1. Home
  2. best-of
  3. 196727-189209

Where should I Go Next?

I have built what I believe to be a decent system for the amount I can afford. Here's the list:

Luxman L-509Z Integrated Amp

VPI Prime Turntable with a Hana Umami Blue Cartridge.

Focal Aria Evo X No. 2 speakers

Sutherland 20/20 phono preamp

Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Streamer

Furman Elite-15 PFi Linear Filtering Power Supply

A mix of SKW and Viborg power cables

Blue Jeans speaker cables with Canare 4S11 cable

WBC pro Quad Balanced XLR cable for the streamer

WBC Gotham GAC-4/1 with Amphenol RCA connectors for the turntable and phono preamp

I'm a little concerned about diminishing returns on the cabling...

I'm quite happy with the system, however I'm wondering if upgrading my cabling would make a noticeable difference. 

cdhumiston
thriftyaudio's avatar
thriftyaudio
190 posts
 

The cables are actually very good. You can get a different sound with something different, but you need to know specifically what you are looking for.

The weak link in your system is the streamer/DAC. If streaming is 30% or more of your listening time, then that is what I would focus on. If it is just back up and you truly focus on vinyl, then you are fine.

Separating the streamer and DAC can help tremendously. I would suggest looking at the Aurender line for streaming. I use the N20. There are lots of great DACs. I use the Bricasti M1S2, but there are many excellent choices.

Your first step should be to determine what you are looking for. 

Best of Luck.

gkelly's avatar
gkelly
1,040 posts
 

Speakers. 🔊 Worry about cables after you find a better dance partner for your integrated amplifier. 

cdhumiston's avatar
cdhumiston OP
44 posts
 

I don't stream much at all. I listen to vinyl 90% of the time. Occasionally I listen to CDs. I have a Panasonic DP-UB9000P1K for that.

I just upgraded the speakers from a set of Q-Acoustic bookshelf' speakers.

The Focals sound amazing with the Luxman and I can't afford anything more expensive for some time.

More to discover