If someone handed you this system, what would you change?
I was reading the latest post from a member here describing the rabbit hole he went down to find the perfect system. Lots of money spent upgrading lots of different gear. Made me wan to pose this question, and I ask it with this in mind. I am very happy with what I have, but if someone with extensive knowledge were to be handed this setup, what would this person do to swap out/add equipment that would really make a noticable difference. What, in your opinion would you want me to consider. (I will not take as an insult to anything you may say and I do have some pre-conceived ideas as to where this may go, but I really want your opinion)
My system from source to speakers:
Node 2i music streamer with Deezer as prefered music service
Mini DSP DAC with Dirac Live calibrated for my 17 X 25 room
Emotiva XSP1 Pre Amp (with home theater bypass function allowing a yamaha receiver to take over on movie night). Then through balanced connection to:
Emotiva XPA gen 3 Power amp at 400 WPC bi-amped into mids and highs of speakers, and also from pre-amp directly to speakers that have 700 WPC to base drivers of speakers
Speaker wires from power amp to speakers are from Big Ear audio in Tempe Arizona. Owner builds his own cables; paid $800
Speakers: Legacy Audio Focus XD (again, bi amped from power amp and internal power built in to the speakers.
So, that's it. I went with as good as I could when I put this all together at about the same time 3 years ago. I am still really enjoying it BUT..... I feel a hole burning in my pocket for the next upgrade if needed. What do ya think
It is great you have enjoyed your system and now know what it sounds like.
Your speakers are clearly the best component. Great choice… you have a lot of room to grow into them.
A bit of perspective. I am going to assume that over time you will want to upgrade everything to reach the full capability of your speakers. If you carfully choose your components for great sound quality that fit your taste it is not unusual for your speakers to represent around 35% of your overall cost of components (so ~15% for each: amp, preamp, DAC, and Streamer). So, that can help get some idea where over the long run you want to invest.
My first great system was constructed over many years. Once I had a system. Then I would choose a target component and upgrade with the intent of taking me “permanently out of the market”. Well, usually for ten years to the next upgrade cycle.
I would first upgrade your preamp. I would get the very best you can afford… used a great way… a Used Audio Research, VAC, Conrad Johnson will provide exceptional natural and detailed sound. Other great choices are Luxman, and Rogue.
Next the DAC critical in getting natural sound. A budget one that is really good for the money is the Schiit Yggdrasil. I would recommend a bit better one, but I am not familiar with that part of the market. But Yggdrasil would be a great upgrade.
Next… hard… a Quiet high quality streamer… then finally amp. Yes, streamers matter… one would think they don’t but the make a huge difference. My preference is Aurender… that is all they make and they are amazing sounding.
No hurry. You should get a big improvement in sound quality at each upgrade… so lots of rewards along the way. I started upgrading in the 70’s with components in th $200 - $300 range and have been upgrading in levels ever since and now have components in the $20K range and my system just gets better and better and more rewarding.
Also, make sure to really work on speaker placement and acoustical treatments. This can be free and make huge differences.
What a great response and very much along the lines i suspected. Love the thought of purchasing to take myself permanently out of the market for that component. As to the pre-amp. I have thought about this and I may have to have to use other lesser speakers and dedicate home theater to one system and smaller bookshelves next to my Main 2 channel listening speakers. I am not concerned about the surround sound system quality compared to music listening. This would allow for a new pre-amp and I believe I will end up with the Legacy Wavelet processor pre-amp. Has room correction and of course is matched to my speakers - about 6k.
You've heard it, what are the current strengths that you want to enhance or what are the weakness you'd like to address?
How loud do you play your music and what type of music do you listen too?
First there is no perfect system. There are systems that are optimized for traits. Rock concerts are loud, amplified and designed to pound the feeling into you. String quartets are unamplified softer more nuanced and the feeling you get is more of a warm blanket that draws you in. What are you trying to accomplish?
For what I listen for, I'd focus on the source. The miniDSP provides equalization but at a cost. They are expensive but a new streamer and digital crossover would do wonders to your existing sound.
I agree with @stereo5. Ditch the Emotiva and get a good two channel preamp and amp. I’m also not a fan of DSP except for subs. Not familiar with Deezer, but if it’s compressed audio, go with Qobuz or Tidal.
I had a system I enjoyed very much, but, on a whim, I bought a Herron Line Stage. lt, all by itself, improved the sound of my system far beyond anything else I ever replaced. I'm in the process of acquiring a Herron phono stage, I'm in hope it will do the same for my analog front end.
