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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
baylinor's avatar
baylinor
1,217 posts
 

Spend the 100k for a dedicated music space in your new downsized house and listen to the fine equipment you already have. It will be a much wiser and more beneficial plan long term.

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,379 posts
 

Of course you haven't shared your entire financial situation with us and maybe there is a lot more we don't know.  But your home is a capital investment.  I fund my audio purchase out of my monthly operation and maintenance budget.  If I moved capital around and found an extra $100k, it would remain in my capital balance sheet and get invested.

You have a very nice system.  It would be very easy to buy $100k of equipment, especially if you go on the advice of stereophile or an internet forum, and have a worse sounding system.

Jerry

rushfan71
291 posts
 

Mike congratulations on your new venture. Sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. Although I don't know what your sound preferences are I won't try to suggest what components or speakers you should get especially not knowing what your new room will be like however seeing how you already own a Lyra Kleos let me suggest instead of up grading to a Lyra Lambda version as mentioned by Atomic you really should consider adding a Bobs Devices Sky 30 step up transformer between your cartridge and phono stage. You will get more of everything you like about the Kleos already plus added dynamics, soundstage and a quieter background due to being able to reduce the gain on your phone stage which I found increases the instrument separation and micro detail and timbre. Definitely worth considering for a mere $1200 or so. The Sky 30 version was recommended to me by Bob himself to be set on the 30 setting. It also has the option of setting it to 15. Another improvement I found with the Lyra was to set up the cartridge with a Mint LP protractor and a USB microscope. It takes some work to get it perfectly aligned on the Mint but the results are worth it. Lyra's benefit from the tiniest adjustments to get them perfect. I also use a fozgometer and test record to get the azimuth perfect. That results in great channel balance, soundstage and center imaging. Good luck on your new venture and remember to have fun with it!

jacobsdad2000
433 posts
 

I would hang on to that money. Who knows what the future brings. 

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
3,870 posts
 

I highly recommend getting rid of the cumbersome CDs when streaming 

is much easier and with good cables linear power supply 

and Highly recommended T+A 200 dac - preamp - just read the reviews ,that is my next dac I will be buying soon.

At $7200 retail betters other digital at 2x+ its price 

just investigate QObuz as your library of millions of titles , and 

buy a Innuos streamer with Solid state hard drive , No you are not too old 

I showed 2  guys in our audio club  both over 75 , and they are now controlling their 

music collection from a Tablet like a iPad  or droid it is  so much easier and sounds superior buy  a large amount vs the digital setup you currently have ,

I speak by experience ,I am 65 owned a Audio store for a decade  and system synergies have been my forte , your sources  is just as important as your speakers 

for that is where all your music starts if lacking in any way ,it cannot be improved upon down stream .

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