2. amps-preamps
  3. 1407575554

How big a change would this upgrade make?

I'm considering some upgrades to my system, and I wanted to ask if it will make a really transformational difference, or if it will be only a marginal step up. Not that I am unhappy with the sound of my setup, but like so many of us, I'm always looking for more if I can get it.

Right now, I have Joseph Audio Pulsar speakers, with computer audio as my source.

Suppose I made these upgrades (my current components on the left, new ones on the right):

Preamp: Arc LS26 --> ARC Ref 5SE
Amp: Pass XA30.5 --> ARC Ref 75
DAC: PS Audio MKii --> PS Audio DirectStream

At the not-small cost of ~$11k, would this upgrade chain be like night-and-day relative to my current stuff, or something much smaller?

Maybe one more question: if you could only make one of these upgrades, which would it be?
rrolack

Showing 1 response by lloydelee21

lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Hi Rrolack,

Setting aside equipment for a second, what KIND of improvements would you ideally like to have? Are there areas of your system you wish to improve? Dynamics? Attack? Detail? Noise floor? Midrange?

Just curious...sometimes, if you like your existing system, then instead of changing out major components, you might find great improvements in helping the existing equipment perform better. Surprisingly, isolation, good grounding, sometimes mass damping can have shockingly good effect on already good equipment (which you have).
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