For me it was replacing the standard Naim Din cable from my NDS to my SN2, with a Hi-line cab!e.
Even my wife was amazed at the improvement.
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Itās definitely an improvement when your partner notices. Sometimes I think they go out of their way to not hear any upgrade to avoid encouraging any future spending.
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Yeah, Iām quite sure of that. I was shocked at her response.
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Another big surprise was a dem I had at my local dealer in the early 2000s. I was auditioning a 102 preamp and was underwhelmed by the sound I was hearing. Even on undemanding orchestral music, the sound seemed to get congested at climaxes. I suspected that the source ā LP12 / Aro / Troika, maybe less than optimally set up ā was the problem, but the dealer running the dem had another idea. āNaim have this new power amp, letās try that.ā I wasnāt in the market for a new power amp, but I let him make the change. We played the same piece of music again and, other than maybe a small amount of additional smoothness and detail, there was little discernible improvement: the climaxes were just as congested as before.
Anyway, that power amp was the venerated 500. That dem has stuck with me ever since, the lesson being that, with few exceptions, the power amp is the last component you should upgrade. I think few non-hi-fi people would believe that a twenty grand component ā especially an amplifier, thatās supposed to provide muscle, power, control, and so on ā āhow many watts does it have?ā ā would make so little difference in a system. I think of this every time a thread comes up where the poster has a power amp thatās a level or two higher than their pre.
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yes
the klipsch is next level
Melco, Tellurium Q, Cisco 2960, clock for my dCS
Changing from Supernait2, to a 282/250DR!
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For me, replacing my first cartridge (Empire VDH MC3000 as I recall) on my LP12 for a Troika was a revelation. Suddenly the sound went from closed and confined to an area between the speakers, to open and natural with wonderful mid-range. Until then Iād never appreciated the difference a cartridge actually makes.
The second was when I added a Flatcap2 to a recently purchased CD5. Have never doubted the benefits of seperate power supplies since.
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Interesting that you say you find them good in a small room - what do you mean by small?
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as I said
this was unexpected - and believe it or not but the klipsch sound is elegant and everything sounds just nice and exiting
I didnāt expected so much finesse when I bought them
I know totem harbeth and many others
but for me the klipsch is what makes me have fun with any style of music
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Switching from an XP5XS to a 555PS when I demoād my NDS.
Even the dealer said it was the best demo heād ever done for demonstrating the improvement that could be gained by using a better power supply.
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Dealer knows his job 
Going from an original XPS to XPS 2 in 2003.
Also, from Cds3 to Cd555 head unit.
Source first upgrades best for me.
Iāll second that, just replaced an XPS dr with a 555PS on my NDX2. Huge difference and easily the best upgrade Iāve made.
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mine was how cable dressing can make or break the sound I am looking for
for example : my system was sounding off, I was wondering what was wrong: turns out the source to preamp was touching other cables (my cat keeps loves to annoy me (to get my attention) by going around my system) , once I dressed it so it was completely free, an increase in fluidityā¦ and dynamics
Another example, the SNAIC cables must not touch the floor either.
itās my best unexpected surpriseā¦
I guess most of us know this, but my lesson is to check this every day now as I think I am getting somewhere to understanding why my system doesnāt sound the same all the time.
Oh and yes - the Chord Hugo was also my most unexpected surprise, I never though that it would have such an impact on my enjoyment of music to the extent that I stopped buying Vinyl as it could made digital sound as musical and enjoyable to my ears.
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My Nait2 CB after Class A service, wow!
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Also MScaler / Qutest, digital playback has never sounded so good in my home.
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Qutest has made a huge difference to my system as well.
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Notice how everyone just passes over the mention of Klipsch. They probably never heard them. Thereās nothing like the in your face immediacy of the sound. Itās so alive!
Enjoy your Cornwalls. Those are big speakers!
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I think this is more to do with their total two sides of the product range. Thereās the sarcastically named bargain basement āReferenceā range which is giant hulking boxes for $2 that sound awful (but they sure are cheap, easy to drive, and big). And the seriously crafted legacy range that includes things like the Cornwalls, which are formiddable bits of refined kit. And not much in between.
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