What’s your latest high-end audio purchase?

Canary Audio preamp, and I have to say I really love it.

"high-end audio"? Define your term ;-) . A plain ol' audio purchase isn't good enough? I don't like the term audio anyway, it's too general. Hi-fi has more meaning, in terms of the reproduction of music, a very specific thing. 

Netgear Broadcom chip based modem, replaced Arris Intel chip modem, also has external power supply vs internal with Arris, allows use of linear power supply. Intel chip modems have much higher jitter.  Substantial improvement in sense of ease relaxation, especially in consideration of relatively low cost of modem and lps.

The other recent purchase was Duelund CAST PIO tinned copper caps replacing Audyn True Copper Max in custom build 300B monoblocks, the CAST PIO relegates all other audiophile caps I've used to distant second place.

I bought back my Yamamoto Dac from the person I sold it too 5 years previously.

Main system:

Neodio Origine S2 CD Player

Tchnerov Utimate Slim RCA interconnects

2nd system:

Tchnerov Reference 2 RCA interconnects & Digital AES/EBU cable

i finally got my van alstine preamp a few months ago.  i heard it for about 25 minutes and haven't been able to get back to listening to it since.  makes me very sad. 

Experimenting with Class D Hybrid Integrated Amplifiers right now. Picked up a smoking deal on a Rogue Audio Pharaoh II and I am really enjoying the heck out of it. The improvement's the folks at Rogue have made to this unit are not subtle (stock for stock). 

The Queen said it sounds very nice and that I should keep it.

YIKES!

Infigo Signature USB and XLR cables. Antipodes K21 and I’m ordering the K41.

It's been over a year ago, but a Cary SLP 05 from Cary's preowned page.

It replaced a Cary SLP 90.

I thought the price was right. 

I purchased HRS Isolation platform for my Rega P8 (It may not be the same as installing a shelf on the wall)

Technics SL-1200G - wonderful sounding and equally beautiful to stare at. 

REL Carbon Special. Replaced a REL S/510 for no particular reason other than opportunity. Soon as I set it up, I had a WTF did I just buy moment. It’s a beast and I thought for sure it would be too much for my room. Turns out that it’s absolutely fantastic. Zero regrets and I’m loving it.

Small Green Computer optical isolation bundle to clean up the ethernet cable signal from wifi extender to streamer. Subtle improvement, nothing major, in clarity and sense of space. For $350, it was worth it to me. Probably similar improvement to etherregen for half the price and in stock now. However have not tried etherregen so don't take my word for it.

Just received a new power supply for my Node N130. It made an immediate difference and a couple of days later I changed the power cord going to it and that made a further difference.

Don't know how high-end it is considered, but I just bought a new Audio-Technica AT33SA moving coil cartridge last week. I am at the 20 hour mark of the recommended 30 hour burn-in. When I first got it set up and started listening to albums, it sounded a bit thin. As the hours of listening increased the cartridge really started warming up nicely. Right now I am happy as it is sounding really nice. If it sounds better after 30 hours, then that is just a bonus!

DCS Rossini Apex and Rossini Clock. I upgraded from the Bartok. There are layers of detail and nuanced dimension that I’ve never heard in familiar music. Live recordings are blowing my mind with stadium “being there” moments. The pedals in the piano - Jimmy Paige’s vocals on “Kashmir” at the O2 - Blood Sweat and Tears first album sound gorgeous. Zero fatigue - Worth every penny. It really compliments the ARC REF 6, ARC 160s and Sonus Faber Serafino’s. I love it…!

I upgraded my Linn LP12 table from a std sub chassis and Akita arm to the Keel and the Ekos SE arm. Really nice upgrade, increased the level of detail and transparency. I really love the way one can cost effectively move step by step towards the top-of-the-line. Great product!

Morrow Audio interconnect cables. Huge difference from what I had.
 

And 3 wks before that well most of my new setup - Focal Aria 926 & Rogue Audio Sphinx V3. Love the setup! 

