Biggest upgrade you have made to your current system and why?

[ctsooner]

To me it was the speaker.  I didn’t get the huge stage that you said it had. I heard them at Walt’s in New Hampshire (he imports Harbeth and some other nice lines). A customer brought them in to hear vs the Steins and Harbeths. We used top Pass electronics and an  Acoustic Signature table that they also import  to the US. I loved the Harbeths top speaker, but didn’t get the buzz of the Orangutan. The owner sold his and got the Steins I believe. 

[Richard Vandersteen]

21 hours ago, Holmz said:

The “ballet studio” was a huge disappointment, and also a blessing.

The tonality was great, but the Treos and then the Kentos… both sounded like they were pulled hard to the right.
Randy did not notice it, and my daughter said, “maybe oh so very slightly.”

I have been on the road a month, so I guess I need an ear cleaning. But the old 2Cs sounded better with clean ears.

Daughter said, “they are so much better than the 2C, that you should get the Treos.”
(And that she would house 2Cs.) 
So she at least is paying attention, and thinking creatively,

I suspect that the Haus-Boss would tolerate the Treos better if they can go nearer the wall, and they also look nice.

Randy said that it is not uncommon for the spouse to say that the 2Cs are “not worth the money,” and then say, “Honey get Treos, in the <such-no such> colour.” So the cost sort of goes out the window when they like the looks.
(I can totally believe that happening.)

I am probably going to need to get another listen at some point.

 

As an aside, I heard some Devore Orangutan/96 speakers a few weeks ago, and they threw the widest spray of players imaged across the sound stage that I have ever heard. It was (I believe) Dizzy Gillespie’s “Alternative Blues” playing. So I need to start taking music that I am familiar with along with me. (Which I had done back in the 80’s.) The room was also different, so a lot was happening in both sessions compared to “at home”.

Speaker shopping can be a lot of work. Fun work, but work.

Just talked to Randy and he just discovered his Pre-Amp is intermittent on one channel today.  This would definitely cause imaging problems.  Randy says he apologizes because when he checked it was beautifully centered.  This could explain why your daughter and Randy thought it was OK.  

RV

[Holmz]

Thanks @Richard Vandersteen

I was worried that it was my ears going to hell.
(Like Meatloaf’s bat outta hell, but the deaf version.)

When I had Randal, Rocco, and Eldest-Daughter all saying it is good, then I just figured… “wow- I thought it would be a gradual decay.”

Eldest daughter suggested that my hearing was shot and I should give her the 2Cs and all the other gear.

The Haus-Boss also accuses me of poor hearing at times 🙄

Her words describing me can somewhat echo yours, when translated to Australian <—> American:

1 hour ago, Richard Vandersteen said:

…  is intermittent on one channel today …

.

[Richard Vandersteen]

59 minutes ago, Holmz said:

Thanks @Richard Vandersteen

I was worried that it was my ears going to hell.
(Like Meatloaf’s bat outta hell, but the deaf version.)

When I had Randal, Rocco, and Eldest-Daughter all saying it is good, then I just figured… “wow- I thought it would be a gradual decay.”

Eldest daughter suggested that my hearing was shot and I should give her the 2Cs and all the other gear.

The Haus-Boss also accuses me of poor hearing at times 🙄

Her words describing me can somewhat echo yours, when translated to Australian <—> American:

.

You may have the same problem I sometimes have, selective hearing.  RV

[ctsooner]

15 hours ago, Richard Vandersteen said:

You may have the same problem I sometimes have, selective hearing.  RV

We all have selective hearing lol. Just ask my wife. 

[Holmz]

Ok @ctsooner, Is she at the 867-5309 number? 
Or do I have the wrong one?

[Steve Edwards]

22 hours ago, Holmz said:

Is she at the 867-5309 number?

A little Tommy Tutone

[ctsooner]

I didn't even pick up on that.  (thanks MS), lol... HA...  That's very quick Holmz...;).  love it..

[TomicTime]

Jenny, Jenny..who can I turn to ?

Caught them live at The Agora Ballroom, Columbus Ohio..maybe 1981 ?…..

