OMG. What now?

Yes, me too. That's why so fun.

I’ve gotta say the biggest improvement in my system was the Auralic Altair G1. I’d never heard musical definition like that before.

That’s it. It’s the ultimate blessing or, dare I say it, the ultimate curse. I’ve reached the end of the audiophile’s dilemma. Or have I? What now?

just enjoy the moment(s)

1. I’m not using a preamp between my digital source and my amp. Both are outstanding, so do I really need one?

you don't need one

2. Where’s the best place to sell my used stuff?

us audiomart (it's free to sellers), audiogon attracts some different buyers, but there is a cost to sellers

3. What’s the most obvious “weak link” that’s holding my system back from a yet undiscovered audiophile music nirvana?

you haven't disclosed your system or your room, so no one can answer you

Speak for yourself. I don't suffer.

We all here suffer the same neuroses

i only..every now and then…suffer…the fools….

Music and an emotional connection are the fix…

For a long time I was happy going straight from the DAC to the amp.  I had tried various preamps and found they might add some color to the sound but didn't improve it.  Then a friend brought over an ancient Cary SLP-70 preamp that had been extensively recapped.  It did magical things to the soundstage but unfortunately it also added a certain glare that I couldn't tolerate.  But it did make me realize that a preamp might bring something to my system that I wanted.  I have bought and built a variety of preamps.  My favorite inexpensive preamp is the Bottlehead Moreplay.  It is a $439 kit and it definitely brings some magic.  But it is the PS Audio BHK preamp that is staying in my main system.  It is very transparent, but it also adds a level of dynamics and soundstage that I find addictive.  The BHK turned me from a preamp skeptic to a believer.  And I'm sure there are a lot of other terrific preamps that I haven't tried and many may be even better than the BHK.  But my guess is the right preamp will take your system to another level.

Hierarchical thinking is getting in the way.

Try looking at the hobby as one which includes variation.

Instead of asking "What do I need to do to make my system better?" ask, "What might be a source of genuine variation within my system that might allow some interesting new experiences?"

In other words, rather than seeking "better" seek "as good but different." As we all do with movies, restaurants, friends, guitars, tennis rackets, etc.

@ideal8592

In all seriousness, you know something a miss if you’re thinking about something better! Maybe you need a good preamp or something else in your system that you must do before you spent your $$$ on a preamp. What about your room acoustics?

By listing your components, we are still speculating as what may sounds best or yield considerable improvements. IMHO, you get to musical nirvana by trial and error. Even if we share same components, they can sound different because of room interactions and our hearing abilities.

try to visit the conservatory (when a good professional group performs) ... buy tickets for the "right places" ... repertoire? - let there be something from what you think sounds perfect at home ... COMPARE .., take out a handkerchief from your breast pocket and wipe your tears)))

what iron then to change? - I don't know - sometimes you need to change everything)))

You haven't reached the end of audiophile dilemma if you're still questioning what ifs. The problem is the old known unknowns conundrum, just have to quit this drug to get off perpetual hamster wheel.

Vast majority of dacs will benefit from active pre. Based on reviews I've seen, even top flight dacs with analog volume benefit here.

If you are still thinking about gear and not just enjoying the music then either forge ahead or jump ship. 

@ideal8592 Congrats!  Glad you joined the "done stressing over the gear club".  I've been a member of that club for a while now, though I did purchase a new CD-SACD transport in December (as PS Audio offered a new model, and a key part of the one I replaced was no longer being produced).  Hoping you can relax and enjoy the music more!

“2. Where’s the best place to sell my used stuff?”

Audiogon! Where else? ;-)

You need to consider the law of diminishing returns.  How deep are your pockets?  Mine aren't that deep and my 'rig' sounds better than it ever has.  Great recordings sound amazing and mediocre ones sound well, OK.  The more money you spend, the worse the lousy recordings are going to sound.  Sit back and enjoy the music and don't concentrate on what you may need to improve on the sound.  That's what it's all about anyway.....enjoying the music.

