Happy to say its been several years now since anything has not exceeded expectations, and usually by quite a lot. Tekton Moabs are probably #1, but not by much, the Herron VTPH2A is amazing, and, well just look at my system. Hard to think of anything that hasn't been at least as good as expected.
Upgrades that met/exceeded your expectations and those that felt short
What upgrades have you performed that actually met or exceeded your expectations vs. those that didn't?
In order of perceived improvement:
1) Pre-amp: Move from Freya + to Bryston BP26. This was the biggest change in sound quality that I have experienced to date. The Freya + is an incredible value for the money and anyone looking for a preamp under $1K I would recommend the Schiit Freya + in a heart beat. That said, replacing the Freya with the Bryston was a game changer. That's not a knock against the Freya as there should be a game changing improvement for the price difference but this is the point of the post. This upgrade delivered and was thrilled with the improvement for the money spent. The level of increased detail and musicality was night and day. So much more information coming through I was simply amazed.
2) DAC: Move from a Node 2i to Audio Mirror Tubadour III. I started my journey with a Node 2i as my streamer and DAC. I decided to upgrade the DAC portion and bought the AM. Wow. A huge difference in sound quality. The music seemed to slow down. There was more time and space between the notes. For a little over $1,000 this was an incredible improvement to the listening experience.
3) Amplifiers: Move from Schiit Vidar Monoblocks to Bryston 7b3 Monoblocks. I bought the Vidars new and the Bryston's used but the price difference was still over $5k. A big investment but a worthwhile improvement in sound quality. I struggle with #2 vs. #3 as the sound difference going to the DAC was very upfront. The amp difference was substantial but took a little more listening to really appreciate. It was more nuanced than the DAC change but the amount of changes made for something bigger and expansive as a whole. The music was enjoyable with the Vidars but everything was more transparent and tighter with the Bryston's. The more I listen the more difference I hear. Things really popped wide open when I added the Bryston Preamp to the Bryston Amps. Previously I was using the Freya + with the Bryston's and it sounded good but this is a whole new game now. I think it's simply better synergy. The Freya has a high output impedance in balanced mode vs. the Bryston amp's extremely low input impedance of 7.5K ohms. Lesson learned: Pay attention to component synergy.
4) Speakers: Vandersteen 2ci Signature II's to Magnepan 1.7's. I rank this third on the list simply because both sound great. It's really a matter of taste. The Vandersteen's clearly win in the low end but the Magnepan's are impossible to beat IMO in the clarity of the highs. I still own both and have gone back and forth several times but have stuck with the Maggie's just due to the vocal reproduction and the clarity (I listen to 80% Jazz)
5) Digital: Moving from Bluetooth connection between my w-ifi and the Node to a hardline LAN connection directly to the router. This is a distant fourth behind the top three but still felt there was a decent improvement in quality. Things just seemed a little sharper (in a good way) and was getting more information (note decay).
Upgrades that didn't meet expectations:
1) Streamer: Upgraded Node 2i to Lumin U1 Mini. After I added the Audio Mirror DAC and heard a game changing improvement I hoped I hear an equal improvement going to a dedicated streamer. I am happy and don't regret the purchase but I didn't realize the same improvement from other upgrades. The improvement was very subtle to my ears.
Upgrades TBD:
1) Cables: I upgraded my cables from stock power cables and XLR's to Silnote cables for both. I did the upgrade while still running the Schiit Freya + and Vidars and didn't here a whole lot of difference. Either I didn't make a big enough upgrade to be audible or my system at the time was revealing enough. Now that I've gone up the food chain on amps/preamp I intend to do some testing to compare the stock cables with the aftermarket upgrades to see if it made since tos spend the money.
In order of perceived improvement:
1) Pre-amp: Move from Freya + to Bryston BP26. This was the biggest change in sound quality that I have experienced to date. The Freya + is an incredible value for the money and anyone looking for a preamp under $1K I would recommend the Schiit Freya + in a heart beat. That said, replacing the Freya with the Bryston was a game changer. That's not a knock against the Freya as there should be a game changing improvement for the price difference but this is the point of the post. This upgrade delivered and was thrilled with the improvement for the money spent. The level of increased detail and musicality was night and day. So much more information coming through I was simply amazed.
2) DAC: Move from a Node 2i to Audio Mirror Tubadour III. I started my journey with a Node 2i as my streamer and DAC. I decided to upgrade the DAC portion and bought the AM. Wow. A huge difference in sound quality. The music seemed to slow down. There was more time and space between the notes. For a little over $1,000 this was an incredible improvement to the listening experience.
3) Amplifiers: Move from Schiit Vidar Monoblocks to Bryston 7b3 Monoblocks. I bought the Vidars new and the Bryston's used but the price difference was still over $5k. A big investment but a worthwhile improvement in sound quality. I struggle with #2 vs. #3 as the sound difference going to the DAC was very upfront. The amp difference was substantial but took a little more listening to really appreciate. It was more nuanced than the DAC change but the amount of changes made for something bigger and expansive as a whole. The music was enjoyable with the Vidars but everything was more transparent and tighter with the Bryston's. The more I listen the more difference I hear. Things really popped wide open when I added the Bryston Preamp to the Bryston Amps. Previously I was using the Freya + with the Bryston's and it sounded good but this is a whole new game now. I think it's simply better synergy. The Freya has a high output impedance in balanced mode vs. the Bryston amp's extremely low input impedance of 7.5K ohms. Lesson learned: Pay attention to component synergy.
4) Speakers: Vandersteen 2ci Signature II's to Magnepan 1.7's. I rank this third on the list simply because both sound great. It's really a matter of taste. The Vandersteen's clearly win in the low end but the Magnepan's are impossible to beat IMO in the clarity of the highs. I still own both and have gone back and forth several times but have stuck with the Maggie's just due to the vocal reproduction and the clarity (I listen to 80% Jazz)
5) Digital: Moving from Bluetooth connection between my w-ifi and the Node to a hardline LAN connection directly to the router. This is a distant fourth behind the top three but still felt there was a decent improvement in quality. Things just seemed a little sharper (in a good way) and was getting more information (note decay).
Upgrades that didn't meet expectations:
1) Streamer: Upgraded Node 2i to Lumin U1 Mini. After I added the Audio Mirror DAC and heard a game changing improvement I hoped I hear an equal improvement going to a dedicated streamer. I am happy and don't regret the purchase but I didn't realize the same improvement from other upgrades. The improvement was very subtle to my ears.
Upgrades TBD:
1) Cables: I upgraded my cables from stock power cables and XLR's to Silnote cables for both. I did the upgrade while still running the Schiit Freya + and Vidars and didn't here a whole lot of difference. Either I didn't make a big enough upgrade to be audible or my system at the time was revealing enough. Now that I've gone up the food chain on amps/preamp I intend to do some testing to compare the stock cables with the aftermarket upgrades to see if it made since tos spend the money.
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