Help wanted spending money and improving my system.

the op has left out the most important info -- which is what aspect(s) of the sound he is hearing is he trying to improve

short of knowing this, i think he would succeed only in the first of his two stated wishes

as for audiotroy, i would say that the good thing is that his posts clearly state who he is, and that is helpful as the op and others assess his input

The best tweaks are those that remove things from the sound, not add to it. 

Frank

Depending on your soldering skills you should upgrade the coupling caps in your Primaluna. You can do a LOT better than the Mundorfs that the Prima uses.

When I first started upgrading about 3 years ago.  I was running an Outlaw amp and preamp.  I first bought the Carver Crimson amp and was pleased with. how much better it sounded over the class d outlaw.  But when I replaced the outlaw preamp with the prima luna preamp I was blown away.  Today the prima luna preamp is my favorite piece.  And for Audiotroy's comment about Furman, my Elite 20 performs well.  And protects my gear at the same time.  Some posters on this forum may not be taking their meds as prescribed.  

Thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions.  You have reinforced some of my lines of thought, and given many new ideas.

Thanks,

JB Hiller was right. No one else seems to have really followed your posts and what you said. He said:

"Your phono preamp is the weakest link."

It isn't even close. Compared to the rest of your system, it is low, low end. A true phono stage upgrade will be transformational. Not a tweak, totally system changing.

Agree. Totally. Your 2M Bronze is high output 5mV making the Decware ZP3 a solid choice for transforming your system for not a lot of money. With a lifetime warranty and their SUT trade program should you go MC down the road this is the rare component you can afford now yet be so good it serves as a foundation piece well into the future.  https://www.decware.com/newsite/ZP3.htm

Look to your room and add room treatment to dial in your sound. Your room is what you hear most and effects the sound the most. I'd buy a good quality (not stupid money) USB calibrated Microphone and REW software and look at your room acoustics. That will give you by far the most bang for your buck in return on your dollar for sound improvements. . 

Skywachr,  millercarbon.  I really like the decware recommendation.  I had not initially given much consideration to enhancing the analog side of things.  In the mid 70’s I owned an operated a high end ( for the era) audio store.  The TT is one I sold my brother and inherited when he died.  I bought the schiit for obvious reasons, entry price and a pre was required.  I was impressed with how little surface noise there was and attributed that to stylus improvement in 30 years since I spun vinyl!  I’m going to research the decware and likely pull the trigger on that.

Just so you know it will take a while. All the really good stuff is backlogged, the last one here oldhvymec waited several months for his. For something this good, what could well prove to be a lifetime buy, probably worth the wait. Study everything on the site (there is a lot of info) and search around, I think you will have a hard time finding anything but glowing comments from owners.

+1 for Townshend Podiums
IME, the improvements in SQ was so dramatic it was shocking.
I know you are happy with your spikes and rubber floor, but the Podiums work well with any flooring. And by removing the vibration of the speakers everything about the sound is literally transformed. Check out the YouTubes.

a random itch rarely leads to world class….

there are many great tube phono pre in addition to decware. Don’t think that is your only choice. Allnic, Craft, Hagerman, Rogue, Goldnote, Bottlehead, EAR, the list is long……

Yeah, Podiums are transformative. Maybe he will get a set while waiting on the Decware? ;)

Millercarbon you are correct!  Just heard back from decware..  10-12 months… the search is on again!   But I’m going to order the decware regardless of wait…

lol! So Podiums now, Decware ordered now for later? Podiums, seriously, transformative!

I must say, the OP is a salesman’s dream….. dollar signs in their eyes.

Millercarbon, cooled off on ordering a decware with a year wait…I’m 67, I’m not playing the long card.  The search continues…

Dollar signs in the eyes is a far cry from dollar bills in their hands!

Thanks to all for your feedback suggestions and support!

Even something like a Bottlehead will be an improvement. If you want to do the phono stage. A lot of other good ideas here. Synergistic HFT, Purple fuse, Townshend Pods and/or Podiums. I am generally in line with Frank, better to get the most from what you have first.

there are twenty phono pre the equal of the decware…. that’s your weak link…now…

Sometimes the “ long game “ is a double album

Also, on speaker isolation gizmos you have many choices….do a search….

@fastninja12. I just spent the last weekend at Decware's open house. It is sometimes called Decfest or Zenfest.  They hold it every year the first full weekend in October...it starts Friday afternoon and goes to Sunday afternoon. I will second any Decware gear suggestions.

Getting that out of the way I do have some suggestions for your system. Most of them will be around $1k, but you don't have to do all(or any) of them.

I will start with your turntable. Yes there are better tables out there, but do you want to spend at least $3k to $5k (for starters) to really hear what vinyl had to offer? There will always be a better turntable than the one you have. You have a decent turntable and a good cartridge. The Ortofon 2m Bronze shares the same pickup as the 2m Black. You could try the Black stylus out...it would be a quick and easy swap.

