Share your Upgrades/Changes for 2008

[MiTT]

I think Rich and Wayne have us all beat!

I forgot to mention that I did get a PS3 this year as well, but it's really in my other system, the home theater one in a different room, so I don't really consider that part of my Martin Logan system of course.

On Tuesday I also got another new arrival, just under the 2008 wire. It's a brand new Billy Bags LP rack, so I can finally get most of my albums out and easily accessible. Not really part of the "system" either, but an essential component none the less since it holds so much of my music! I'll post a picture in my system thread.

 

[Dreamer]

In 2008, I got a pair of Carver Silver 7t monoblocks to drive my Sequels again. (I owned a pair when Carver first came out with them, but sold them several years ago). I purchased a Sony BDP-S1 BluRay player, which has TOTALLY changed the way I look at concert videos and movies--they are now something that I can include in what I consider my "hi-end audio" experience. My sweetie bought me a used Velodyne F-1500b as a late birthday present. I also got an iPhone, which doesn't really count as "hi-fi" gear, but it definitely has changed the way I listen to recorded material, and the place that things like Podcasts take in my life.

Upgrades for 2009 are hopefully replacing my trusty old Sequels with a pair of Vistas or Vantages, getting a sub for my 2-channel rig, upgrading some of my cabling, better power conditioning all around, and hopefully a major upgrade for my analogue front-end...

 

[twich54]

I think Rich and Wayne have us all beat!.

Ditto !!

Job well done men, wives included too !

 

[Dreamer]

Wow Tim that Marantz looks beautiful!!!:drool:

I agree wholeheartedly. I've always been a fan of the looks and performance of Marantz Tuners--there is just And that heavy flywheel on Marantz tuner wheels is just SUPER cool. It actually FEELS like the quality piece of gear that it is...

As for the balanced cables that you experimented with I can attest to the same improvement. When I added the Ayre preamp, that allowed me to run balanced cables all the way through excluding the turntable. The noise floor seemed to really drop and the overall dynamics seemed to increase. It definitely was a noticeable improvement for me as well.

Again, I'm in 100% agreement. WhenI first got my Benchmark DAC, I had it connected to the Krell KAV-300i via RCA cables, but when I switched to the balanced (XLR) outputs on the Benchmark into the balanced ins on the Krell, it was like a whole different world. For the first time since I owned that Meridian 208 about 10 years ago, my digital front end sounded really sweet. The improvement insoundstage, bass precision, and overall musicality was substantial...

Sounds like you've got a great system, MiTT. Keep up the great work, but remember to not get too caught up in the "upgrade-itis" mentality. We all need to remember to take time away from tweeking, shopping, and "critical listening" to just sit back, play a few favorite discs, and ENJOY our wonderful systems! We can't lose sight of what this hobby is all about--bringing recorded music to life in the comfort and privacy of our own homes. Too often we audiophiles get so wrapped up in the tiny details of the technical side of our rigs, that we forget just how AMAZINGLY good they sound.

In the immortal words of Bob Marley, "In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty."

As Martin Logan owners, I think we all need to spend more time "drinking in" our own systems and being grateful for and appreciative of the blessings we have in our lives. theWB's and Rich's "addition to their systems" are the sort of "addition" to one's life that makes one appreciate the things that are REALLY important, and I think 2009 might be the year many of us come to this realization...

Enjoy the music!

 

[Bernard]

Ditto !!

Job well done men, wives included too !

Dave, the wives did the hard work ! The guys are the ones who should be "included".

 

[twich54]

Dave, the wives did the hard work ! The guys are the ones who should be "included".

yeah but once you get to be Waynes age.......... sorry I couldn't resist !!

Wayne, you know I owed you one !!

 

[MiTT]

Sounds like you've got a great system, MiTT. Keep up the great work, but remember to not get too caught up in the "upgrade-itis" mentality. We all need to remember to take time away from tweeking, shopping, and "critical listening" to just sit back, play a few favorite discs, and ENJOY our wonderful systems! We can't lose sight of what this hobby is all about--bringing recorded music to life in the comfort and privacy of our own homes. Too often we audiophiles get so wrapped up in the tiny details of the technical side of our rigs, that we forget just how AMAZINGLY good they sound.

Enjoy the music!

I don't think you need to worry much about that with me Dreamer.

Sure, I've got a lot invested in my system, and I do enjoy looking at, listening to and buying the occasional piece of equipment. I've built my system up over the period of 30 years or so - it's taken me quite a while.