[Stringreen]

Its interesting to me that some have found vinyl too effort intensive to bear the good sound.    I love vinyl for the experience....for roughly the same reason I shave with a brush and double edge blades.

[ctsooner]

I wish I could still do it without the physical maneuvering needed to clean and play both sides of my albums.  I really do.  I can however understand ease of use, especially for the younger generations.  It's what life has become in so many ways.  There is something special as cleaning thoroughly, and then playing the album. I FULLY get it.

[Stringreen]

with my system.....sometimes I hear the soloist from the left of center when suddenly (not with a pop, but with a realization) that the same soloist is dead center.  Perhaps it's breaking in (just had some work done), perhaps its my ears, perhaps trolls.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Stringreen

[Richard Vandersteen]

30 minutes ago, Stringreen said:

with my system.....sometimes I hear the soloist from the left of center when suddenly (not with a pop, but with a realization) that the same soloist is dead center.  Perhaps it's breaking in (just had some work done), perhaps its my ears, perhaps trolls.

This happens in recordings all the time.  On the rare occasion I am listening in an analytical mind (stupid thing to do when listening to music for enjoyment) I hear this kind of stuff in mixes quite often.  This brings home the importance of having 5 reference recordings so one can easily access if there is a problem in the system, then we can get back to listening for music sake!  This constant evaluation is not what our systems are supposed to do to us.  It has to be about the music or it will cause burnout.  When that happens some of us will need to get back on Valium.   Shame!   RV

[Holmz]

5 hours ago, Stringreen said:

with my system.....sometimes I hear the soloist from the left of center when suddenly (not with a pop, but with a realization) that the same soloist is dead center.  Perhaps it's breaking in (just had some work done), perhaps its my ears, perhaps trolls.

^That^ sounds like my listening experience last week, but it was out of mostly the right speaker.
It is hard to enjoy it when the image pulls over.
And it is sort of worse when it sometimes wavers back to center. It is like a wraith in the room.

• Did I have a stroke
• Did one of my ears go out
• Are the speakers shot
• Is the amp/pre shot

The list of possible things are endless and a vexation.

A Joe Jackson song also did it at home.

[Moose]

Well, like you said, you need to bring some familiar recordings.  The other thing is, long term listening will reveal what you value more in sound reproduction.  One can be overwhelmed by a listening session without knowing why that happened.  The Orangutans have their strengths.  Vandersteens have their strengths.  Which work the best for you in the long run?   One of the things I've found as you explore speakers in higher price ranges is they might do more of everything - dynamics, space, accurate tonal and 3D representation, ...  Yeah, you can have it all with careful selection, a bottomless wallet, and good ears.  It's when you have to make tradeoffs that you need some time and know what 's most important to you over the long haul.

[stratocaster]

9 hours ago, Stringreen said:

Its interesting to me that some have found vinyl too effort intensive to bear the good sound.    I love vinyl for the experience....for roughly the same reason I shave with a brush and double edge blades.

For someone who spent over 30 years listening to tapes, cds and streaming, I recently got into vinyl for no other reason than the curiosity about ‘what am I missing’ and as much fun and engaging the experience has been it is certainly not a substitute for the day to day entertainment. I agree with @GdnrBobabout the convenience and for some albums (The Wall, Wish you were here etc.) I prefer the continuity of the cd. It just flows well.  I relate vinyl to the Japanese way of doing things. You have to immerse yourself in the process since the process in itself is part of the pleasure. Compare having tea with the Japanese as opposed to having it from a drive through Starbucks….

 

[Holmz]

4 hours ago, Moose said:

Well, like you said, you need to bring some familiar recordings.  The other thing is, long term listening will reveal what you value more in sound reproduction.  One can be overwhelmed by a listening session without knowing why that happened.  The Orangutans have their strengths.  Vandersteens have their strengths.  Which work the best for you in the long run?   One of the things I've found as you explore speakers in higher price ranges is they might do more of everything - dynamics, space, accurate tonal and 3D representation, ...  Yeah, you can have it all with careful selection, a bottomless wallet, and good ears.  It's when you have to make tradeoffs that you need some time and know what 's most important to you over the long haul.

Many shops want to play their music on their systems… so does not seem as easy as it was in the distant past.

