Upgrade path


I’m very new to the hobby. In the past I’ve had home theater dedicated speakers, Sonos, various Bluetooth speakers, AirPods. This past summer I stopped by a hifi shop out of curiosity and the step up from what I was familiar with was huge. Here is what I ended up with: ProAc D2Rs (arriving soon - using borrowed Totem Signature One’s in the meantime), Naim Uniti Star, Technics SL-1210GR2, Rega Fono MM Mk 5, Audio-Technica VM540ML. The room is 15” x 20”, 9” ceilings. 

The temptation to start swapping stuff out is already strong, but I’m wary of tinkering without some long term plan (that’s already the second phono stage). So, what do people think is the most impactful change I could make? Add subs? A more powerful amp? Floorstanders? Have I already entered the world of small incremental improvements? 
 

 

rskey

You got some nice gear. Would not invest in anything new, until you have your current setup sorted out. What does that mean?

1. Speaker placement

2. Speaker placement

3. Speaker placement.

4. Sorting out placement of all the other gear

5. Power, how and where it all plugs in, sorting power from signal cords

6. power conditioner? 

7. Rabbit hole of what cable works best

8. Should I get a deadicated line?

9. Back to speaker placement...

10. room treatments

What I'm saying if your gear is setup wrong or in the wrong place, it doesn't matter how good it is, you will not be hearing it. Speaker placement is #1, other things will fall into place. But as things change, you will revisit, the list over and over. 

It's a lonely hobby and not everyone will get it. 

@OP. You are a long way from getting to a point of small incremental improvements. 

However, as this is your first real hi fi system, you should spend time listening to it.

At the same time, the best investment you can make is to go listen to as much unamplified live music as you can - when I say unamplified, I mean non classical/folk/jazz some of which may have small amounts of sound reinforcement, but not big PAs.

Then setup and acoustic treatment of the room before you change any of the equipment.

Then if you are changing any of the equipment, including cables, make one change at a time and listen for at least a couple of weeks to be sure that what you are hearing is an improvement and not just a change. 

Try to find a dealer with knowledge and integrity - it will save you money in the long run. BTW, while Naim equipment is not my particular cup of tea, as they would say in Wiltshire - I think what you ended up with is a pretty well balanced system.

Is this just a dedicated space or a full room ? If it’s just a space build a room if possible 

It’s a room (basement) that also has the biggest tv in the house. It’s shared space, so I’m somewhat constrained in the amount of tinkering I can do with the space. But some amount of room treatment is possible - thanks for all the suggestions along those lines. 
 

 

@rskey it's not surprising a post like this resulted in so many suggestions/opinions going off in so many different directions.  The fact of the matter is that you could do many, many things, depending upon what you ultimately hope to achieve.  So, I'll cut to the chase.  In a room of those dimensions, 40 watts of amp power is just not going to cut it if your aim is to fill it with concert or performance level sound.  That being said, keep in mind that one upgrade leads to another and then another and then another etc.