[sant430]

Ok, I'm thinking of upgrading my setup, but I don't know where to start in my audio gear.

For home/portable use I either use my Rio Karma or the X5 60gb with Xin's SM 3.0ver6, and my headphones/iem's are sr225's woodified and recabled, stock dt770, recabled hd580s, super.fi 5 pros, and I have some e4c's coming my way.

If i'm not using the DAP's, my home deck is a Sharp DV-NC80 vhs/dvd player and the SM doubles as my home amp too.

So where would be the best place to start the upgrade. At this point in time, I'd like to keep my budget at around $250, $300 at the most. Should I get a better deck? If so, will my budget allow me to hear a significant increase in sound quality? I think I would only be committed to investing in a deck if the sq did take a major bump as I like to keep my cd's shelved too. So, I don't know if upgrading the source is ideal with my budget, one way or the other.....

I've also thought of getting a 'dedicated' home amp. Again, I love the SM3, but is there a home amp around the same price that is superior to the SM3?

Then there's the headphones. I've also considered getting some new cans....or even possibly upgrading my dt770's (getting the woodified and recabled). If the headphones would be where I go, can anyone offer some suggestions as to what would be ideal to get relative to what headphones I already have? My music collection includes rock, industrial, trip-hop, jazz, goth, dance, pop, you name it.......

I'm just stuck right now on where would be the BEST place to upgrade first, or if I should just wait a bit and save some more $$$$??

 

[gtortorella]

Hi Santiago,

Since everything starts with the source, I advise that you upgrade your source. Over the years, each and every time I upgraded my source, I have always received the most obvious benefit. There are many good CD players to be had in the $250-600 price range.

A good home headphone amp runs a very close second, and I highly recommend getting one. I have auditioned and owned many headphone amplifiers, and have been most impressed with the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite. It can be had for $299, and, at that price point, it is very hard to beat.

I tend to lean toward saving some money until I could afford what I deem acceptable and satisfying. Be careful of design and parts quality, especially in source components and amplifiers. There are many components that employ inexpenisve parts and that are at price points that are disproportionate to their design and/or parts quality. For instance, op-amp designs, while liked by some, tend to be less expensive to produce, and have various limitations. In fact, if you do some research on op-amps, you will find that these devices were not intended for use in audiophile applications. Thus, with regard to solid state, discrete designs have always impressed me.

I wish you the best in your audiophile pursuits

 

[sant430]

Thanks for your ideas Glen! They are definitely being taken into consideration. I kinda thought the same thing, but it's always good to hear other ideas from the outside.

With this in mind, can you offer some recommendations for a good deck? Since this will be longer term investment, I'd want to spend around $400-$500 (I think I could go as high as $600 if the increase in quality was there).

Thanks again!

 

[gtortorella]

You are welcome, Santiago...I am happy to assist in whatever way possible.

My recommendations for a deck, as you say, would be an NAD C542 or Music Hall CD25.2. I have auditioned and owned NAD sources since 1991, and have enjoyed them very much. If you go as high as $599 (new), I might opt for the CD25.2. You can probably corral one for about $540 (10% off list). If you need the name of a mail-order dealer, I can supply one. My dealer is honest, provides excellent service, and offers about 10% off on nearly everything

Before I forget: since the NAD 521BEE and C542 have been out for a few years now, I would look for a new model to come down the pike...this is just my "gut" feeling...so you may perhaps want to wait a bit and see what happens--though the CD25.2 is an excellent value and is a fairly new player.

 

[elnero]

I agree with Glen, a new source is probably going to make the biggest difference for you. You could also use your existing Sharp as a transport and get an external DAC like a Lite DAC-AH or DAC-60, MHDT Labs DAC, Storm Digital D02, etc.

 

[sant430]

I also had thought of an external DAC for my existing setup. I really like the idea of a source upgrade, but I do like the versatility of a DAC setup too.

Right now, I'm looking around at prices for both the c542 and the cd25.2, but I may have to research some DAC's......


hmmmm........decisions, decisions

 

[elnero]

Neither option is wrong or bad, a NAD or Music Hall would be good investments but but I do think you might get a bit more bang for your buck with an external DAC. I should note that some people are not a fan of using a cheaper DVD player as a transport, I'll agree with them in that it might not be the best transport but it's something that can be upgraded later and I still tend to think generally you get more bang out of an external DAC for the money even with a cheaper transport.

 

[sant430]

Those are some really good points too. I have to say that I think I underestimated an external DAC and its fine points. I'm going to look around for some of the DAC's you recommended too! I may have found a music hall 25.2 at a decent price, but I like to keep my options open as well.

 

[elnero]

Here's a thread on Audio Circles about the DAC-60. And here's one on Head-Fi about the Digital Storm D02. Do a search here and on Google about the others.

 

[sant430]

That Storm Digital looks really interesting. I'm going to research some more in addition to the others you mentioned too. Do you happen to have a link to this DS DAC? If not, I'm sure I can find it.......

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sant430 That Storm Digital looks really interesting. I'm going to research some more in addition to the others you mentioned too. Do you happen to have a link to this DS DAC? If not, I'm sure I can find it.......

There's a link to Digital Storms website in the first post of the thread I linked to.

 

[JMcMasterJ]

I recommend getting a Micro DAC. I used to use a SM3 with an iPod and upgrading my source to a Micro DAC made the biggest difference in my setup.

 

[gtortorella]

Hi Santiago,

While what elnero has indicated is definitely worth considering, I think it is wise to consider the importance of the transport in your signal chain. I do not think you could go wrong with one of the DACs that have been suggested, but, before making a final decision, you should consider the fact that everything begins with your transport.

While some have stressed the technology upgrades attainable in newer DAC chips, the stability, configuartion, and overall quality of the transport, is, for me, of utmost importance. One of the main reasons why I have opted for the new Rega Apollo is the fact that it features a totally redesigned transport. I am sure the improvement in the DAC will be noticeable, too, but the transport upgrade was the deciding factor for me.

Again, I wish you well in your audiophile pursuits

 

[djbnh]

sant430,

For $70 you can get the original Walker SST, and I think the new version goes for about double that amount. Better yet, share some with another audiophile in your area. Use according to directions, play your gear for about 8 hours, then redetermine what if anything needs to be changed in your system.

With the Walker product, sometimes it's interesting to treat one thing at a time and notice the difference, then go to the next item to treat/analyze, etc. I've had nothing but good come from using the process, and it's dampened upgradeitis in my speakered realm.

Good luck with your decision making.

 

[sant430]

Well, I ended up pulling the trigger on a slightly used Music Hall CD25.2 (MUCH sooner than I anticipated).


I want to thank EVERYONE who offered suggestions and ideas for my upgrade-itis. I think that's what really makes this place so bad (for my wallet)!

So while my wallet's cringing in financial distress, I can say that I appreciate the help, encouragement, and overall great environment here at headfi! It's the people here that make this listening journey so damn fun!!

So here I sit impatiently waiting to hear what a decent transport will sound like!


Again thanks guys!