Do not agree that your speakers are your limiting components, they are and asset.
where best to spend $2-3000 upgrade dollars in my system
Looking for help/opinions on where to best spend upgrade dollars in my system and recommendations.
Here's my current set up:
Musical Fidelity A300CR dual mono power amp
Musical Fidelity A3.2CR dual mono preamp
Musical Fidelity A5 CD Player
Kyocera T910 digital tuner
VPI Aries Scout with Dynavector MC 2x20 cart
Klipsch Cornwall II speakers
Also using Monster Cable Z2 Reference speaker cable, Cardas micro-twin phono cable, Van Den Hul D102MKIII cable for CD, and KimberKable PBJ for the rest
Lastly, using Furman Elite 15DMi line filter/power conditioner
Look forward to hearing ideas, thanks
32 responses Add your response
If you haven't already: 1)Furutech NCF wall outlet.Regardless of the level of your system, lowering the floor noise by using this- considered one of the best- outlets will improve the sound2) Upgrade the fuses in your components. Any after market fuse will sound better. I've tried a lot and the Synergistic Research Blue fuses are by far the best I've tried.3) Better Interconnects. I'm using high fidelity Ultimates now. Very pricey but easily the most profound improvement i've ever made. Their entry level Reveals at $700/meter are suppose to be fabulous for the money.4) Better power cords with quality plugs.5)Some Noise Harvesters from PS Audio and, in general, any tweaks or upgrades that's going to lower floor noise.Less floor noise, more inner detail is revealed, the more dimensional and realistic will be the sound stage.6) MC-0.5 from High Fidelity will improve the quality of the AC feeding your system. Better bass, more effortless sound, lower floor noise. 7) Try some HFTs from Synergistic Research on your walls to improve the acousticshope these tips help. happy listening. |
Good plan! If considering dedicated lines into room you might try plugging your amps and preamp directly into outlet, bypassing power conditioner. Use power conditioner for digital gear. Results vary depending on quality of power coming to house. I would also be inclined to consider the new preamp prior to cable changes. |
If you are going to replace recepticals take a look at ... https://www.takefiveaudio.com/products/938-pass-seymour-8300-wmri-outlet-cryo-treated They grip like a vice and allows superb details and imaging to be heard I use them throught my house and they perform extremely well Regards - Steve |
bksuperphon2, No, but I have seen the Porter's mentioned many times in the forums though. To me, getting behind the audio rack to install a outlet is a pain. So, even though the initial cost is more I would rather install the best and be done with it. The Furutech outlets can be purchased by many on line audio parts suppliers. The first one to come to mind is VH Audio but there are many. Even on EBay they're available. But caution, the China ones may be knock offs. ozzy |
Well as lak and others have stated first start with the AC power. No matter what equipment changes you do in the future it will always be the foundation. Here is my order of importance. 1. Dedicated circuits using 10 or 12 gauge wire (I have 3 for Digital, Analog, and subs). 2. Furutech GTX outlets. Don’t cheap out on this important part of the AC power foundation. 3. I really like the Core Tech balanced power conditioners. 4. Quality power cords. I really like the Cerious Matrix. 5. Room treatments, ASC traps, Synergistic HFT’s etc. 6. Interconnects, speaker cables. I really like the Cerious Matrix. (some may be replaced after #7 below.) 7. Then down the line investigate changing equipment. ozzy |
I have the Ohm Sound Cylinders. Nothing like the problematic F's! Contact John Strohbeen at Ohm in Brooklyn, NY. He can build you a pair in any finish you desire for a reasonable price! I will say this over and over again: these are AMAZING and REVOLUTIONARY speakers! I rate them as good as the German-made MBL's ($60K) for a fraction of the price! They put the musicians right in the room with 3D "holographic" imaging! |
@ bksuperphon2 - I believe your cables are your weakest link! Take a look at KLE Innovations cables For IC’s start with the gZero3’s For Speaker cables use the gZero6 Don’t be put off by their appearance - they put all of their R&D dollars into performance - not looks The speaker cables may look skinny, but even the gZero2’s trounced my Van den Hul D352 10 gauge speaker cables - across the board, but especially in bass depth and control. Their IC’s trounced my VDH D102 MKII’s - again, across the board Their digital cable also bested my VDH spdif cable I have compared the gZero3 IC’s to silver Kimber XLR products on a friends $50K+ system and the gZero3 came out on top Also take a look at their power products Take a look at their web site and read some reviews... https://kleinnovations.com/ I have tried most all of their products and not one has failed to please. They will allow your system to "BREATH" Regards - Steve |
@bksuperphon2, In my opinion, most systems will improve if they are powered by at least one (but two or three would be better) dedicated 20 amp circuits with each circuit having its own 20 amp breaker. Would require work performed by someone that knows what they are doing or a licensed electrician. The upgraded AC duplex outlets could be installed where your current outlets are. I prefer the Furutech GTX-D Rhodium or the Furutech GTX-D NCF(R) outlets. If you don't want to spend that much money, I also like The Porter Port AC outlet that Albert Porter (Audiogon member sells). Not to long ago I saw Alberts ad for the outlets ($41/each) but I don't see them currently, or I missed them. You need someone with a trained ear to listen to your music with your rig to determine if you are in need of some room treatments. Or you could research the topic on your own, online. If you wanted a tube Phono Preamp I would suggest the Allnic H-1201. |
@bksuperphon2 If the Dynavector is the high output version, this Croft RIAA at a grand would be a nice upgrade! https://www.needledoctor.com/Croft-RIAA-Phono-Preamp |
According to the shills for TC and SR, you can totally transform your system to “a proverbial jaw dropping experience” with any number of snake oil tweaks. The claim is that these tweaks are better than any equipment upgrade. Magically the tweaks can transform any system from a pigs ear into a silk purse. Of course YMMV. |
