Next upgrade options


Hello all,

So, I have invested quite a bit and reached this audio chain (listed below). I also upgraded power cables, interconnects and speaker cables. So far, I am pretty happy and found noticeable difference with every step of the way.

I am seeking advise/opinion from fellow audiophiles on what can be the next upgrade.. I am seeking more body, fullness and perhaps a little more analog sound.

Option 1 - speakers (not sure what . I love bookshelf)

Option 2 - separates on Amp ( perhaps Gryphon or M10x with a pre-amp)

 

Chain -

Aurender N20 --> DCS Rossini DAC + master Clock --> Luxman 509z --> b&W 805D4 + dual Rel s510

 

I love and hate this hobby .. 

saurabhgarg

Showing 2 responses by sls883

Just guessing here, but the first thing I would try is new speakers. I've read a number of comments about some B&W being bright.  You could maybe raise the crossover frequency on your subs, but that won't fix the brightness. 

I'm running Von Schweikert Endeavor RE speakers with a pair of REL S/510 subs.

A tube preamp would perhaps help, but I don't think that's the best solution in your case. 

I touched on this earlier, but I have a pair of the same subwoofers. My son has an excellent ear for music and his hearing is better than mine. He talked me into increasing the gain on the subs tonight and it definitely helped add some fullness to songs that had sounded thin.  The gain is set really low and even one click makes a difference. I don't like boomy bass.  We left the crossover frequency really low. 

The tweaking all started when I did an a/b comparison between my dac/streamer and my sacd player.  The sacd player initially sounded better until I realized that my dac had somehow had the filter changed from fast to slow. The slow definitely has a warmer sound, but I wasn't looking for warmth.  If your dac has filter settings, you might try changing those. 

I've also been able to add warmth with certain copper cables. 

Anyway, this is probably all stuff you know, but I thought I'd share my experience. 

I've liked the B&W speakers that I've heard. The brightness that I mentioned was just from comments that I had read.