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New and searching

I’m a new entrant to the world of hi fidelity. Being new, I have quite a bit of ignorance on this subject, but I’ve been trying to educate myself by reading forums, articles, and seeking advice from others. There is so much to consider, and I am am perplexed on what to focus on to better my system and listening experience. I am seeking the crawl, walk, run approach to building my system building my system. I want to provide any upgrades over a period of time, so I can learn to enjoy them and find a true appreciation for the improvements they provide. It appears to me that this is a never ending pursuit and I am fine with that. I just need some advice on what are the next three or four things I should focus on next to best improve my sound quality and listening experience. Should I consider investment in speakers, amp, pre amp, cables, power cords, room treatment, sub(s), etc.?

i have a dedicated 14x14  listening area with an angled 8 ft ceiling in an open floor plan space (area opens to another area in the home), the listening area is carpeted. I listen to a variety of genres of music, classical, jazz, blues, some country;  but primarily Americana rock and classic rock. 

The current components in my system are:

McIntosch MA5200 integrated amplifier
Clearaudio Concept turntable with Satisfy tonearm
Rotel 1072 CD player
Audioquest speaker cables (lower end)
Definitive BP10 speakers

My budget for upgrades in the next year is $10K.

I appreciated the knowledge shared in these forums and any that could be imparted on me as to my best investments over the next year is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,


truetobluez

Showing 1 response by toddverrone

toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
wow.  looks like we're all into room acoustics all of a sudden!  i was going to suggest the same, but randy pretty much covered what i was going to say about that.

one thing not mentioned: component vibration mitigation.  there are many different methods: roller blocks, springs, cones, spikes.. do a bit of reading, there are some great threads on here. a simple and cheap method is to simply buy compression springs capable of supporting your component (weight of component/#springs = spring load needed) and stick them under the component. your turntable and disc player would benefit most from this, your amp less so since it's solid state.

dare i even mention this?: a decent power conditioner or powerblock and some good power cables can be helpful.  powercords are very easy to DIY..
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