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New speakers and guidance

I am retiring soon and I am going to reward myself by upgrading some of my equipment.  For a budget, I am looking to keep total cash outlays in the net $20k range meaning that I can go beyond $20k with any subsequent funds resulting from the sale of my existing equipment.   My current equipment is listed below for reference. 

I was at AXPONA last year and I listened to the Daedalus Apollos and Apollo 11s.  I absolutely loved the sound of them.  Compared to my existing system, they felt more dynamic and open which are two things that I am looking to improve upon.  They still retained a strong sense of presence and warmth that I enjoy with my current system.

My question is in regards to how best use said funds.  A couple of options come to mind:


  1. Purchase a new set of Apollos and upgrade phono pre to something like Herron or Coincident.

  2. Buy a used set of Daedalus Ulysses/Argos/Athenas and upgrade line stage, amp, phono pre and turntable. 


I appreciate the combined wisdom and advice from this wonderful forum!

 

Room:                18x21x10

Speakers:          Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors

Amp:                  McIntosh 275 mk IV

Line stage:          ARC LS5 mk II

Phone Pre:        ARC PH5 with GNSC mods

Turntable:          VPI Classic

Cartridge:          Dynavector XX2 mk 2    Enter your text ...
annika

Showing 6 responses by annika

annika OP
29 posts
 
@miller
thanks for the thoughts.  I understand being leery of show impressions as conditions are less than ideal to say the least.  Would love to demo the Apollos  in my room but likely not going to happen. Daedalus do not seem to come up used often, and if I did buy used and they did not work well in my room, I could resell them. Less risk than buying new.... but not likely to find Apollos used vs. other models. 

I tend to agree with your thoughts on upgrading the phono pre as I would like to do that for either option 1 or 2. 
annika OP
29 posts
 
@erik_squires my setup is in the family room, so treatments are in the context of decorating. I have a floor rug as well as rugs on the front wall. I also have curtains on the window on rear and one side wall.  Since it is a family room, it also has a large sectional couch.  The room sounds quite good all things considered.  Good thoughts on the room treatments. 

@almarg thanks for the comment on returns as I was not aware. I feel if I intend to purchase new I can call and discuss with Lou. However, it doesn’t feel right to me if I go the used route. 
The Herron unit does seem to get great reviews and I will call Keith. 
I appreciate the thoughts. 
annika OP
29 posts
 
Thanks to all for the responses.  Upgrading the phono pre seems like the easy decision thus far, and it will be done in either of the two scenarios.  
Any thoughts on whether upgrading to Daedalus Apollos is a better path vs used Ulysses?  If I go used, I would have funds to spend on upgraded turntable as well.  Going with new Apollos wouldn’t leave me enough funds to do so. 

I appreciate the collective knowledge and opinions!
annika OP
29 posts
 
@douglas_schroeder thank you for the extensive thoughts. I did read your articles on the Ulysses and Tri Art speakers. 
I have to admit that the appearance of the Tri Art speakers is a bit different.  I am probably more inclined to stay with a box type speaker than PAP or Tri Art. Your thoughts on the Ulysses however, may help guide me down the path to the Apollos as they may yield more flexibility in room.  
I do have a Herron phono stage coming that I will get to try out next week. So that will be interesting to hear the change from my current ARC. 
Thanks again for the thoughts. 
annika OP
29 posts
 
I have had the Herron in my system for almost 2 weeks, and it has been a nice upgrade.  It has brought increased resolution and dynamics that I was looking to bring into my system.  Thanks to the group for prodding me along for this upgrade. 

I also spoke to Lou from Daedalus and I am going to order a pair of the Apollos.  I also discussed amplification with Lou, and for my situation, Lou thought I may enjoy the LTA Ultraliner if I would like a change from the Mac.  

It sounds like I have a 3 month wait on the Apollos, so it will be a while any evaluation and decision needs to be made.  
annika OP
29 posts
 
@aburnhamuu 
I have been obsessing, er, researching about upgrades for the past couple of years already!  
Once the Apollos arrive and I get a feel for how they sound with my existing electronics, I can start the next phase of evaluating amp choices 😊.  
Yes, the researching is part of the journey... and a fun part at that....
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