Upgrades that part the Red Sea

[David Matz]

I have been auditioning the BAT VK52SE in my system. I currently have the 51SE. The 52SE is definitely better, but the improvements are fairly small. It's the law of diminishing returns, but it got me thinking about some of the upgrades I made that were truly earth moving.

Some of the big ones that come to mind, pretty much in order of magnitude, are

- Ascents driven by Bryston from cheapo speakers (Ascents -> Vantage was significant but did not part the sea)
- Room treatments - after my system was set
- CJ 350 from Bryston after the rest of my system was set
- Ayre Cx-7e from an Oppo (CX7e-> C5Xe was not as big)
- BAT 51SE from a much lower priced preamp
- Transparent Ultra cables from cheapo ones, when my system was already pretty nice



In the future, the big one that is left is from Vantage to CLX (in the next few years when I will build a bigger room).

What were some of the ones for you? I know this is subjective and relative to various factors, but it is interesting none the less.

 

[C.A.P]

When I had my two kids !















:ROFL::ROFL:

















Actually the Krell KPS 25sc from a Theta Miles which was balanced and a damn good CD player in its own right. However the Krell is so damn precise and detailed. Its not been bested by anything yet I have heard. The CAST upgrade took it even a step up from that. Its the single largest improvement I have ever made in Audio Equipment.

The CLS from the Quest was another great upgrade. Actually the CLS from any other speaker I have heard (Besides the CLX) Yeah ! ITS THAT GOOD!

 

[sleepysurf]

Great topic!

Most significant upgrades for me...
- Going from ML Aerius to Summits
- Adding room acoustic treatments (still a work in progress)

Although not truly a sonic improvement, the overall biggest change in my entire audio life has been the switch to streaming lossless FLAC files via my Squeezebox. Since then, I've listened to 10x as much of my music as ever before, not to mention buying (and now even downloading) 5x as many new albums!

 

[David Matz]

Great topic!

Most significant upgrades for me...
- Going from ML Aerius to Summits
- Adding room acoustic treatments (still a work in progress)

Although not truly a sonic improvement, but the overall biggest change in my entire audio life has been the switch to streaming lossless FLAC files via my Squeezebox. Since then, I've listened to 10x as much of my music as ever before, not to mention buying (and now even downloading) 5x as many new albums!

Sleepy,

Have you, or anyone you know done a/b with a good cd player vs. the Squeezebox?

Thanks

 

[sleepysurf]

Many folks swear that a Squeezebox (or equivalent streamer) paired with an audiophile grade DAC, rivals most CD players. Like most things audiophilia, others disagree. IMHO, my Squeezebox/Benchmark setup, streaming lossless FLAC files, gives me 95+% of what a top-rank CD player can, with 1000% more convenience and enjoyment. I also have an Oppo 980H for those rare times I want to spin a CD or SACD.

The other big plus is discovering great new music via Internet Radio. My faves are RadioIO Acoustic Cafe, and my custom Pandora stations.

 

[tonepub]

I agree with you on the DAC choice. Even the guys at Wadia have a Squeezebox in their front office with a 521...

It's really good. What I think is kind of shortsighted are the guys that are paying huge money for modded Transporters and Squeezeboxes. You're much better off just getting a better DAC and going from there.

Listening to the Squeezebox, transporter and wadia i170 through a Wadia 581i SE as a DAC, I'd say they came fairly close, with the diff. being the ultimate size and weight of the image that the big bucks player revealed.

I think the Squeezebox is a much more interesting and cost effective product than the Transporter. We listened to both side by side and heard barely any diff between the two and with a good DAC, not at all. So for the price of a Transporter, you are well on the way to a good DAC and Squeezebox.

I'm a big fan of the music server thing...

 

[tonepub]

David:

With that 51SE, if you don't already have them, find a good NOS set of 6H30's and 6SN7's and see what you think of that. I think you will be surprised...

I got my set indirectly from Victor at BAT, through a friend and he'd probably be grumpy to know they are in an ACT2! The 51SE is a great preamp and responds really well to better tubes!

 

[MotorToad]

Best upgrades in chronological order:

NAD2100 from a receiver.
Mirage M-490s from Pinnacle PN-8s.
Sequels from the Mirages.
Carver TFM-42 from the NAD.

For order of magnitude, swap the Carver and Sequels and it's in ascending order.

 

[Burke]

In order of gain.

Cerwin Vega R-24s --> ML Vistas --> ML Summits

DIY Acoustic Treatments for room.

Pioneer Receiver --> Sunfire Symphonic Reference --> Sanders ESL amp

Usually took me two steps the get there.

 

[Burke]

DAC choice for music server

I agree with you on the DAC choice.
........
I'm a big fan of the music server thing...

In addition to the Wadia 521se (tonepub) and Benchmark (sleepy) already mentioned what are your choices for DACs. Has anyone heard the MSB Power DAC or the Berkley Audio Design Alpha DAC and how do they compare?

