Musings of a Budget Audiophile

@millercarbon I've never had a goal of owning wildly expensive gear and really consider the Pathos to be better than I had really expected to ever own.  I also lean toward being satisfied over constantly searching for something better.  The tube rolling opened a window into some ways to optimize my system that really made a difference and now I think I'm settling back into a place of being satisfied.  Maybe when my Krell S-300i amplifier sells I'll get the bug again.

@chorus I'm not a particularly good shopper, but did get a great deal on the amplifier which is the only reason that I have it.  I don't stream and just have an external hard drive connected to it.

@hilde45 The DAC could very well be my weak link, but I do believe that it performs above its price point.  It has a DSD capable chip (underutilized?) and the addition of the discrete op amps really improved things significantly.

When I rolled in the Mullard tube in the Pathos the result was a much warmer sound while also significantly increasing the level of clarity.  The only downside was that the warmer sound eliminated some of my highs that I've always enjoyed with the Focal speakers.  The improvement with the Mullard tubes was unquestionable so it was easy to adapt.

When I installed the three Sparkos Labs op amps (all three are in the signal path of both outputs) the sound because slightly brighter, but more significantly the bass became more visceral.  Prior to the op amp upgrade I had always preferred the clarity of the solid state output and considered the tube buffer output to be dull in comparison.  With the Sparkos Laps op amps my preference is for the tube buffer output with the solid state output sounding bright in comparison.  At this point I was thinking a lot about getting a tube DAC with Jolida being one of particular interest.  There was a slight brightness that made me think that a tube would benefit.

When I added the W Audio power cord (expecting nothing in return) the resulting sound somehow became more live/real sounding with even more micro details coming out.  I would also describe the sound as being slightly more laid back/relaxed and any thoughts that I had for getting a Jolida tube DAC seemed to fade away.

Before I upgraded the Maverick Audio DAC I did pick up a Schiit Modi Multibit DAC.  It played tricks with my mind because I did enjoy the way it sounded, but I was only comparing it to the solid state output on my Maverick Audio DAC.  When I realized that this was the case I hooked the tube buffer output up and discovered that it sounded identical to the Schiit DAC so my multibit experiment was done.

At some point I'm sure I'll be interested in trying a "better" DAC, but I'm honestly not sure what improvement I could expect though I've said that before.  For now, I'm just enjoying listening to my favorites again for the first time.

@mapman The Maverick Audio DAC has a solid state output that runs in parallel with the tube buffer.  I often have them hooked up in parallel so that I can switch between them.  I preferred the solid state output prior to the op amp upgrade and then the tube buffer became my preference.  Prior to the op amp upgrade the solid state output was identical to my CD player so I have a reference point for before and after all of the upgrades.

@slaw How familiar are you with Blue Jeans Cables?  What design characteristics would you expect to result in an improvement in my system?

@slaw That sounds like the type of experience that's worth consideration.  Too often on this forum I see blind suggestions being given.

Questions:

(1) What components were in your system when you did this?  I interested in the specific equipment, but more so in the general level of it relative to mine.

(2) What cables did you try and find to be an improvement?  Did you try multiple different cables or was it a one-and-done situation.

#stillnotarobot

@slaw It appears that "not a lot of money" to you means spending as much on interconnects as I did my DAC.  I'm certainly open to exploring interconnects and appreciate the benefit of your experience, but it'll take a much more budget cable to convince me of the potential improvements before I jump in at that level.  The W Audio power cords cost less less than $50 which is why I gave them a try.

I do have the silver plated BJC digital audio cable from the Bluesound Node and the DAC.  I think I'd consider replacing the stereo RCA cable between the DAC and amplifier as a first step as I believe that there's a lot more potential for improvement on the analog side of things.

@danager I did consider trying an adapter with a Mullard tube, but Tube Depot only has a 5670 to 6922 adapter and not the other way around.  Based on the lack change from the stock GE to the WE 396A I wouldn't expect a significant change from a switch to a 6922 type.  I certainly could be wrong, but then I'd have wasted the coin for the WE 396A and I am not ready to admit that and move one :-)

@tomic601 Interesting idea for the power setup. The other available outlet supports my home theater gear, so I’m not sure how well that would work out.

I purchased the Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC with the Burr Brown OPA627 op amp upgrade. The dual discrete Sparkos Labs op amps were a clear upgrade in the DAC.

I don’t think my setup would support the rigid anti cables products.

I just purchased Audioquest Chicago interconnects to play with.  I had a little Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket...

@tomic601 The Audioquest Chicago interconnects showed up today.  I put them in and am so far enjoying them.  It'll take a bit of listening to really evaluate them, but I'd say that they are smoother and have a more visceral presentation compared to the BLC interconnects.

I have not done any A/B comparisons between the BJC LC-1 and Audioquest Chicago interconnects beyond the initial switch, but I can say that my system sounds amazing and I do consider that the Audioquest cables are an improvement.  I'd describe it as sounding a little smoother, a little fuller throughout the mid range, and a little more visceral presentation.

I've been sucked into A Life of Tango by Alfredo Marcucci the past two nights.  The first ended with a power outage and the second when my wife came downstairs for the evening since she finds the CD annoying.  I have not really listened to it since the power cord and interconnect changes.

Any recommendations for a similar level Audioquest digital coax cable?  The voodoo rabbit holes continues.

I put the Audioquest Cinnamon digital coax cable in my system last night and I can't say that I immediately noticed any difference.  I only listed to one song prior to the swap and then again after before going to bed, but I might be able to convince myself that the result was positive.  At this point I'd definitely put it in the range of placebo potentially having an effect.  I don't consider that placebo was in play for the power cord or interconnect upgrades.  The only thing I can say with any conviction is that my system sounds as good today as it ever has without question.

@secretguy Indeed they do.  The digital coax is certainly not something that I'd look at upgrading further based on my experience, but I'd choose the Audioquest over the BJC if I had to keep only one.  I didn't really expect any improvement from it, but since I was surprised by the power cable and interconnect upgrades I figured that I'd give it a try in my system.

@mr_m That's quite an upgrade in price point.  What led you to jump in at that level?