But if you take a close look at my system thread you'll see that I've got about 2-3 times more invested in my MUSIC collection than I do in my system. I think that's the sort of ratio we should all stive for. You'll often notice in my posts that I'm talking about the means to and end, not the end itself. You're correct though, I didn't mention music in my original post in this thread, but I I know that I've purchased at least 200 LP's this year, and probably half that many CD's and SACD's.

Trust me, it's all about the music in my house.

 

[theWB]

yeah but once you get to be Waynes age.......... sorry I couldn't resist !!

Wayne, you know I owed you one !!

Hey Dave at my age I'm just happy I can still have sex.

 

[FISH_MAN]

I don't think you need to worry much about that with me Dreamer.

But if you take a close look at my system thread you'll see that I've got about 2-3 times more invested in my MUSIC collection than I do in my system. I think that's the sort of ratio we should all stive for. You'll often notice in my posts that I'm talking about the means to and end, not the end itself. You're correct though, I didn't mention music in my original post in this thread, but I I know that I've purchased at least 200 LP's this year, and probably half that many CD's and SACD's.

Trust me, it's all about the music in my house.

I would say it's music 50% movies50%

you know I am glad you brought this point up because the music and movies is what really brought me to the martin logans not the equipment I can't say that I have more invested in my media than my system but I do more listening and watching than I do upgrading or talking about it. one of my other great loves is fish way more than this I have many more dollars and time invested in that area and it really surprises me when a lot of people are more interested in the equipment than the animals themselves its like hello that's why we are hear to begin with.I do not just own my speakers so I can sit my friends down put on a record that has crazy dynamic range and cool sounding instruments and blow them away ok it's happened a couple of times lol. many times I sit in the dark or ultra low lit room and just listen for hours and hours. when the lights are low and it is when and you are free of the day to day stress of life you can enter the recording studio of where and when a recording was made to be there and hear deep into the sound martin logan speakers are the only ones that have allowed me to hear deep into the music and that is what I want I do not want to hear the speaker but to have it dissolve away and have the original sound of the recording reveille itself to me.you are so correct it is a means to an end.

 

[Duane Rogers]

I would say it's music 50% movies50%

you know I am glad you brought this point up because the music and movies is what really brought me to the martin logans not the equipment I can't say that I have more invested in my media than my system but I do more listening and watching than I do upgrading or talking about it. one of my other great loves is fish way more than this I have many more dollars and time invested in that area and it really surprises me when a lot of people are more interested in the equipment than the animals themselves its like hello that's why we are hear to begin with.I do not just own my speakers so I can sit my friends down put on a record that has crazy dynamic range and cool sounding instruments and blow them away ok it's happened a couple of times lol. many times I sit in the dark or ultra low lit room and just listen for hours and hours. when the lights are low and it is when and you are free of the day to day stress of life you can enter the recording studio of where and when a recording was made to be there and hear deep into the sound martin logan speakers are the only ones that have allowed me to hear deep into the music and that is what I want I do not want to hear the speaker but to have it dissolve away and have the original sound of the recording reveille itself to me.you are so correct it is a means to an end.

Post du jour!!!!!! Rock on Fish D.R.

 

[rhom]

My upgrades for this past year:

1. Wadia i170 iPod docking station
2. Switched from 4th gen iPod Photo to iPod Classic (160 GB) for i170 compatibility.
3. Listened to a number of <$2K Dacs, ended up with a pre-owned McCormack DAC-1 for the above Wadia setup
4. Wonderlink for Wadia to DAC-1 connection, the net effect of (1-4) is amazing sound out of an iPod. Even mp3s sound great!
5. Vintage McIntosh MR-71 FM tuner (tubed), enroute to Terry DeWick for alignment and cap upgrades.
6. Vintage McIntosh MR-74 FM tuner (SS), aligned & caps upgraded by DeWick
[I always loved the look and sound of these vintage Mac tuners. These are supposed to be two of Mac's best sounding units. When I get the MR-71 back, I'll be listening to both and keeping the better sounding unit.]
7. Most important upgrade....sent my youngest off to college. Now I have a velvety silent background for my Logans....until my wife tells me to shut down!

Regards!

Rick

 

[danman]

Biggest change was the arrival of my little girl!

Audio wise........I changed my panels, woofers and modified crossover. Changed to Bryston power and pre-amp.

I really enjoy the sound I have now and don't see any upgrades for the meantime but if there are, it will be with Bryston as of all the brands I have tried with my Quests, these gave me the best results to my ears! I may do little tweeks here and there but nothing major afterall, I have a 20 year warantee!:music: