Buddhism for the self and for the masses?

A) By fulfilling nature, man is fulfilled.
B) By acceptance of thought, man becomes congruent.
C) By meditating, man negates yin and yan from consciousness.
D) Meditation is good cardiovascular exercise.
E) Zen is derived from aryan caste systems designed to enslave the masses.
F) None of the above. (prove short essay answer?)

Stop, your test is finished.

Thanks for helping me sleep easier,
Etane
viggen

Showing 3 responses by audiotomb

viggen

nice system

your upgrade path is clear to me

(I just recently took the dac plunge and am working on the pre next)

upgrade the Cal sigma to an EVS Millenium II
$1050 - much warmer, smoother, and better imaging and seperation of instruments. I recently did this upgrade (I own Cal too) and wow. sit back and enjoy for a few months (you will be pulling out old discs you were previously bored with, I am)

www.tweakaudio.com

next upgrade the preamp
many good possibilities there
tube pre will go well with your aragon
Audio Research or Sonic Frontiers are nice

do some tube rolling, enjoy

may be able to forgo the pre switch early
by investing an additional $100 on the Dac and getting
EVS' audioattenuators (vol controlled second outputs) and going directly to the amp (try it and see if it works for you.

evs dac + attenuators $1150 done assuming you only use cd as front end

preamp? spend $1500-2000 a year from now used on audiogon
Viggen

I wasn't bashing your system at all

Just suggesting that the EVS upgrade will blow your mind,
I did the same thing from Cal and Cal is heads and shoulders above most of the rest.

The EVS ugly. If you are looking at the website that picture is very deceptive. It actually is a very nice looking piece and smaller than I expected it to be, the brushed metal has a nice look to it not captured on the website. As for tweaks, I don't do many myself either, I just enjoy the music

TOm
Viggen

yes the EVS does fit your system to a t
just like it did mine

I'm pleasantly rediscovering many of the 800 plus cd's I own, some I thought were duds are now quite engaging

I think the Millenium II has upgraded the output stages
from an earlier cost constrained version on the Mill I

The piece looks nice, I was pleasantly surprised
Hell I'd still never part with it even if it was hideous looking.

Tom