My system improved significantly this past year, mostly in the last few months. The definition of a budget audiophile is very fluid, but I think my system qualifies as there are individual cables available that cost orders of magnitude more than my entire system that has a retail price of around $8,000. My system is the following:
Bluesound Node 2
Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC with upgraded Sparkos Labs op amps and a 1950s Western Electric 396A tube
Pathos Classic One MkIII Integrated Amplifier with 1960s Mullard Tubes
Focal 836v floor standing speakers
APC H15 Power Conditioner with a dedicated circuit and PS Audio outlet
Blue Jeans Cables for interconnects and speaker cables
W Audio Power Cords
I had always considered that my system sound great and was primarily limited by setup and the limitation of my listening space. When I rolled the Mullard tubes in the Pathos amplifier my system unquestionably took the next step. That process led me to look into a tube upgrade for the buffer output stage in my DAC where I discovered that I could upgrade the three op amps in the DAC which amazing results (I can't say that the rolling the tube made any difference). I've always been more on the skeptic side of things when it comes to audiophile tweaks, but have dabbled with a few over the years just to satisfy my own curiosity. I picked up a couple of inexpensive W Audio power cables on Amazon and was blown away with the different they made in my system. I know that the power cable on my amplifier made a clear improvement, but I cannot definitively say that it made a difference with the DAC because I have never isolated that change. I needed a longer power cable for the amplifier so moved the short one to my SACD player where my initial impression was negative so I moved it to the power conditioner where it seemed to have a positive result though nothing definitive.
While I'm still of the mindset that the key to loving a system is the speakers, I now have a deeper appreciation for the difference that clean power can make. I don't know what I believe about power cables, but I suspect that the shielded design is the mostly likely reason that I saw a benefit in my system along with the tubes in my amplifier being sensitive to the change. My cable management is a challenge sharing a cabinet with my home theater setup. I've never really heard a difference in my limited experiments with speaker cables and interconnects, but maybe I would now that my system is at another level.
I'm continually surprised as I've found unexpected ways to truly elevate my system. For now, I couldn't be more satisfied and plan to just enjoy it for a while.
Happy New Year!
