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How do you decide what your next upgrade will be?

As "audiophiles" or "audio enthusiasts", I think most of us are constantly on the hunt for our next upgrade to take their system to the "next level". How do you prioritize what your next upgrade will be?

I typically focus on what my weakest link in my system at the time is and choose my next upgrade based on that. But I know some people may upgrade based on "best bang for buck" or maybe other ways. How do you decide?

I have found myself at a crossroads trying to figure out my next upgrade. Right now I believe my DAC is my weakest link (by a long shot). I currently stream from my computer through tidal into a dragonfly cobalt into a Raven nighthawk. My phono preamp is also lacking. I have a VPI scout Aries with a Soundsmith MIMC star going into a Vincent pho-701. I recently purchased two Rythmik f12se subwoofers and I have no speaker isolation at all (isolation could be a potential upgrade). I have also thought about how fun it would be to roll some tubes through my Raven Nighthawk. There are so many possibilities. 
 

With all the upgrades we have to choose from how do you decide what would be most beneficial to your system?

james1911

Showing 2 responses by holmz

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

I believe that the room and the speakers are the biggest bang for buck areas.

If I have a speaker with 1% distortion, then contemplating moving from an amp with 0.01% THD+N to 0.001% THD+N is not going to be easily heard.

But usually I just get stuff that maximizes social signalling point scores.🙂

 

For fun, maybe post your most recent upgrade and why you decided to go the route you did. Thanks!

Lyngdorf MP-50.

Mostly so we can route TV/NetFlix, and the room correction might address a problem area.

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

I have found myself at a crossroads trying to figure out my next upgrade.

^Sounds^ like the opening to, "And I sold my soul".

 

Right now I believe my DAC is my weakest link (by a long shot)

How would you go from belief to proof, or some reasoning that could convince others?

 

The whole "System" talk implies that things are multiplied together.
But it is probably more like a chain analogy,

If there is no fuse in the amp, you have a bit of a problem making sound.

And a $1000 fuse is not going to make a $5 speaker sound 1000x better than a $1 fuse.

That changing cords/fuses/interconnects is mostly just "blind making work". If the Phono amp is not good, just get a good one... putting a "magic tube" in as better phono amp, will likely be more magical than putting it into a phono amp that is flawed (if your’s even is... I really dunno.)

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