If I brought home the Orangutans, the mrs would surely go ape.

The Treos should be an easier sell in WAF terms.

[Oregon]

On 2/22/2022 at 5:33 AM, Gsal said:

Sorry if I'm a little late to this discussion but I am new to this forum. 

Please don't take this as me pushing someone's product because I have no affiliation with the manufacturer at all. 

My greatest upgrade of late has been a Kirmuss Record Restoration system. I was skeptical and was also not terribly excited about spending the time required to perform the cleaning process. Nonetheless...this product will absolutely transform your LP's. Every and I mean every parameter of a recording is improved. It's like you've been listening through a dirty window and after the cleaning process the window is clean. As much as I dislike spending 20 minutes to clean two records, I find it exhilarating to then listen to the cleaned LP and re-discover all of the info that had heretofore been "hidden". It sounds like I've spent thousands on equipment upgrades by simply cleaning my records. Try it. You'll like it. The transformation is not subtle.

Happy listening.

The Kirmuss unit has helped with my records as well, got the Upscale Audio edition.

Biggest upgrade to my system, beside my 2Ce's, which, I finally sorted-out after six years, would be the Kiseki Purple Heart cartridge/Clearaudio Tracer tonearm/Clearaudio Performance DC table/Manley Chinook analog playback source.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Oregon

[ctsooner]

I have heard nothing but great things about the Kirmuss.  Love the Clearaudio TT set up.  The double reels are a cool touch.  Do you have many tapes? I know they are starting to make another comeback.  I got to hear a system last year that was north of 500k (large Lockport's and mega amps etc...).  It sounded great and it should for the cost.  I have always enjoyed Rockport's when set up correctly and with the right gear.  

Not trying to steal this thread, but I have to say that the new 7 XTRM with Sub9's using Vandy amp and a Ref6 Audio Research pre, playing a top TT rig (ask Johnny what he's running in that room) sounded much better IMHO.  Sorry to go on my usual tangent, but seeing the R2R decks made me think about this.  

 

[GdnrBob]

R2R would be my idea of the perfect source. Unfortunately, not much music resides on that format.

-At least, easily accessible music.

B

[Steve Edwards]

On 3/8/2022 at 7:36 PM, stratocaster said:

I relate vinyl to the Japanese way of doing things. You have to immerse yourself in the process since the process in itself is part of the pleasure

The main thing is to make sure the main thing is the main thing  🤓

[Holmz]

1 hour ago, Steve Edwards said:

The main thing is to make sure the main thing is the main thing  🤓

 

So biggest in terms up better sonically?
or
Biggest in wallet drain?

 

[Ipspam]

I am a tweaker, and my 3a signatures are the mainstay that allow me to play.

The best thing I have found is clean power.  I haven't found a power conditioner I like, but Balanced Power is not really a power conditioner. I do this by only allowing my system to touch the wall outlet with a single power cable. That power cable goes to a balanced power unit. All equipment in my system shares this ground, which is fairly close to each other, all pieces are 1m or 2m distance from this (I have all 1m power cables, except from wall to balanced power and balanced power to power amp. Some pieces go through a power conditioner after balanced power,  and this means 1m + 1m)

This is the setup for greatness. The cherry on top, what really makes it come together, is disconnecting the modem from my system. Or laptop. I now use sonore optical module deluxe and sonore optical rendu to completely electrically disconnect. I have a roon core on my laptop, which streams wirelessly to the router/modem. The router feeds the optical module which converts to to fiber. The light signal (as opposed to electrical signal) then goes to the opticalRendu which converts back to electrical and feeds the chord qutest DAC.

Other magic bullets are tube traps, stillpoints, platforms, spikes, and READING MANUALS!!

I read the manuals online at least once a year, and I'm always catching little things that make me ask questions and come to conclusions that help improve my system.

Sometimes I even read manuals for products I don't own, and learn lots. Like the Focal speaker placement formula.

 

[Holmz]

I am a bit of a lead ear, as I have never tried much of the newfangled stuff.

[GdnrBob]

20 hours ago, Ipspam said:

. I do this by only allowing my system to touch the wall outlet with a single power cable.

Even the amps go through the power conditioner?

B