In my experience, the better source will shine through even when using a budget amp and speakers, but it may depend how you experience music and what makes you tick. That’s why a dem of the two approaches is still the best way forward to my mind. Interesting to chew over ideas on a forum though.
As a general rule, I subscribe to the theory of source first system hierarchy but I’m not always rigorous in my adherence to it. Life just isn’t like that. My general approach, or at least the track I tend to start on, since the 1970s, is to aim for a source which is well above the price point of the current system and has a commensurately superior performance, as determined by auditioning. More money doesn’t always equate to better.
Over the proceeding years the rest of the system gets pulled up to the level of the source, which will take and exploit better downstream components. Then repeat. It has always been easy for me because I’ve usually had one primary source. It was a TT, then a CDP and now it’s a streamer.
Speakers frequently get omitted from this cycle because we go to long and patient lengths to match speaker to our room. And since any decent speaker will just sound better, the better the signal quality and the firmer amp’s control, we have upgraded speakers less frequently because there was no need to.
The only time it went a bit source second was when we had NDS going into 552/500. This was a source which was at a lower level (at least in price point and marketing terms) than the amps it went into. Since it sounded so magical and capable, this was not an issue.Quite how anything could top a NDS was beyond my imagination. Until I heard the ND555.
3 Likes
Interesting Bart. How did your improvements in amplification over the SN2 work out? And did you change speakers as well, or did you have a plan to an end point that you were working to?
Mike a few years ago I borrowed a 282 and 250.2 from my dealer, and used my HiCap. I thought that was not nearly enough better than the SN2 to make it worthwhile. Then in 2018 I got the itch and upgraded in pretty short succession by trading it all towards an ND555, 252, SC and 250DR. We were thrilled with the changes. THEN I did a speaker trade to get my current Magico A3’s this past summer, and right after that was able to trade the 250DR towards a 300DR. . . . and then the 252 towards a 552. Pretty dizzying! Not really to a plan, but my dealer had another customer who was doing the same one step ahead of me, so all that ‘stuff’ except the speakers and the 552 was “gently used.”
ALL of those changes were really pleasing to us and immediately categorically “better.” But I stand by the SN2 until the 252. Others probably would opt for the 282?
2 Likes
Thanks Bart, I think I recall you saying this on another thread. I’m really pleased with where I’m at, but have wondered whether the 282 is a big enough step from the SN2 once you have a really good source and cabling sorted out. Anyway, no more black boxes until retirement savings are in place now.
I guess the pre-loved opportunities can affect plans too. There are some used 500 series boxes available in New Zealand at the moment and these are pretty rare. Roughly the same price as the new 252/300 level.
I know from my own experience that Hugo into speakers with a value around £8.5k, is likely to be more satisfying to me than Dave into speakers with a value around £1.8k, simplistic though a price delineation is.
But as I indicated in my previous post it depends in part how you full you like your sound, and it also depends at least in part on your upgrade process - leapfrogging or smooth steps.
2 Likes
I think you can rest assured that you have a nice hi fi and that really short money is unlikely to bring big differences!
1 Like
??
Really short money = little money. US slang!
1 Like
Assuming nothing in the chain is actually faulty, changing speakers makes the most difference, and the less-than-ideal your listening room is, the greater the difference speakers makes.
Front end first was the great mantra of the 80s, along with many other new hi-fi rules. I bought into it all at the time, but with the agnosticism of old age I am more inclined towards going with what sounds best in my room, rather than what it cost.
In particular, some vintage speakers outperform much more expensive new items in my room.
1 Like
Agree that ensuring the speakers are right for the room is also important, and this may have the knock on effect of requiring better amps.
1 Like
I was always looking for ways to improve my HIFI system because I was not entirely happy, I always felt something was missing, but my upgrade itch just disappears after having invested a top of the line streamer (which is way beyond $23K). Now I just simply listen to music.
I could use a better Cartridge for my LP 12 (Radikal/Keel/Ekos SE with a Krystal). I cleaned up my Roon server and switch…
Always a bit of tweaking to be done, but my system is a bit of a monkfish…eventually I’ll look into some ATC speakers if I ever get the urge.
Right now I think it sounds brilliant…but just knowing the Kandid is out there waiting for me to snatch it up gives me some ideas. Maybe while the wife is out of town.
1 Like
What streamer is that ?
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.