 

[DrJRapp]

The Summits from Klipsch RF7s ranks number 1
Recent acquisition of Meridian 808 CDP ranks number 2
BAT VK31SE from an Anthem Statement D2 = #3

 

[aliveatfive]

Here are mine:

Summits from Ascent Is,
Ref 3 from VK51se,
MD106 from MD100

 

[tonepub]

In addition to the Wadia 521se (tonepub) and Benchmark (sleepy) already mentioned what are your choices for DACs. Has anyone heard the MSB Power DAC or the Berkley Audio Design Alpha DAC and how do they compare?

I've had excellent luck with the Channel Islands DAC and power supply.

The new ARC is on the way, so should be able to comment on that around Christmas time.

There are a lot of DAC's in the 800-1000 range, a couple in the 2500-3500 range and a few way up there like the Wadia, Meitner and a few others.

 

[David Matz]

David:

With that 51SE, if you don't already have them, find a good NOS set of 6H30's and 6SN7's and see what you think of that. I think you will be surprised...

I got my set indirectly from Victor at BAT, through a friend and he'd probably be grumpy to know they are in an ACT2! The 51SE is a great preamp and responds really well to better tubes!

Jeff, I am 90% sure that the 51SE has the NOS tubes, being the previous flagship product. I will confirm with Victor, though. The 52SE does not have them, and the Rex does, from what I understand. I am hesitant to start rolling the tubes in the demo unit. As much as I like the 52SE, it is not that much different than the 51, and I will not be keeping the 52.

What did the NOS tube do to for ACT 2? What changed and how much better did it get?

 

[taylode]

My upgrade from a Denon 3910 to McIntosh MCD500 I thought was a major improvement; however, the upgrade from a MC207 to a pair of MC501s was truly an order of magnitude improvement. The improvement was across the board improving the sound stage, imaging, base, transparency, and detail. To me it was an amazing transformation.

 

[TrumpetDoug]

Up Up and Away

Upgrades that had me in the chair drooling.

-AR 9 Speakers -to- Sequel II then -to- Ascents
This was as big as it gets in the upgrade around the house. The AR's were flabby and harsh

-Adcom mono blocks -to- Threshold Stasis II -to- CJ Evolution 2000
Adcom - good! Threshold - better!! CJ - best!!!

-NAD pre -to- CJ Premier 14
Detail realized

-Well Tempered Table -to- Clearaudio Limited Edition Champion
Music!!!

I owe much to this web-site, that constantly inspires, and educates in this great hobby turned to passion then to obsession.

Doug - out

 

[Burke]

I owe much to this web-site, that constantly inspires, and educates in this great hobby turned to passion then to obsession.

Truer words are rarely said.:rocker:

Most of my upgrades would not have been done with this forum.
Thank you Tom:bowdown:

 

[timm]

My upgrade from a Denon 3910 to McIntosh MCD500 I thought was a major improvement; however, the upgrade from a MC207 to a pair of MC501s was truly an order of magnitude improvement. The improvement was across the board improving the sound stage, imaging, base, transparency, and detail. To me it was an amazing transformation.

Taylode -- I have a Denon 5900 and have been thinking about possibly moving it out for something else....What types of differences did you hear between the 3910 and the Mac... did you compare anything else? I have heard the Musical Fidelity A5 - it sounded quite nice - but it was really difficult to tell given the environment... I have heard nothing but good things about the Cary 306 CD/SACD player...and would like to consider a used one....

My biggest upgrades ...

Nikko receiver to Carver M500t & Carver C1 pre (back in the old days)
Marantz 4g speakers to Infinity Quantum 5s
Yamaha receiver to Sunfire Sig Grand / Sunfire Theater Grand III
Paradigm mini-monitors to Odysseys ... (obviously one of the biggest changes)
Most of my moves have been Bigguns....all have been pretty big jaw droppers for me.

The smallest??
Probably my Carver C1 to my Sunfire TGIII -- I A/Bd them and the diff was not that significant (although the order of change was not Carver to Sunfire)..

 

[RUR]

Jeff, I am 90% sure that the 51SE has the NOS tubes.....

See this thread on AC, posts 389 and 392 (photos) as regards identifying NOS 6H30DR's.

Can't comment on the BAT, but I will say that they made a significant improvement in my Modwright LS 36.5 (though the metal base GZ34 rectifier made a bigger improvement).

 

[taylode]

Taylode -- I have a Denon 5900 and have been thinking about possibly moving it out for something else....What types of differences did you hear between the 3910 and the Mac... did you compare anything else? I have heard the Musical Fidelity A5 - it sounded quite nice - but it was really difficult to tell given the environment... I have heard nothing but good things about the Cary 306 CD/SACD player...and would like to consider a used one....

First the MCD500 SACD player is stereo-only. If that's okay then the differences were quite noticeable. The new array of four DACs per channel really improved the detail and eliminated any harshness or grain. The fact that really sold me was that I could use it as an external DAC for two other pieces of equipment. Since swapping out the two players my music listening has dramatically increased. I am now listening to more music that watching TV or movies. As for listening to other players I did but nothing real seriously. It wasn’t until McIntosh released the MCD500 that I got excited about an SACD player. And, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that I could use it as a stand-alone DAC pushed me over the edge.