Just received an Aurender N200 yesterday, it's awesome . One more piece under construction and that will be it for a while. Next and final toy will be Toolshed Amps 101d DHT Line Stage. Will be done if a few months .
What’s your latest high-end audio purchase?
What’s your latest high-end audio purchase? It can be cables, tweaks, components etc. Also, please share why you purchased, what it replaced, and any additional tips and insights regarding your purchase.
I hoping for this to be enjoyable and educational, so please be civil of other’s opinions and choices.
137 responses Add your response
I didn’t have to buy anything, but was ’gifted’ generously with some older and a couple of new items..... It’s been a nice year....usually I get gifted by some with speakers to consider to ’modify’ in my way. *S* In order: - A Parasound Halo C2 processor -A dbx 223XL crossover ( I can now ’slice ’n dice 3 ways 3X ! *L* ) -An ESS series Eclipse crossover, a Heil fan I am. Gifted by one at the other end of country. Never met, and it's a shame I'll never will get the opportunity. He had S4 cancer. Doesn’t respond anymore for far too long..... RIP, good friend, more in common then we expected when you commented on my Heils and discussed over time your...ah, ’collection’. And then, a mystery gift hinted. - A pair of new large Heils’. Stunned, as asked to not get all maudlin, had to do. *sigh* Damn... Got birthday gifted by spouse; "I don’t have the slightest idea..." OK, these... - V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones. Used, but 9.5/10 for me, got the XL cushions and this camper is happy enough. ;) Does having a nice first half of ’22 count even if the last one was a heavy-handed ’hint’? No purchases per se, but...additions... |
@holmz Lol I guess you could say that he thoroughly enjoyed it and so do I so win wine! |
@td_dayton Bandcamp! Wow, you're a better person then I for disabling PayPal... The damage is done and I'm not salvageable. |
Volti Rival 100db speakers - seemed like the best choice for uncolored/neutral speakers for my new foray into flea watt amps. Unfortunately, the price recently jumped by 60% likely due to supply chain issues and inflation - I was extremely disappointed. Then I found a mint used pair in my favorite wood finish at a fantastic price - it was destiny. |
2 class D Orchard Audio StarKrimson Ultra boards. I will be using these in a stereo setup with a LINEAR power supply, 1000 VA toroidal + 160 amp 0.8 volt forward voltage drop rectifiers + 200,000uF of filter capacitance with XLR inputs. I should be finished building the whole thing in the next 4-5 weeks (not too much time in my hands).
|
Had to downsize my system (multiple reasons), and just snagged a mint Meridian DSW (sub) from the Audiogon market; nice price and a great addition to my smaller-speaker setup. Even without having specifically configured it into the system, it seamlessly adds to the overall sound, and I can't wait to do the complete calibration (no time, right now). |
I purchased the new PS Audio PerfectWave SACD Transport, replacing the DirectStream Memory Player, also from PS Audio. The sound quality improvement I noticed immediately, better soundstage, more distinct placement of the instruments and voices, and improved "tonality" (especially with acoustic instruments). The sound quality was improved playing SACDs, more significantly improved playing "regular" CDs. I'm really glad I made the change. |
Used B&W 800D3, McIntosh MC611 mono-amps, & McIntosh C12000ST/C12000C preamp. Working on a suitable Cables/Interconnects, Streamer (since I have a ref DAC with the preamp I am not sure which Streamer to purchase, don't want to duplicate a similar DAC with a great streaming). Also considering the HIFI Rose 150b. Also considering McIntosh MCD 12000 SACD/CD player. |
System synergy is a variable and bespoke thing. I so far have recently migrated my entire system interconnect cables array to new CARDAS CLEAR interconnects, and upgraded to new mix of CARDAS CLEAR / CARDAS GOLDEN REFERENCE power cables. The last missing piece (and currently a WIP) in my Yellow Brick Road to Audio Oz, is an upgrade to one of its stablemate CARDAS CLEAR or CARDAS CLEAR REFERENCE speaker cable models. |
Upgradimg the power supply to the Aurlic Aries for a big improvement sound right on the mark! I owned a Aurlic Aries G2 for about a year… while it was clearly better than computers and MACs… it did not have a dead quiet background. I traded it in for a Aurender, the background quieted significantly… I now own a Aurender N100 and W20SE. One of the things that really differentiate them from their competition is their relentless work on power supplies. My W20SE performs at the level of my really great analog end but with a lower noise floor. |
My system for the last few months consisted of the following. FLAC files on SSD -->> Bryston BDP-1 streamer -->> Bryston BDA-1 DAC -->> Schiit Freya+ Preamp ->> Pass XA60.5 monoblocks -->> Wilson WP 6 I decided to remove the Bryston BDA-1 and Schiit Freya+ and replace them with a Wadia 15 DAC. I am only a few days since the change, but it is very clear that the bass is tighter with the Wadia and everything just seems more relaxed. Time will tell though. I was a little leery about using a DAC/Preamp combo (Wadia 15) since I have tried this before with a much newer Wadia 321. The experiment with the 321 did not end well., but things seem to be working out fine with the 15. Marvin Gaye has never sounded better in my house. |
