I agree with upgrading the source first in terms of biggest bang for your buck from the remaining upgrade areas you mention. I view speaker cables, ICs, and PCs as the last thing to upgrade once you have your main system dialed in as best as you can get it. Many people use cables as tone controls to correct something else upstream in the signal chain. I would try to get the best and most synergistic components first and then try to get the best cables you can afford that will do the least amount of degradation to the sound. So go for source first. Many options here: 1) upgrade to another 1 box CD, 2) upgrade to a 1 box CD/SACD or even unversal player (if you care about SACD, DVD-A and Blu-ray), and 3) keep the Rotel 1072 CDP as transport and get a DAC (many of the aforementioned are excellent but be sure to get something with excellent jitter reduction). Option 3 allows you the flexibility of also adding a computer as a source. My 2c worth.
Should I upgrade DAC, speaker cables, ICs, or PCs?
I'm asking for your help in making up my mind of where to go next. I've asked this in the past and upgraded speakers first, later the amp, and lately preamp, and while the suggestions are never unanimous (nor should they be expected to be) they have been VERY helpful and I've been very happy with my upgrades.
Here's my current system:
- Rotel RCD1072 preamp
- Lamm LL2 pre
- McIntosh MC275 IV amp
- B&W 804S speakers
- dedicated power lines, and hospital grade outlets
- stock power cords throughout
- Nordost IC, the cheapest flatline ones (maybe Black Nights? not sold anymore)
- heavy gauge magnet wire for bi-wired speaker cables, an attemp to replicate Anti Cables
- room treatments: 2 16" dia DIY tube traps plus some panels.
Room treatment has brought great improvements and I'm still working on it with significant time spent there.
The weak ares to me are PCs, ICs, speaker cables and CD player, yet I don't have a budget to upgrade all of them in the near future. Maybe I can spend $1500, and used stuff is fine.
I know I'll be keeping the speakers and amp and pre for a good while, so upgrading speaker cables and pre to amp IC would be safe moves. On the other hand, if something is lost from the signal upstream, then it cannot be recovered, making the case for starting upstream...
I'm looking for opinions from more experienced "upgraders" who have gone through more iterations and have a better handle on how big an impact one or another upgrade MIGHT have. What would be the best next move, in your opinion?
Thank you!!
Here's my current system:
- Rotel RCD1072 preamp
- Lamm LL2 pre
- McIntosh MC275 IV amp
- B&W 804S speakers
- dedicated power lines, and hospital grade outlets
- stock power cords throughout
- Nordost IC, the cheapest flatline ones (maybe Black Nights? not sold anymore)
- heavy gauge magnet wire for bi-wired speaker cables, an attemp to replicate Anti Cables
- room treatments: 2 16" dia DIY tube traps plus some panels.
Room treatment has brought great improvements and I'm still working on it with significant time spent there.
The weak ares to me are PCs, ICs, speaker cables and CD player, yet I don't have a budget to upgrade all of them in the near future. Maybe I can spend $1500, and used stuff is fine.
I know I'll be keeping the speakers and amp and pre for a good while, so upgrading speaker cables and pre to amp IC would be safe moves. On the other hand, if something is lost from the signal upstream, then it cannot be recovered, making the case for starting upstream...
I'm looking for opinions from more experienced "upgraders" who have gone through more iterations and have a better handle on how big an impact one or another upgrade MIGHT have. What would be the best next move, in your opinion?
Thank you!!