You may be a man in the perfect situation. There has been a Platinum Revision RLD-1 listed on A'gon for two (maybe three) consecutive months. The seller was asking $2600 for it without phono board, $3000 with phono board. I recently initiated a thread about resale value of McCormack modded gear (thread was actually about resale value of any modded gear) and the answer I got back was a seller can expect to get only 25% of his modification investment back. My recommendation: contact a'gon staff and see if they can find the ad. I think it dropped off only in the last couple of weeks and the seller gave up relisting it. Contact him, get the condition of the unit, then adjust the mean price from the Audio Bluebook accordingly; add 25% of $1400 (the Platinum Revision cost) and offer him that plus shipping.
There's an ad somewhere on a'gon from a dealer who will pay up to 80% of the retail price of your McCormack piece and apply it toward the purchase of some other piece. Although it would cost you more money short-term, you could sell the McCormack and buy an upgrade in some other part of your system. I don't remember the details/restrictions on the offer, but it's worth your while to try to find it.
If that doesn't work out, you can sell your stock RLD-1 here, as reasonable sellers rarely have trouble selling them here.
One final option: upgrade your own unit. You will lose money on the resale - assuming you ever sell your RLD-1, but you'll get the SMCaudio warranty and great service from Steve McCormack. Note he has a backlog, though: I contacted him in February about upgrading mine and it doesn't go out to him until April 11. You can find a couple of glowing reviews by Platinum Revision RLD-1 owners on here if you want an idea of what the upgrades do for the stock unit.
Good luck! |
I can't believe that you think a different power cord will make a difference. |
Aggielaw thanks for the info!
Rwwear I don't know if a "better" ac cord wll improve the preformance of my dna-1 as I have never tried any experimenting myself. I take it you have and are not impressed?
Anybody else have any thoughts on pre options?
Thanks |
I just don't believe you can hear any difference between power cords. |
Dueler,
Opinions on power cords vary. I have not heard a difference between the stock power cords and after-market power cords on any of my equipment (my RLD-1 is mated with a DNA-0.5 Rev. A for what it's worth.) Many people believe they hear a difference. If you want to try different cords, you can find some from DIY'ers for less than $100 and experiment. I did that by purchasing a "Basic Powercord" from Roy Locke (username: Audiophile8) for about $50. You might buy a cord for each device that accepts after-market cords to have the best chance of hearing a difference.
Good luck on your audio journey! |
Despite Rwwear's avowed disbelief, I can rather easily hear differences among various powercords with my DNA-125, though they are not major - I've heard bigger changes with PC's on other amps. Which is not to say there aren't worthwhile improvements to be had, given an appropriate system context. Steve McCormack does recommend their use with his amps. A much less expensive, but no less important improvement is yours simply by leaving the amp continuously powered-on. If you're curious, I would consider trying a used PC bought on Agon in the sub-$200 range, which you can always resell at little-to-no loss if it doesn't do much for you. |
I will wade in and try for myself! |
It's impossible if the power cord is of the correct size. |
Intuitively Rwwear I would have to agree with you. Now does anybody have any more thoughts about my preamp query? |
Dueler,
One other thought that isn't necessarily responsive to your question: talk to Steve McCormack via telephone and get his thoughts on upgrade paths if you go that route. Specifically, ask him whether he recommends upgrading one device at a time or both simultaneously for best interim satisfaction. For example, would he recommend getting the platinum revision for the RLD-1 and leaving the DNA-1 in stock form (or vice versa) until you can afford to upgrade it as well, or getting the silver or gold revision to the RLD-1 and getting Revision C or B of the DNA-1 at the same time and upgrading the units together incrementally?
I'd be a little concerned that the stock form of the pre or amp would significantly limit the upgraded version of the other piece. Since I have a stock RLD-1 now with a Rev. A amp and the RLD-1 will be upgraded in a couple weeks, I'll be able to opine on that soon. Steve will have an immediate answer for you, though. |
Aggielaw,
Please let me know how it goes! I just looked at your system and we may have some similiar quests. I will post my system and maybe we'll talk in that forum.
Happy Listening! |
Rwwear's assumption that guage is the only thing which matters in cable design is not correct, though somehow I'm not optimistic this fact will change his mind on the possibilities. Since Dueler says he "intuitively" agrees with him, it will be interesting to see if he hears a difference if he decides to upgrade the PC. But then again, the upgrade cord will indeed be heavier in guage than the stock cord, among other divergences. It's when you hear differences among various upgrade cords, all of them equally heavy in guage, that you realize there's also more going on. |
It's true Zaikesman. You will not change my mind. Unless the power cord has some sort of filter or power conditioner to clean up the electrical, there can be no difference in sound. And then it would be slight. I don't doubt that if I or anyone else wants to hear a difference, they can. It is more likely true that when something is played a second or third time we will hear things we didn't hear the first time it was played. And it is also true our systems sound different at times without changing anything. |
Well Rwwear, don't want to hijack the thread completely (me, that is - you came on here only to interject this pronouncement), and besides the conversation has been had so many times before it's simply boring. "I don't doubt that if I or anyone else wants to hear a difference, they can." I always stipulate to that, and strive to account for the effect when evaluating gear, but the reverse can also hold equally true. I'll just note that it does seem likely from your comments that you haven't personally tried comparitively auditioning aftermarket power cords, and leave it at that. |
OK Zaikesman, but I used to work for a company that made them. So, I have tried them in other systems as well as mine. |
Nobody suggests a different brand of pre. A platinum modded rld-1 is about a $2500 pre. Is there really nothing better for the price? |
nope........
maybe not for twice the price! |
That seems to be the consensus of (McCormack-upgraded gear) owners. I just shipped my RLD-1 off to Steve yesterday, and time is d r a g g i n g now as I anxiously await its return! |
Having recently had my DNA-225 upgraded to Platinum status, the dragging of time will soon be over and the only dragging will be your employer dragging you out of your listening chair to attend work. :-) |
