2. amps-preamps
  3. 178243-72344

Upgrade path direction

Due to a unfortunate situation with the plumbing in my finished basement (all of my gear was away and safe from damage) where my main listening system usually resides as I am working to replace drywall and carpeting I am also contemplating a gear upgrade for when I reassemble the room and my main 2 channel system rig.

 

Currently my setup is as follows:

Digital front end - Roon -> Node 2i -> Chord 2Qute

Analog front end - Pro-Ject Debut -> Schiit Mani

Linear Tube Audio Microzotl MZ2 -> First Watt Aleph J -> Klipsch RP-600M

 

While I would love to upgrade my speakers to something like a used pair of Zu Omen / Dirty Weekends or Wharfdale Linton Heritages Im not sure that is something I can convince my wife that we need.

 

So I have turned my attention to the Phono Preamp and the Preamp. Would an upgrade to a my phono preamp to something like a Sutherland or Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ be a better option, or upgrading my preamp to an a used Audio Research LS25 or Cary SLP-98?

 

I'm thinking I would realize a bigger difference with the phono upgrade, but figured I would poke for opinions on here. As always, thank you for your time and comments!

 

 

128x128markf31
anotherbob's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
anotherbob
331 posts
 

Get rid of all your vinyl stuff and buy a decent streamer/DAC.  Almost unlimited selection on Qobuz, and better SQ.  The speakers really are in need of replacement, too.

travelinjack's avatar
travelinjack
153 posts
 

The speakers are your weak link.  Work with the wife to replace those.

geof3
1,123 posts
 

I’m with GHD, if you are going to stick to separates a great preamp is a must. But the speakers are what “speak” to you. If it were me, I would audition a few pairs of speakers with your current setup, then maybe a different pre. The Aleph is a nice amp, but not huge on the power side of things, so an efficient speaker is a must.

What is your budget? Maybe time for a full reset, update everything, maybe a great integrated and go from there? Might be easier to sell with a new set of speakers, simplifies everything. Less cables, etc.

Regarding the rest of the system, get the front end dialed then go from there.

henry53's avatar
henry53
280 posts
 

I believe you will find Lintons (very) boring after Klipsch, PS I really don't like horn speakers especially Klipsch, the Omen Dirty Weekends are really not bad, I have heard them with PrimaLuna valves perform well, still a little bright for me, but if you like Klipsch you should be fine.

headphonedreams
522 posts
 

I don't have any turntable but I recently updated my integrated amp and my speakers. Both went from pretty cheap ($700 or so) to around $2k parts. The amp upgrade improved the sound the most so an amp or pre-amp can be very important for the sound quality.

More to discover