@hilde45 wise words 

A Quality active preamp is always better then a direct source in dynamics and soundstage depth.i owned a Audio-store for years as well as Audiophile for 40+ years.

Don't listen to him....you're fine with your system as is...

All the best,
Nonoise

@hilde45   Spoken like a true psychologist......recovering or practicing? 👍

Hello,

That is really great you are happy with your system. One thing I have noticed is new tweeks come about from time to time. If you don’t want to try new stuff then by all means just listen. I watched a YouTube video about cleaning the air in your listening room with a HEPA filter system. Very interesting. I am sure 10-15 years ago a few of us were happy with the system. Then the new cool stuff comes out. If you get the chance I would try a preamp. Even if it is passive. I know some of these new DACs have killer volume control like Playback Design or Lumin. When you have a nice preamp it becomes the soul of your system. ISO acoustics for your speakers or adding a sub or three. If you are done for now you are very fortunate. 
For the Hepa filter I am going to tape a 20”x20” Hepa filter from Home Depot to a cheep box fan since you do not run it while listening to music. It’s not a permanent solution but it will provide the same results as long as the filter goes down to 3 microns. I hope it works. I love cheep tweaks. 

Hello,

A couple more things. This was in the other forum. Tighten the screws on your gear. Especially in your speakers like your woofers and midranges. 
Also, one thing I forget to talk about is our turntables. Have you checked to make sure your platter is level. I use a ball bearing instead of a regular level. A rolling ball of steel is way more accurate then a level in two directions. What most people don’t realize is the foundation of your home can settle or even worse move because of frost. In the northern hemisphere your houses foundation will shift up unevenly. So if you setup your turntable in the winter you might have an uneven tt. My friend showed me a Clear Audio bubble level that he used to set up his $25k tt. Not good enough. The ball bearing just slowly rolled to one side. He was very surprised. That messed with everything including anti skate. 
one final tweek. Unhook or unplug everything. Clean the connections. Plug everything back in. I hope this helps. 

Yes, that is a recognizeable dilemma. When all the reading, testing, trying, buying, installing, tweaking and critical listening for changes is over ... well ... then it’s over. Now your feet not only taps with the music, but also from impatience ... what now?

A friend and I, we built a model railroad. That was great fun. Until it was ready. When the building is done, all one can do is drive trains around and that quickly becomes boring. Solution ... we’re breaking it down and start building a new one.

This can become expensive in the case of high end audio.

A new hobby could be to get a good measuring microphone and skill yourself in the art of room acoustics measurement and -improvement with the very nice roomeqwizard software. https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

Some very nice sound improvements may come of it ...

Try addressing the music as you did the gear. Matching good music to your stereo and tastes can be as satisfying as the previous journey. The choices anymore are astounding.

If you love the sound without a preamp, don't bother with one.

Spend the $$$$ on music, concerts, something nice for the wife.

As to your QUESTION, 'Where can I sell Gear" Audiogone handles high-end gear and though some of the people there are ignoranusus, the actual people in charge are respectful and quite helpful. They also handle outright sales and auctions.

Beyond that, I sell (In a LOCAL way) on FaceBook Marketplace and have had excellent luck.

As a manufacturer we keep saying that we are done that is until we hear something that sounds better to our ears.  For example, we were using Audio Note capacitors in our components until we removed them and added chokes to replace them.  Big change maybe but noticeable and an improvement plus they are cheaper than the AN capacitors.

Your weakest link is not having a preamp but by saying that it depends on the flavor of the sound you are looking for and it cannot be just any old preamp either.

Glad you are happy.  You don't need anyone to tell you any different.

Try a free 30 day trial of a Benchmark LA-4 Line amp (preamp) $2599 with remote (Balanced) or an Hp-4 (I think) Benchmark. Same as the LA-4 except $2999 that contains (so they say) one of the best Headphone amps in the business.5 year Warranty made in New York   I personally own the LA-4, will die with it.  Talk to anyone that owns one, they will support my point. Robert TN  I also own a very good DAC, a Meitner MA-1    Good luck  Robert TN

Could you describe your system?

