Upgrade speakers or DAC

What’s the rest of the equipment in your system?  Preamp?  Amp? 

i only listen to music in 2 channel, but current system:

Dedicated 20amp line

AQ Niagara Edison outlet

AQ Dragon power cords and interconnects throughout

AQ Thunderbird Biwire speaker cables for Front LR 

AQ Thunderbird Zero speaker cable for Center Channel

AQ Vodka Ethernet cable

AQ Niagara 7000

McIntosh C2500

McIntosh MC1.2kw (X3 for LCR)

McIntosh MX160

Mcintosh MC207

McIntosh MCD205

Cambridge Audio Edge NQ

Fisher MT-6225 Turntable

PS5

Sonus Faber Olympica III

Sonus Faber Olympica I

Sonus Faber Vox 

REL 212 SE (X2) 

Speakers!

I used to say speakers but, the source is where everything starts and stops

if the signal is not very good from the start you can’t make it up down stream.

Big jump from Cambridge to dCS DAC, I would assume. Do that first and speakers afterwards. 

Speakers!

Speakers will always make the biggest different in sound quality, bar none.  The question is when does one stop ?

Always source you will be amazed that when you have a great source how much better your system will sound. The speakers can only produce what is feed to them.  We have used old box speakers KLH form the 70s and found that they disappear with a better source much to our surprise.

SPEAKERS Speakers are where the rubber meets the road

It's actually a toss-up. Upgrading your speakers will make the biggest difference in the sound of your system but you will not hear what they are capable of until you upgrade your source components. Conversely, upgrading your sources will make significant changes as well but to get the full benefits you will have to upgrade the speakers. This is why I always suggest that once your system is matched, leave it alone and enjoy the music. Otherwise be prepared for a trip down the rabbit hole.

When upgrading I tend to go with whatever the weakest link is at the time, and in your case I think the streamer is your weakest link by a good margin.  I’d encourage you to look at Aurender, Grimm, and Innuos as well.  Best of luck. 

@s2ssports 

I would suggest you move up the Sonus Farber line. I am breaking in a pair of Amati G5’s and am really enjoying them.

All the best.

BTW,  what kind of music do you listen to?

You have made a big mistake not having better speakers all along, your system is like having a 500 hp engine and exhaust through a ½ inch pipe.

#1 What do you not like about the sound coming out of this stuff? Or what would you like changed, hear more of/less of? If you don’t have a clear answer in your mind to such questions, the word "upgrade" doesn’t mean much. It could also easily turn into a "upgrade", "sidegrade" or "downgrade" into a type of sound you don’t like. Spending more and more above a certain price bracket is no guarantee of anything.

For example, if the soundstage is a bit too 2D, not 3D enough for your tastes, the Mac could be a culprit, has some 2D flattening/flat wall making tendencies....If the sound is a bit too soft, not a whole lotta detail, just generally unexciting or too much sleepy time/yawning resulting from sound, it could be the Faber (for you, that is...your personal taste o’ meter)....Some other guy’s taste o’ meter may be somewhere else and your gear may be perfectly fine for him, it could be "organic" and "musical" for him.

#2 No mention of any treatment on your comment, so, I would say that if all this stuff is just plopped down in a room with no treatment, an upgrade doesn’t mean much either. Scroll over to about 3:30 on this youtube video. It should provide a tad amount of insight about spending cash in the right places.

What More Do You Want?

i only listen to music in 2 channel, but current system:

Dedicated 20amp line

AQ Niagara Edison outlet

AQ Dragon power cords and interconnects throughout

AQ Thunderbird Biwire speaker cables for Front LR

AQ Thunderbird Zero speaker cable for Center Channel

AQ Vodka Ethernet cable

AQ Niagara 7000

McIntosh C2500

McIntosh MC1.2kw (X3 for LCR)

McIntosh MX160

Mcintosh MC207

McIntosh MCD205

Cambridge Audio Edge NQ

Fisher MT-6225 Turntable

PS5

Sonus Faber Olympica III

Sonus Faber Olympica I

Sonus Faber Vox

REL 212 SE (X2)

Speakers

I have the Il Cremonese and I think that’s your best bang for the buck. I upgraded from SF Serafino- outstanding in its own right- and the difference is substantial. Initially planned to go with the Amati which is a great speaker but moving up to the Il Cremonese was a big jump

the DCS is a great piece of gear but I think you will get the biggest jump with the speakers and could get a very big step up in performance from the Cambridge for much less investment than Rossini