looking for upgrade suggestions - 12,000 to spend


I am looking to upgrade my current system. I have $12,000 to spend BUT don't know what the most substatial/practical upgrade would be for the $$$.

Rowland model 10 amp
Rowland synergy I pre-amp
Levinson #39 cd player
Dunlavy SC-IV speakers
synergistic des. ref and FIM cables/power cords
2 ASC 16" tube traps - in the corners behind speakers
room size 12.5 ft wide X 18 feet long X 8.5 ft tall

I was thinking new speakers (Avalon, eggleston, kharma,talon,dunlavy)OR using the #39 as a trasnport and getting a DAC??

Can anybody make some suggestions OR point me in the right direction??
Thanks - Chris
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Showing 2 responses by pctower

Whatever you do, don't sell the Synergy Preamp. For a reasonable price, you can have it upgrade to II status and maybe even to i status. I had mine upgraded from I to II and it was well worth it. Also, don't let anyone try to talk you into selling the Model 10. I have 12 monoblocks in a bigger room, but used the 10 for a long time and it is great.

If you don't already have the FIM replacement umbilical cords for the Synergy and Model 10, try them out. Big improvement on my system.

Look for a used Audiologic 2400 DAC for 2k to 2.5k on Audiogon and use the Levinson as a tranport. You'll love it.

I'll leave speaker recommendations to others, as I am an unbending Vandersteen fan and don't want to become a broken record. However, the Vandersteen 3A Sig with Purenote Epsilon interconects and speaker wire would sure be a sweet match in your room for the Model 10.

If you go the analog upgrade route, the Rowland Cadence is wonderful and will run off the Synergy power supply. If you buy a table I highly recommend any Basis, because you can always upgrade with full credit for your old table and they are incredibly easy to set up and sound glorious. Graham 2.2 is the perfect match for Basis, but the RB-250 is also quite good, especially with the mod from that British company (name escapes me even though I had one - the mind is always the second thing to go).

Happy Listening
One more thing I forgot to mention. The PS Audio high power Ultimate Outlet really does great things for my Rowland Twelves (I actually use one for each amp as well as one each for the subwoofer amps on my Vandersteen Fives). You'll need to replace the stock power cord that comes with the UO, preferably the same kind you will use to run from the UO to the amp.