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. 

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Oops!  Forgot, had my friend build a balanced to single ended transformer(s) for my COS Engineering D1 DAC.   Much improved sound.

I built the ANK DAC 5.1 this fall.

 

Sweet sound and I know how it works from the inside out.

In this the second year of the Coronavirus pandemic I decided to make only small tweaks to my system. I added a D-Link network switch and the ENO Ethernet Filter System Ag in front of my ROON Nucleus music server, and an Audiowise SRC.DX USB to coax converter with a single WAVE Storm BNC cable to take the streaming signal from the Nucleus to my Chord Hugo M Scaler. I also bought a couple pair of vintage NIB 6SN7 driver tubes for my Woo Audio WA22 headphone amplifier that were made in the 1950’s, which is pretty cool. 

1. Made a pair of self designed open baffle speakers. I'm a convert.

2. Silversmith Audio Fidelium speaker cables. Brought out the sweetness and increased clarity of the OB's.

3. Synergistic Research purple fuses for my power plant, preamp and power amp. Only 30 hours on them so far but man, oh man!

4. Synergistic Research ECT's in DAC, preamp, power amp, phono stage, and receiver. How such tiny little things can do what they do. Amazing..

5. Separated my analog from SS computer based system. Bought a vintage Tandberg TR-2060 Receiver for the vintage Pioneer TT and analog has never sounded so good.

Cumulatively, WOW. I think I'm done.