There is always something better in this hobby.  People are more involved listening to their equipment then music itself.  Its the want and try factor, a system can start at 2k, 5k, 10k, 20k, 50k, 100k.  How much difference all depends on everyone personal preference.  I've enjoyed vintage EQ vs. newer equipmemt.  

@closenplay I'm not a psychologist. Just seemed like a commonsense observation drawn from other experiences.

to @hilde45 ’s comment

i would venture to say that for serious audiophiles, thoughtful and introspective about the pursuit, another added bonus of spending time maximizing musical enjoyment through system improvements very often leads one to think hard about, informally question, and learn about our own psychology, our perceptions, our biases, how we deal with happiness and negativity, etc etc

such awareness, learnings can then be applied to other aspects of our lives, for the better... 

Does your digital source have an analog volume control?

Often digital sources will lower the volume by modifying the signal, and some can hear a degradation in the music from this process.

If you run your digital source at maximum volume into a preamp with an analog volume control, you might hear an improvement.

I have a good middle of the road system with an Emotive preamp that has bluetooth for streaming Tidal, a Boxom Arthur Purifi 4215 driving KEF LS50 Metas and a KC62 sub. Right not it's a good enough setup to expose the next level of upgrades.... my room! There are bass hot spots that I can hear doing the subwoofer crawl so now I'm moving into room treatment. I can spend $$$ on gear but it's not really going to solve my room issues. 

I had alot of excitement when I took my preamp out of the audio chain and went from digital streamer to dac to amp. That was is an all solid state system. Then I bought a tube integrated amp in a second audio system and fell in luv with the tube sound. So I went back to my solid state system with DAC to amp and inserted a tube preamp. Again I luved the tube sound. Lastly I add dual servo subs to my Vandersteen speakers and again more audio nirvana....

There are two schools of thought for things like....ss vs tubes, digital vs analog, subs vs no-subs and so on. I don’t get caught up in those debates. I just try something and see if I like it.

@psyop2

agree with your approach, try alternatives is the way to make step changes. And certainly if you are questioning your system. I tried a first rate (to me) tube based CD player (ARC Ref CD9 SE upgraded) and it was a significant uplift in resolution soundstage and the DAC was excellent In it’s own right, so when I tried feeding my streamer through coaxial it significantly uplifted that too.

You can’t predict synergy, of course you can gather others experience as you are doing here, then jump in and give it a try until you no longer need to. It seems you’re not there yet. Enjoy your journey.

John

I’m exactly where you are.  Also DAC direct to power amp. Tried some excellent preamps and all added coloration .  Sometimes I imagine there is still a preamp out there for me. Nevertheless nothing about the sound/ music from my room/system  irritates or bothers me. In fact I’m very happy.  After visiting friend/s with super systems I sometimes believe theirs is better.  But after listening to mine which sounds great even listening for a few hours on end I’m happy and feel the friend’s system might have the initial wow factor but I do tire after about 40 minutes.       So I’ve given up worrying and enjoying the music.Took me years and much anxiety and tweaking to get my room acoustics and component choices right , listening daily and nightly.  Now I’m learning to relax, forget about improving what I have and listening to and enjoying the music.      The other problem I had was looking for well recorded audiophile music .  No more .  My system plays anything and sounds nice, so I’m listening to music I enjoy, not selecting only  audiophile stuff .  Relax take it easy and enjoy.  Sure you should read about new stuff and listen to other kit but just for info. Don’t scratch if it does not itch 

Apologies for not having included system details.

The system I’m using now is Auralic Altair G1, NAD 2200PE, and Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekend Mk IIs.

Was previously using the 2200PE with NAD 1600 preamp/tuner, Cambridge Audio CXN, and B&W Matrix 3 Series 2s. My favorite thing about that system was the 2200PE I’d also used before with a variety of CD players and Klipsch Heresy IIs long since gone. It’s a shame - I sold them to get the B&Ws but have never liked their bright metal dome tweeter highs.