I replaced my Wyetech Labs Jade preamp which had served me well and sounded great for the last 15 years with a Bankert Labs Rhumba 1.3 Extreme. That changed the sound of my system to a more detailed and faster one. The extra gain from the 1.3 brought new life to my ZMA, Wyetech Topaz SET and PASS Labs XL 30.8.

Lindemann Limetree Bridge replaced my Sonore Micro Rendu, much more stable and reliable certainly no loss in sound quality probably better. The mR seemed to particularly dislike my Denifrips Ares ii, another fairly recent purchase I am exceptionally pleased with.

Bought a used Rane GE215 graphic equalizer (2 channels @ 15 bands per channel) for $65 on eBay for room equalization.  More a "pro" item than "high end," but it works good and I am happy with it.

@cgtomash

Congratulations on the AT33Sa! My last cartridge purchase was its mono sister, the AT33MONO (50th anniversary edition). It also sounded thin in the beginning, and then the body came out. Went through the biggest transformation during the first 25 hours, but kept steadily improving for hundreds of hours.

The best thing with it is that it can keep up with component changes extremely well. Upgrading phono stage, turntable - and it will keep up with it at an astonishing degree, given their relatively modest prices.

Have fun! ;

Gustard R26 dac it is sitting in customers at Anchorage AK hope to have by end of week. Then I also bought new xlr cables and power cord for it.

SVS 4000 sb sub , and Denafrips Terminator-2 dac 

both are excellent, best in class  price performance.

PS Audio Directstream DAC.

Nord Purifi Class D amplifier. Still being built but should have it mid October. I don't expect it to exceed the SQ of my Rogue Stereo 90 or EAR/Yoshino 534 but hopefully it will at least get close and I'll be able to lift it without the danger of back spasms.

Actually happened this afternoon, sold my Krell K300i intergrated amp, and purchased the Luxman L-509x intergrated amp at a sweet price,  just got it home and I'm looking forward to the unboxing ceremony shortly......

Traded in my Bricasti M3 for a Bricasti M1se.  Great piece of equipment from a build quality and sound quality. 

recent ...

Joseph Perspective2 Graphene

Creek Voyage i20

Creek Voyage CD

already had ... Clearaudio Emotion SE turntable with Clearaudio

Maestro v2 Ebony cartridge

I'm done (forever)

Got a pair of Audio Nirvana 8" neodymium coming in tomorrow. I like to experiment with drivers in different cabinets, and these will start out in a back loaded horn cabinet.  I may try them in a sealed enclosure, but the manufacturer doesn't recommend it. I have had three different models of this driver where one used a ferrite magnet and the other an ALNICO (it also had a whizzer cone). The third one was coaxial, and I  Did  Not  LIke  It.  Differences to be sure. This is what I like to do and won't be stopping anytime soon.

Lumin T2 streamer/DAC. Used. 6 months old. Picking it up next week. Upgrading my Node 2i which I was running through my McIntosh c2500 tube pre using the Mc built in DAC. it was OK but I’m ready for an improvement. I have Bel Canto Stream and DAC on another system (Sugden/Harbeth) which I’m very happy with so I wanted something at least on a par with that.

REGA  Aethos int. Amp.

Why?  I was drunk at 2:00 AM and POOFF!!.  Woke up the next day and I realized/saw I spent five grand!! 😢

Still have a Coincident Dynamo MKIII tube SET int. amp.

Actually the Aethos is a great sounding piece but, with a few minor/annoying flaws.

by audiogon standards it's mid at best but i just got a pair of AT-540ml cartridges - never had microline carts of my own before. it's a huge step up from the ortofon blues (nude elliptical) i was using as "daily drivers" for most of the last year. early impression is they're nowhere near as good as my nag 200, which is also elliptical shape, but i am very happy with them - they track perfectly and are both more detailed and substantially smoother through the mid and highs than the ortofons. closer in overall sound to the ortofon 2m black. 

