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Cost Effective System Improvement?

My hobby is to get the best possible sound IMO at the lowest possible cost. My system:

Tekton Electron Speakers - Upgraded
Doge 10 Tube Amplifier (generally 30WPC in Class A) with Psvane KT88-TII, GE 5751 3 mica black plate preamp tubes, and NOS Mullard CV4024 phase inverters.
Denafrips Pontus DAC
Canare 4S11 Speaker Cables

I listen only to TIDAL Premium through Bluesound Node 2i using the BluOS on an android tablet. I often listen to vocals and use the following as test tracks:

Vaya Con dios “Don’t Cry for Louie”
Dave’s True Story “Chasin’ The White Line Down”
Dead Can Dance “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”
Harry Nilsson “Without You”
Glen Campbell “By The Time I get To Phoenix”

I would like recommendations on what I might do for a cost effective improvement. I would consider spending $2-4K for different speakers or amplifier. The speakers and/or amplifier would have to weigh less than 80lbs. My back is 75 years old.

I appreciate your recommendations.
chinook9
pinwa
238 posts
 
Talk with Alvin at Vinshine and ask him if the Hermes or Iris DDC will make a significant difference to your Pontus.  I was surprised at how big the improvement was using the Iris with my Topping D70.

If you are streaming to the BlueSound over bluetooth you can probably get a noticeable improvement by using Roon and streaming to the Bluesound over USB or Ethernet from a dedicated server or PC. 

Upgraded power cords can make a surprisingly large difference in your system. I don't think Audiogon permits me to post links but if you google Aliexpress  Store No. 625558 and then search that Audio Accessory store for  High Quality Nordost odin 7N silver plated Supreme Reference Power Cable you should find some relatively cheap power cords that made an audible difference in my system.  Put them on your amp and your DAC if you want to splurge.

All of that should be around the lower end of your budget.
jl1ny's avatar
jl1ny
396 posts
 
Component wise, on your front end you have a great DAC, so I’d either upgrade the Bluesound with a good LPS or ditch it all together. I recently moved from a Node2i to a Aurender and it was quite a noticeable improvement. 
dwmaggie
222 posts
 
Agree 100% with mahgister and millercarbon.  Same result from two different approaches.  All roads may lead to Rome, none will look the same.  It is about the music.
the-audiophile-barista
32 posts
 
I have the Bluesound Node 2i. I love it, but I do have it connected to an external DAC. That is the fastest way to better sound quality. My advice: Get a better streamer or connect the Bluesound to a better DAC.
kennyc
1,208 posts
 
@chinook9
what mostly everyone said- optimize your components and room first.

Subsequently, if you still want a sonic uptick, it would help if you told us what is unsatisfactory (e.g. not enough bass, highs to shrill,…) and/or where you want to go (e.g. more bass, warmer midrange,…) and/or if you want to identify/update weakest links.

Ha, just learned that “e.g.” means “example”, I’ve been mistakenly using “i.e.” which means “that is”. You can teach an old man new tricks.
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