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Products you added to your system in 2021 that made most impact to your music enjoyment

As 2021 comes to an end, just thought it would be cool to share some of the most impactful audio upgrades in your system this year?
Here’s my top 5 list…

1. Pass Labs XP-12: Upgrade path was from Rogue RP-1 to Rogue RP-5 and then to Pass XP-12 that was the final touch. Huge improvements across the board. Mates well with my Rogue ST-100 tube amp.

2. Phono Cartridge: Goldring E3 MM to Hana EL MC. Clarity, presentation, dynamics in spades!

3. Phono Pre: From the built in phono pre in RP-1 and RP-5 to MoFi UltraPhono to Sutherland KC Vibe MkII. Lowered noise floor, increased resolution, dynamics. The KC Vibe MkII is almost double the cost of the MoFi and it’s the one of the few upgrades where an improvement was proportional to the cost difference. At least in my system. Records that seemed noisy become more listenable. A great little phono pre. 

4. Audience AU24sx speaker cables. These speaker cables are a clear window into a recording. Nothing hidden, nothing exaggerated. 

5. Power Cords: Acoustic Zen Gargantua for preamp and amp. Lower noise floor, increased resolution, natural sound, expanded soundstage

Honorable mentions:

1. Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper interconnects. In my opinion the AZ cables don’t get the respect they deserve on these forums anymore, overshadowed by some of the “flavor of the day” newcomers (without going into specifics on brands).

2. Puritan PSM156 power conditioner. 
3. Supra Cat8 Ethernet cable.

4. Lumin U1 Mini

5. MoFi LP#9 Stylus Cleaner. Better than the Onzo ZeroDust although I still use the Onzo between the sides. 

128x128audphile1
re-lar-kvothe's avatar
re-lar-kvothe
159 posts
 

New to me:

Speakers: Mirage M760 --> Focal Kanta No2

Integrated amp: Denon AVR 3312CI --> McIntosh MA5200

Turntable: Rega RP1 with Ortofon 2M red --> Rega RP8 with Ortofon Cadenza blue and a Hegel V10 phonostage

CD player: Denon 2500BTC --> McIntosh MCD-7008

Streamer: old laptop --> NAD-C658 with MDC HDM-2

Bluray: Denon 2500BTC --> Panasonic DP-UB90001K

Just bought a new to me tube amp. Rogue M180 monoblocks

2021 was a great year. 2022 will be spent building around the Rogue monoblocks.

boxcarman
333 posts
 

Magnarisers with cyro jumpers for my Maggie 3.7 speakers.  Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was. Now my analog system outperforms anything digital.  Cannot figure that out, but it is so.

61falcon's avatar
61falcon
101 posts
 

I'm going to cheat a little bit and go back two years since that particular upgrade was my best ever. In 2020 I bought Harbeth 40.2 speakers and realized, for me, focusing on the transducers is the most important part of the audio link. I am no longer fussing with amps, preamps, sources etc. since these speakers sound wonderful on any combination of audio components in my collection.

My biggest upgrade in the last year was to my office system. I had a blue sound player feeding a cheap Emotiva BasX preamp with internal DAC which feeds an NAD 275BEE amplifier connected to B&W 686S2 speakers. I replaced the Emotive preamp with a Topping D30pro. In both configurations I was not using the Bludsound DAC, but rather the Emotive DAC and now the Topping DAC. I realized a very noticeable sound improvement. If I remember the Emotiva preamp was about $300 two or three years ago. The Topping D30pro was $400 this year.  

On a side note (FWIW), I can hear no difference between the Topping DAC or the much more expensive, older Bryston BDA-2 when swapped back-and-forth on my main system.

sgreg1
612 posts
 

Pair of copper infused socks so there are no more static shocks when touching my turntable.

woots's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
woots
288 posts
 

Made some significant upgrades in 21 after researching for over 1 year. 

1) best upgrade was replacing Martin Logan Esl 15a with Wilson Alexia speakers. 
2) 2nd best upgrade was replacing McIntosh Mc1.2kwh monoblocks with Audio Research Reference 160S Stereo amplifier and Reference 6 SE Pre amp. 
3) Replaced mostly Audioquest cables with Transparent Generation 6 Reference speaker cables, power cords, XLR interconnects, and outlet filters. (May have been the best money spent)

4) replaced Martin Logan Force 210 subs with 2 Rel S812 subs. 
5) replaced Lumin D2 streamer/dac with Lumin T2

6) added Pro-ject6 Perspex6 for my first foray into vinyl in over 30 years. 
Each upgrade added a significant improvement to my listening experience. 

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