OP - I’m a few years older than you but did something similar in one way but possibly different from what you’re planning in another. First off, I sold all of my “big dedicated room expensive stuff” including my turntable. Not because I didn’t like it or had the money to do even more, but because I enjoy and now have plenty of time exploring something new and different in audio. I then set up a smaller, dedicated listening area where I do nothing but stream. Quite frankly I finally just got tired of the ritual of playing records. Plus I’ve found that digital these days is pretty darn good and considering your loss of hearing as you age, is more than good enough at this point in life. Also after listening to (and playing) music for more than 60 years, I’m learning so much more about music then I ever had the time or ability to devote to before. Now I have a much smaller club like studio atmosphere where every thing is in easy reach of my listening position. My daily exercise is hiking with my dog, not changing records. Finally, in my smaller, more intimate listening area, I can reduce the size, weight and cost of my speakers (and certain other electronics) and still have at least the same but mostly better results. Plus the big screen is still around for the grandkids who could care less if my DAC sounds as good as what I used to have.
Help me spend $100,000 on a new system
I’ve recently been considering moving and downsizing my home. While exploring how much I might sell my house and land for, I was shocked that I might have an excess of $100,000 after selling and buying a smaller new home with less acreage. I’m 71 years old and can’t take it with me, so I’m trying to figure out how to spend that potential resource.
One possibility would be to purchase a new stereo system with all that cash. I would like to demo a system costing that much to see what sound quality you could get for a stupendous amount like that. But I don’t have any idea what brand/model components to look at. Perhaps you could suggest components you might consider if you were setting up a system at that price point. Also how would you budget the total amount per component including wiring.
I am not interested in adding streaming or anything else I might not already have to the system. I would be open to buying separates to replace any single component such as the integrated amplifier. Maybe a separate DAC, phono stage, preamp etc. Please tell me what you would do.
Following are the components I already have to upgrade. My system consists of Magico A3 speakers, a Luxman 507uX MK2 integrated amp, a Marantz Ruby KI CD/SACD player, A VPI Classic 2 turntable with a Fatboy tonearm and a Lyra Kleos cartridge. Wiring consists of Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables, and VPI house brand wires that connect to the tonearm. I forget the brands of the other wires and cables, but they are of similar quality to the above.
I also have a Shunyata Hydra Denali 4000 power conditioner with a Venom power cord (I think) that I will continue to use without upgrading.
I would welcome any of your suggestions and utilize them next time I go up to Washington DC to visit dealer showrooms for demos. Thank you much.
It does sound weird to consider spending that much on a system costing over three times what I paid for my first home, so I hope I’m not sounding uppity here.
Mike