If I were in your shoes, I'd (a) look for some threads for Legacy speaker owners to see what other amps they've tried to see what else you might audition, and (b) look at other DACs (some argue that the Bifrost 2/64 competes handily with their more expensive Yggy model).
1. Recognize the feeling of desire to spend money - it can be something you continue to save.
2. My transition from a good system to listen to music to to a system I made time to listen to started with a new pre-amp. I can honestly say I don't understand why it made so much of an impact - but it increased my music enjoyment.
I feel a hole burning in my pocket for the next upgrade if needed. What do ya think
I think this is the crux of the issue. There are so many people willing to spend more and more money seeking that "perfect" sound that doesn't exist. Reading about new stuff, seeing glossy pictures and reading flowery words and we succumb to the temptation. Well, I realized a while back, that's a losing proposition. You'll NEVER get as much for your previous stuff as you paid for it unless you've got something that is vintage and rare so you spend even more get less. Certainly not sound financially and likely not much, if any, improvement. But hey, it's your money, spend it like you want, but until you (generally) decide you've had enough and realize there's no end, you'll always be looking for the next great thing.
As ghdprentice said, room treatment. The room is the biggest part of the sound. Secondly, get hold of a power regenerator. NOT a conditioner. This will take care of any money burning a hole in your pocket, and will make every item you have already purchased stand up and be noticed. I have a basic psaudio one, but they have 3 options, I think.
Hard to give a quick answer. My first thought was to replace both the older Node and Deezer, but then my thoughts went to “Are you using the DAC in the Node? I have the newer N130 and it really sounded okay until I hooked up an external DAC. The difference between the $3 DAC chip that is part of a Swiss Army knife and a single purpose DAC made an amazing difference for me.
I am using the external DAC that is in my Mini DSP device that gives me Dirac Live. My source is lossless streaming FLAC files from Deezer HIFI. One thing I can tell you is that when I switch in and out of what Dirac Live did to room corection; it is noticable to anyone that sits in my sweet spot. I do not have the luxury of lots of different speaker placements. They sound great at about 7 feet apart, toed in, with listening position at 11 feet. Only inches to play with on speaker placement, not feet. (19 inches from wall)
I have a mini DSP that I like, but it does kind of tie you to the sweet spot, which isn’t a problem in my relatively small room. Regarding your setup, I agree it’s the amplification that I would change. Have you considered adding tubes to your system? You might want to try changing the pre amp to something like Rouge Audio or Prima Luna and leave the same power amp for now.
Have you ever thought of an integrated amp? I have become a fan of Luxman integrated amps. Current models would still offer the preamp out to the sub woofer and the ability to separate the preamp and amp stages when desired. I do not know the speakers so I don't know how much power you really need, but the integrated route does simplify things a little without compromising on sound quality. My sense is that a Luxman integrated, or something similar, would be an improvement over the Emotiva preamp/amp. Good luck on your search. My advice would be to take your time and enjoy the hunt.
So I had a pre conceived idea that I would get the kinds of comments in this post about my Emotiva equipment. I have come to the realization that this is where I would want to upgrade, mostly on blind faith that I will truly experience a noticable difference once hooked up in my listening room. Any comments on the following: I am really leaning hard now on staying in the Legacy family. The Legacy Wavelet II pre-amp, configured to my exact speakers and including HT bypass, DAC, Room correction and a few other tricks for around 7K seems like the no brainer decision where I cannot possible go wrong (and also adding one of the legacy 2 channel power amps). Any comments on that simple 10k decision should I go that route? I appreciate the comments from all.... thanks.
I would get a good two channel tube preamp such as a Cary SLP-98 or a Conrad-Johnson, perhaps a few others. That will last a lifetime and not be obsoleted by time or have features that become obsolete. Next shop for a good stereo amp. Parasound has some good value items.
One change I made to my system that made a huge difference is adding a CD transport. The difference between streamed files and the same music on a CD played on the transport is really significant and similar to the difference between digital and analog, analog offering more space, more three-dimensionality, more musical flow. Of course, this change only makes sense if you have plenty of CDs to feed to the transport. And along the same lines, adding a turntable to your system (and the requisite LPs) will provide a lot more musical satisfaction--at least that's how it is for me. My feeling is that everything in a system makes a difference, but if you don't get it right at the source, all you're doing is perfectly reproducing a poor signal.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
