My wife says yes Help what to upgrade next?

What type of cables are you using?? Have you upgraded your power cables yet?? Sometimes, an upgrade in cables can be almost as good as a component upgrade, IMO.

Determine your budget. Add a preamp.

KF

You should mention what about your system you would like to improve on... what do you like about the system. What would you like to improve.. bass response, accuracy, depth, soundstage... vocals, higs anything... You have nice gear..
The Aragon is one of my favorites, as most people in the threads know...The Theta is a nice player.. And if you are a B&W fan...then I would suggest trying a nice tube preamp, something by Audio Research or BAT... It will smooth out the system and add warmth to the speakers.. take off some of the brightness of the b and w's. Cables, definately. Go for some nice interconnects and speaker wires and definately pc's make sure that you create some synergy in the system... I happen to like Mit and Transparent for Interconnects... Alpha Core is another favorite, and very inexpensive relatively speaking.. Powercords, well I am partial to my own brand, considering I own Custom Audio... however, there are lots of upgrade paths.. But without knowing what is ailing you, I can only suggest options not solutions!!
Happy Listening,
joe
Custom Audio LLC

Greetings "Gretchen",

It's always fun to upgrade. Cables are definitely an avenue to persue. I would consider going with a preamp first however. I have seen one right here on AudiogoN that might just be a great buy. Take a look at this option...

PREAMPLIFIER OPTION - Audcom AP-110

I hope you're having as much fun as I've had helping you!

H a p p y s h o p p i n g !

Best regards,

-Donald

W ENTERPRISES NORTHWEST - Portland, OR USA
"High End Audio That Is Music To Your Ears"
| www.wenterprisesnw.com | wenw@qwest.net |

Hi- I'm using Monster Cable Sigma 2000 speaker and interconnects. I have not upgraded to PC's they are stock.

Thanks for the ideas so far. I forgot say that the Theta Miles is the balanced version & that I'm using it via. bal. interconnects.So the preamp would have to be balanced. I had Tara labs & MIT and seem to like these the best.
I would like the imaging to become more precise and be able to point out the diffence between instruments better.
Jim

Gretchen: I suggest you get the most out of yr PRESENT system before changing active components.
1) Give aftermarket pc's a try on your system. Larger gauge rather than smaller... Check out the sound.
2) Then review speaker positioning (if you haven't already) & tweak equipment support. Check results again.
3)Then try the best cables you can get on loan. Do a final check on the sound.
Then determine what's missing & if it's related to active h/ware. Cheers!

Gregm was right on. Start with power cords and consider a power conditioner. Something like an Ultimate Outlet with a thirty day return policy from PS Audio might work. Then interconnects and spkr cables can fine tune the foundation you've provided with the pc's.

I would definitely replace the Miles and if necessary add a preamp. There are some good CD players that will work amp-direct in lieu of the Miles but there are also many good choices that are only line level. Either way you will definitely improve the performance of your system by upgrading your CD player. The Miles never was one of my favorite players, and digital has come a long way since that model was released.

Well, I wouldn't be upgrading the wife, for sure.

I used to own a Miles and I liked it a lot. I would also recommend upgrading your power and cables. For interconnects and speaker cables, I recommend trying Harmonic Technology, which I have had good luck with. The last thing I would do is buy a preamp. I also run my CDP directly to my amp and have found that choosing your amp in this configuration is critical. If you get to the point where you are going to buy a preamp, just think of the amp you could upgrade to with that money!

I have used an Aragon 8002 for years and has been extremely happy with it. But, eventhough the 8008 is the more expensive amp, the 8002 is more balanced and musical. What I mean is, the 8008 is boomier in the lows and sharper in the highs.

The BnW 802 can sure benefit from the extra oomph the 8008 provides, but its metal dome tweeter can do without the sharper highs. This is probably why you prefer the Monster Sigma being they are mellower sounding cables.

You probably want to get a new amp and powercord for the amp and especially for the cd player.

Gretchen, I use the 8008 too and I found that it works very well with the Krell KRC 2 pre-amp. The sound with the Krell in-line is better than without it. For what it's worth if you can get your hands on the pre-amp, try it!

I was going to say this

You should mention what about your system you would like to improve on... what do you like about the system. What would you like to improve.. bass response, accuracy, depth, soundstage... vocals, higs anything... 

But then I saw this

 I have not upgraded to PC's they are stock.

And so the correct answer is this

1)  aftermarket pc's.

Your freebie rubber power cords are the worst thing you have. Monster runs a close second. Try power cords, interconnects, and speaker cables priced far above whatever you think might actually be worth buying. Not because that is what you should buy, but because that is the way to learn and understand such things actually are worth buying. Once you experience just how much difference these things can make, only then will you be in a position to determine what and how much you think is worth going for.