$3000: upgrade Tyler Linbrooks or amplification?


HI,

I am going through my 2-3 year upgrade itch, and was looking at ways to spend $2000 to $3000 into my system. My question is this: should I be looking at a $3000 speaker upgrade, or should I be spending that money on amplfication? Where do most of the benefits come from? Honestly, in the several years I have been doing audio, the biggest benefits have always come from speaker upgrades, assuming the associated electronics weren't crap (and mine aren't).

Currently I am running the Tyler Acoustics Linbrook signature speaker, a McCormack DNA-125 revision Gold amp, and a borrowed Dehavilland Superverve (C-J PV5 was in my system). I was planning on throwing a bunch of money at the preamp, but the Superverve sounds nice for the price, so am likely set there for a minimal upgrade cost. That leaves $2500 in my budget. For that, I could likely:

1) get a nicer set of speakers. That gets me close to the new Tyler D1's, or another very nice speaker. There is a dealer nearby selling the Devore Gibbon Nines that I could afford (hoping to get them home for a test). The Tylers are very seductive, so I would obviously be interested in his new D1 as well, or anything else I could get for $6000-7000 (Merlin maybe)?

2) upgrade amplification (take my amp to Platinum status for another $700), get something even nicer than the Superverve preamp.

3) Keep the money, in case the economy really goes down the toilet. System sounds great as-is (but it can always get better, right)?

I am also budgeting another $300 for room treatments. I can't go too crazy there, as the listening room is also the living room, and my wife hates the look.
dawgcatching

Showing 1 response by samzx12

However I bought a cheap little pre an AE-3 on a Lark. The result for my $350 was taking my very good sounding system to the realm of nirvana. So it isn't allways the more money you pour into the system the better.

What did it replace?