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Help me spend $100,000 on a new system

I’ve recently been considering moving and downsizing my home. While exploring how much I might sell my house and land for, I was shocked that I might have an excess of $100,000 after selling and buying a smaller new home with less acreage. I’m 71 years old and can’t take it with me, so I’m trying to figure out how to spend that potential resource.

One possibility would be to purchase a new stereo system with all that cash. I would like to demo a system costing that much to see what sound quality you could get for a stupendous amount like that. But I don’t have any idea what brand/model components to look at. Perhaps you could suggest components you might consider if you were setting up a system at that price point. Also how would you budget the total amount per component including wiring.

I am not interested in adding streaming or anything else I might not already have to the system. I would be open to buying separates to replace any single component such as the integrated amplifier. Maybe a separate DAC, phono stage, preamp etc. Please tell me what you would do.

Following are the components I already have to upgrade. My system consists of Magico A3 speakers, a Luxman 507uX MK2 integrated amp, a Marantz Ruby KI CD/SACD player, A VPI Classic 2 turntable with a Fatboy tonearm and a Lyra Kleos cartridge. Wiring consists of Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables, and VPI house brand wires that connect to the tonearm. I forget the brands of the other wires and cables, but they are of similar quality to the above.

I also have a Shunyata Hydra Denali 4000 power conditioner with a Venom power cord (I think) that I will continue to use without upgrading.

I would welcome any of your suggestions and utilize them next time I go up to Washington DC to visit dealer showrooms for demos. Thank you much.

It does sound weird to consider spending that much on a system costing over three times what I paid for my first home, so I hope I’m not sounding uppity here.

Mike

 

 

skyscraper
patrickdowns's avatar
patrickdowns
497 posts
 

Yours is an enviable situation! 👍

Do you like your Magicos? The speakers are such a key component, and if you like the Magico sound—I heard the A5 at a show, paired with a fine Constellation integrated amp (and Aurender streamer), and the sound was marvelous. So maybe consider upgrading your Magicos? And the integrated you have, or go to separates? Mono amps would allow you short speaker cables (less $$) if the amps are placed by the speakers, but it means more boxes.
Magico A5 review - AbSound

I love the Constellation integrated, but maybe yours is good still. Others: The ModWright KWH225i has a tube preamp stage and is sweet, and so is the AESTHETIX Mimas (also a tube pre stage) (Mimas). Both have enough power to drives the Magicos— approximately twice the power of your very nice Luxman (Luxman review)

If you do, I think you can do MUCH better with new speaker cables, like the AQ Mythical creatures series. Your system now is better than the Rocket 88s...a weak link maybe.

I’m not an analog guy (and maybe your analog rig needs no changes?). If you spend a lot of time listening to your CDs, I would say you definitely should invest in a good DAC, if you are using the one internal to your CD player. Do a search here...that is a whole ’nuther kettle of fish! You can easily spend $10-20k on a DAC if you go wild, but whether you need to, I can’t say. Maybe look for used deal?

Don’t rule out streaming ... it is amazing. I listen via Tidal using ROON (which I love dearly), using a Small Green Computers Roon server (all my CDs are ripped and stored on it too) and Sonore microRendu streamer. Trust me—streaming will blow your mind when you see how much music you will discover or re-discover via streaming and Roon. Aurender makes streamers that have a very good operating app too.

I think you can do many upgrades and even have money left over! Have fun!

testpilot
896 posts
 

Keep the $100,000 and spend it on vacations, like experiences etc.  it sounds like you already have the high end stereo covered off.  

newbee
4,751 posts
 

How can you really do this now, you don’t even have a room and much of what determines what you use will depend on the room and it’s characteristics?

I’d recommend that you use that $100K, if necessary, to get a house with a room you can dedicate to an audio system. BTW, you have pretty good stuff now and I’d bet with a little effort you could get a pretty high class sound with minimum upgrades of equipment.

maxwave's avatar
maxwave
924 posts
 

Wait until you are in your new house.
Have a dedicated listenig room.
Room’s acoustic is half of the sound . So treat the room.
Offer yourself a trip to Axpona 2024.
Stop at Vinnie Rossi booth ; for amplifiers and preamplifier. Brama line 👍

 

patrickdowns's avatar
patrickdowns
497 posts
 

How can you really do this now, you don’t even have a room and much of what determines what you use will depend on the room and it’s characteristics?

GREAT point. Don't forget the use some (more than a little) of the money on building or treating your new listening room acoustically. Just as important as hardware upgrades.

 

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