You could also upgrade to a SoundSmith Carmen. It would give you a different "flavor". The other upgrade would be the Decware ZP3 phono preamp. There are a bunch of upgrade options when you order and I definitely recommend getting the capacitor bypass mod. It will give better performance during transients. There are also many other great phono preamps out there and to beat your Schiit Mani you need to spend five to ten times as much as the Mani. 

Now let's talk some Schiit about your DAC. I have the Gungnir Multibit so I have to say good choice on the Yggdrasil. The best advice I have gotten on preventing upgrade-itis and boredom is to have two of something like DACs, turntables or speakers that can be easily switched. So maybe get a second DAC that is different and have both of them hooked up and ready to go. Have your CD transport hooked up to one via Toslink and the other by coaxial. In a couple of months I would swap connections to see if one DAC does Toslink better than the other. 

I don't have anything to say about your amp and preamp choice because I have not heard them for myself.  I just spent the weekend auditioning three different Decware amps and the CSP3-25th Anniversary preamp. You like what you have and there is nothing wrong with that.

Between your preamp and your power amp you have a Lokius...at least that is where I would put it. Decware has a Zrock2 tube Equalizer. It would be something to check out. Before Decfest my next major purchase was going to be a ZP3 phono preamp...now you can add a Zrock2.

I do have a speaker suggestion. I will also stress that it is in addition to and NOT a replacement for your current speakers. This goes back to having two very different things for varaity. Check out Caintuck Audio's Betsy Open baffles. I spent a few hours listening to Steve Deckert's personal pair of the Betsy Alnico speakers. He was gracious enough to dig them out for me. They have an eight inch full range driver with an AlnicoV magnet.

At home I have a Betsy clone I made with a Lii Audio F12 (12") driver to compliment my Decware Imperial speakers. These open baffles are easy to move around so they can be tucked out of the way when not in use. Placement is not overly critical, but they do like to be pulled out at least three to four feet from the walls. The imaging is insane and the simple beauty of a single full range driver is haunting. I am recommending an eight inch driver because you already have subs.

I had a lot of fun putting this together. I hope it helps you. 

I would look at a dac  upgrade. Look at a true r2r fully balanced with xlr outs.

Hey OP ??? Equaliser ??? Where and why are you needing one?

You can replace your DAC which although good value can easily be bettered by a number of units, at 2 to 3 times the price. Also consider the streamer is as or more important than the DAC.

You mention DIY bass traps, which is great and suggests you are aware of the value of room treatment. A wise poster mentioned a microphone and REW which if you don’t have will be the biggest bang for the buck ever.

Now to directly address your requirement of 1 item only. This will totally transform your system. Get yourself a DBA and figure out how to remove the equaliser.
I strongly recommend reading up on the benefits of a multi-sub approach. Earl Geddes has much info and videos on the theory and set-up. If you have a space problem or fear of clutter the subs can be incorporated into the decor. I helped a mate with a difficult room by installing an 8" driver into a sealed box. We made 3 of these, one as a coffee table, one to support a reading lamp and one to support a pot plant. These small boxes hardly intruded but WOW the result was truly transformative. The idea is not to fill the room with thunderous bass but to smooth out the problematic nodes.

3 or 4 small boxes with your DIY skills should be easy 😁

Your just bored.   Take a breather and save your money.

Hello fastninja12,

who were the first eleven?

Nice system!  Does seem like a lot of stuff and connections.
I agree with the suggestions toward pre amp and DAC.  I also believe in system synergy where possible.  One suggestion to consider would be the Mola Mola Makua pre amp.  Mine has the internal Tambaqui DAC and is amazing, both as a preamp and a DAC.  You can also get the acclaimed phono pre amp as well, but I am strictly digital.  The. Combined streamer / DAC / preamp is amazing, avoids interconnects and power cables and is beautiful as well.  I also have the singular Tambaqui in an all Audionet system, and again world class DAC.  A call to Bill at GTT Audio is worthwhile.
Enjoy the music!   Ken

Dollar for dollar, digital amplitude and phase correction has made the greatest positive contribution to my sound quality.  Just get a pc and a usb mic, and do what they say below.  I’m confident you’ll be amazed.
https://community.roonlabs.com/t/a-guide-to-advanced-room-correction-with-rew-and-rephase-using-conv...

The cheaper way would be just get a few vinyl albums....Try a better phono preamp...

I had a Yggy and while many love theirs it never seemed right to me.  If you use your Jays transport a lot then changing to a better DAC that takes I2S is something to consider.  I moved to a Denafrips Terminator then Terminator Plus,  I feel they are night and day better in so many ways.  The Denafrips prefer I2S as an input.

I'm no expert,  but I would start with a book called Get Better Sound by Jim Smith.  He focuses on your room and your current equipment.   I've read his book, but took it a step further went to his one on one listening session and it changed my whole mindset.   Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting new equipment,  but I've felt like I was chasing an impossible goal.  My next step is to have Jim come and do voicing  session at my home.  Not necessarily cheap, but if it will improve my Sound, I'm willing to give it a try.  There are others like Jim, but that's the path I'm currently on.  I pray that your system gets to the next level.  Enjoy the journey.