Weak Link in chain as I upgrade from mid-fi?

There are some parallels to where you’re starting from and where I started. I used an Arcam AV40 and PA240, both of which I still have. It was good for what it is and both still remain although the AV40 is purely for AVR duties.

I now have a fully separate 2 channel system and there is no comparison with the Arcam. Lumin U1 -> Denafrips Terminator Plus dac -> Pass Labs XP22 -> PA240 -> Focal Kanta 3s. It's my first foray into 'hi-fi' and I'm glad I've upgraded piece by piece because you learn a lot about how every item in the chain matters. 

Just adding the XP22 alone was night and day over the Arcam as a pre-amplifier, not to mention the other components that replaced the AV40 on the streamer/dac side. But it all comes at significantly higher cost so it’s all relative. The amp is the last item in the chain I will be upgrading.

@christianb5s4 Thanks! Yeah I know the Arcam is something I'll outgrow soon, which is fine with me..I just think they Sa20/30 are a big improvement on the A19 (within the 'entry-hi' or entry-mid space at least) and are the easiest to listen to until the 5-7k territory imo..., especially given its focus as amp rather than added electrical complexity and noise in their AVRs. I mean, I hear the vast difference between it and, say, Sonetto VIIIs with Hegel H590 and Musical Fidelity M8xi though haha. I ideally want to 'call it' further down the line at an endgame setup somewhere around what something like the H390/Nova 3s do, and with as few components as possible. its a fun journey but Ideally im also sensible and don't rush into getting USB clocks and upsamplers just for kicks...

I think ive just heard some truly great sounding stuff via integrated and take the philosophy that there is a truly synergistic integrated out there for any pair of loudspeakers for a long stretch...maybe biggest diff being better DACs/money once you're in the > ~5-10k territory for amp/pre/dac combined budget. My thought is if I want to go full separates id only better do it when im also ready to invest in legitimately expensive interconnects, which is the difference between like a 6k system and a $40k+ system...not approaching that yet haha. Let me know if I am way underestimating the value in going separates earlier though, I just think
Separates -> more terminations and I/o stages -> compensate for busier chain with cabling that minimizes those drawbacks. Aside from more components into wall, thus needing proper conditioning and I can't run dedicated pwr lines where I am. 

I am looking at pass though. Pass, Hegel, Musical Fidelity. And for dacs the T+ seems to be amazing but yeah its such a risk since there are no trials or stores to demo, and I don't buy it'd get me value over idk..something a bit more affordable like Venus/Pontus/Yggdrasil until I have Novas or something like that. Again, might be dead-ass wrong lol. Curious what your DAC upgrade process was though. Did you go straight from AVR to what you have now, or did you try a Yggy or Pontus/Venus or something along the way?

 

  Hi , you have at least 3 different directions I can go here, I’ll address the front end. I’m a Mid Fi guy, searching for cost effective upgrades. My chosen path is a Project Stream Box Ultra II with an Sbooster linear power supply,  Shitt Yiggy, Cardas Clear usb cable, Morrow 5 interconnects to a tube pre. In your position I’d upgrade the Node power supply and get a stand alone DAC. There have been 4-5 great ones in the sub $2K range listed by some very wise members. If you do this , get it dialed in, then search for a sub, you’ll be able to see your amp/ speaker limitations. Then find the speakers that really catch your ear, followed by the amp that brings them alive. For my journey considering what I’ve spent, a $5-6 K DAC/ Pre combo feeing a power amp would be a step up. But we don’t know what we don’t know. But more importantly it’s the journey , not just the destination. So you’re right where you’re supposed to be. Happy Hunting my friend, Mike B. 

A solution for my system that is in a small room with exceedingly terrible bass problems was 2 subwoofers. The Arcam has pre amp out so an easy connection. I must say I absolutely hated the next suggestion however I tried it and it changes everything (for the better). I use a MiniDSP cut bass at 60Hz to the main speakers, this means your 80 watts will drive better probably never using more than 6 or 7 watts, this lack of amp stress will improve it. The Sonus Fabers are not trying too hard to produce bass which is beyond them, they will improve. Dial in the room bass nodes in my case all around 70 Khz and remove them from the equation, the room will sound better. 

@zander024 Here's my journey, which is all over the place until I got serious about a two channel system. I unfortunately don't have any dealers of anything local that seem willing to allow at home demos (I did in store demos when possible) so I've relied on countless hours of research. My biggest tip is to decide on what kind of sound you like and what you're ideally seeking as an end result.

1. Denon AVR, two Klipsch subs, and old KEF Q75 towers. 

2. Denon AVR, PA240, old KEF Q75 towers.

3. Denon AVR, PA240, KEF R5.

4. Arcam AV40, PA240, KEF R5, added Bluesound Node 130 and shortly after did the PD Creative power supply mod.

5. Same as 4, but added Denafrips Venus 2. Major improvement but hampered by the AV40 since there's no way to eliminate everything going through the internal DACs.

6. Pass Labs XP22 added, Arcam goes through the XP22 pass-thru function. First separate venture which made a tremendous difference, Bluesound and Venus now are routed into XP22 which then goes to the PA240.

7. Same as 6 but added Focal Kanta 3s, again massive improvement.

8. Same as 7 but added the Terminator Plus because I was already familiar with Denafrips and wanted more of that. It's an excellent, balanced DAC, detailed yet smooth, huge soundstage, great separation.

9. Added Lumin U1, along with the X1 upgraded power supply. BIG improvement over the Bluesound, night and day.

That's a wrap. My final upgrade will be the PA240 amp, which is actually a good pairing with everything but is by far the weakest link in the setup.