Denafrips Pontus II + ultra rendu.  Love it.  Detailed, yet warm.   Very close to vinyl sound. Marked improvement over previous Bluesound Node + Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M

Meanwell 12V/5A power supply this morning…
Which is for the RME that arrived in the post Thursday along with a LOMC cart at the post office.

Mojo Audio Mystique EVO PRO DAC to replace my souped up EVO B4B21 DAC.  A subtle but definite improvement.

Wanted a garage system... And can’t stop smiling as I listen to CD’s I haven’t touched in years!

@sgreg1 grabbed the Gustard R26 also!... Always wanted to try a R2R DAC (box checked). Also bought my first Schiit gear. Like it more then I thought I would.

Been renovating my new house (living at our other home still) and have a new baby, so listening session have been greatly curtailed.

So set up a garage system with my LS50 Meta’s that were sitting unused on my new toolbox.

Gustard R26 (Dacmagic 200m as a stand in)

Old Harman Kardon DVD47 SACD//DVD audio player

Schiit Loki Max

Schiit Aegir Mono Blocks

KEF KF92

Really love the sound and waiting for the R26.

I bought a lot more music this year. It makes my stereo sound great.

@lrlacosse 

A present from your drunk self. Congratulations!

I have to be careful with leaving webpages open when I get punchy with insomnia, with or without chemical help. Intensive research can turn into an impulse purchase pretty quickly. But even though I certainly didn’t need them, I’ve been enjoying a new Audeze LCD-X and HeadAmp GS-X mini. Probably would have bought something else if I’d been fully coherent, but I’ve been getting more into headphones lately so I’m not going to call it a mistake or complain too much about newly imposed belt tightening. 

Aurender A15, very happy with it. 

re: impulse purchases (chemically influenced or otherwise), i deliberately disabled paypal on my phone. it’s not equipment in my case though - discogs and bandcamp can (and have) very quickly blow(n) a crater in my budget...if i let them 😂

I recently had my Apogee Duetta II Signature Series magnetostatic full range ribbon speakers upgraded completely with top of the line Graz ribbons, Wilson caps/crossovers generally, internal and external strengthening, etc. I’m absolutely floored with how incredible they sound from top to bottom. Stock they’ve been incredible since ‘88, but they are now at a whole different level. Exceptional in every way. Have to experience them to understand!

Also, soon I will be greatly improving my BlueSound Node2 with a Teddy Pardo external power supply. I only use it for streaming. I can’t wait since my streamer is in my opinion by far the “weakest” link in my signal path.

Cheers!

In the last two weeks:

IFi Zen Stream

Benchmark DAC3L

Benchmark AHB2 not yet hooked up to my Cornwall IV's

So many great responses. The journey continues. I scored a pre-owned pair of Sabrinas. Gave my son the Polk LSIM707s Sold my wheels to get them. Love em. Put some Gaia's underfoot and never looked back. Hendrix sounds better than ever. 

Simaudio Moon 340i integrated, and 280D DAC/ streamer. Replaced a Peachtree Audio Nova 150 and a Bluesound Node 2 streamer. Huge upgrade, now I “need” to upgrade my speakers.

Just in the last 3 months, a Modwright PH 9.0x and an Audio Technica ART 9xi. 

A couple of days ago, Supra Excalibur USB cable.

I'm just about done with upgrades.

Probably not considered high end but after 15 months of waiting…Decware SE84UFO2.1 with mods including XLR inputs. Doesn’t play well with my Freya+ using the XLRs but a bit better with the SE inputs.  Great going directly from DAC to amp.  The bass never sounded so good in my old LaScalas. Might be selling my Schiit.

I bought back my Yamamoto Dac from the person I sold it too 5 years previously.

@jond I think you mean rented to them 😁

On Monday night bought an Audio GD DI-20HE DDC.

It arrived on Friday.

Not high-end; more mid-end.