Help me spend $100,000 on a new system


I’ve recently been considering moving and downsizing my home. While exploring how much I might sell my house and land for, I was shocked that I might have an excess of $100,000 after selling and buying a smaller new home with less acreage. I’m 71 years old and can’t take it with me, so I’m trying to figure out how to spend that potential resource.

One possibility would be to purchase a new stereo system with all that cash. I would like to demo a system costing that much to see what sound quality you could get for a stupendous amount like that. But I don’t have any idea what brand/model components to look at. Perhaps you could suggest components you might consider if you were setting up a system at that price point. Also how would you budget the total amount per component including wiring.

I am not interested in adding streaming or anything else I might not already have to the system. I would be open to buying separates to replace any single component such as the integrated amplifier. Maybe a separate DAC, phono stage, preamp etc. Please tell me what you would do.

Following are the components I already have to upgrade. My system consists of Magico A3 speakers, a Luxman 507uX MK2 integrated amp, a Marantz Ruby KI CD/SACD player, A VPI Classic 2 turntable with a Fatboy tonearm and a Lyra Kleos cartridge. Wiring consists of Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables, and VPI house brand wires that connect to the tonearm. I forget the brands of the other wires and cables, but they are of similar quality to the above.

I also have a Shunyata Hydra Denali 4000 power conditioner with a Venom power cord (I think) that I will continue to use without upgrading.

I would welcome any of your suggestions and utilize them next time I go up to Washington DC to visit dealer showrooms for demos. Thank you much.

It does sound weird to consider spending that much on a system costing over three times what I paid for my first home, so I hope I’m not sounding uppity here.

Mike

 

 

skyscraper

So you want to spend a $100K on a new system that will automatically lose half its value? Why not spend $50K upgrade what you have and invest the other $50K into appreciating assets. Or this is just another AudioGon Troll.

I can tell why not. Because the man has a different idea. He invited us to participate in his idea, not to suggest other possible ways of money management.

Inna, I read a review on the Diablo Gryphon 333 when it first came out. Can’t remember who did the review or what if anything they said about it’s phono stage and DAC, or how they compared to other phono stage or DAC separates. Seems like they are a reputable company and have been around for a while, which has its’ appeal.

axeis1, no need to get insulting. I was thinking at a $100,000 price tag each component in my current system would probably need upgrading to fit in and not be a weak link. Maybe not. At age 71 I don’t need appreciating assets more than I already have. I don’t care that if I decide to spend that much on a new system if it loses half its value as I’ll never sell it, I held onto my previous system for some forty years, only upgrading that whole system to what I currently have a couple of years ago. At some point in your life you need to cash in your chips so to speak, and enjoy the benefits of what you worked for all your life.

scotwheel, no not yet, I’m only exploring my options at this point..

Mike

Gryphon also makes speakers, though they are less known than their electronics.

Yeah, you meant Diablo 300.

If possible, you might be interested in auditioning Kharma and Lansche speakers. They are different from Magico and Wilson. I think, their entry level speakers start at about $25k. Lansches do need plasma tweeters to be replaced from time to time, which is inconvenient and not inexpensive, unless they managed to overcome this shortcoming. But the sound of that tweeter..