A Journey, A Revelation and Wonder

So hello everyone. This may be a bit long, but I hope you find my story pleasant

Just over a year ago I took my first leap into what some might consider mid-fi but I thought was extravagant. I bought kind of a package deal starting with a Parasound Halo Integrated, B and W 606 S2 speakers, a pair of REL t7i and a Bluesound Node 2i streaming Qobuz.

If you look into the discussions I started I was having a rough time getting what I thought I should be getting for what I invested. I was having a hard time getting my subs integrated. My room is irregular and various other problems that are often encountered by beginners which I still consider myself.

I came to realize after a few months the bookshelf plus subs combo wasn't working; the bookshelves couldn't move enough air in my room which, unfortunately is also living room. I tried a pair of Heresy's from the early 80s and liked them a lot more but knew they were still not what i was looking for. I took a decent road trip and ended up buying a demo pair of Dali Opticon 8 which I heard compared to Maggie 3.7. 

My next step was upgrading my cabling. I didn't really believe in that part of it too much in the beginning, but this forum finally convinced me otherwise. I have 2 dedicated 20 amp hospital grade outlets built into the floor. I had a guy who worked for me who claimed to make power cords for a high-end cable company. When I asked what I was getting he referred me to the AudioQuest NRG Dragon. I bought three 3 foot and one 5 foot. When I bought the speakers I bought a used pair of  Straightwire Expressivo to bi-wire the Dali's. 

I struggled for months trying to get it to sound what I knew it's potential was. Fighting to find proper crossover point, sub level and placement and various other boogers keeping me from Xanadu. Inching ever closer, the river led me on. 

Deciding I wanted to deal exclusively with streaming I felt after much reading on this forum my next acquisition should be a good DAC. I did a lot of reading because that's all I can do. This forum and members contributions as well as professional reviews and owner reviews. Searching used sites, I compared products available and settled on an Aqua La Voce S2. The descriptions of ladder DAC sound seemed to fit me and I didn't need anything with DSD capabilities. When I put this in the chain, I will say it made a huge improvement. The bass became much more focused and what I take to be described as digititous disappeared. I treated the cabling for this nice as well with a used pair of Heaven's Gate balanced 1m XLR. Digital duty via Geistnote.

The Pleasure Dome was within sight but still eluded me. I forged ahead and with a final (maybe) push I arrived by repositioning my subs once more. The sun beamed through the clouds and the planets aligned and a miraculous transformation occurred!

All of this is to tell you all I had my most profound experience last night that I have ever had and it let's me know I may dine on Honeydew at last. I have listened to The Wall it's very safe to say a hundred times. In Another Brick in the Wall, Pt.1 there are the children playing in the playground; their voices scattered about. In all the times I've heard them my mind's eye has pictured them from a slight distance as I look at them. Last night I was standing amongst them instead. It was a profound shift in focus. I literally yelled out "Oh Wow!"  On the intro to Outside the Wall when the stones of the wall are dealing with the results of gravity there was so much definition when they landed I was blown away. The final two stones to fall gave me a very real representation of a difference in size when they hit. The cacophony fading stretched to a far horizon. I finally felt as if all of my efforts were paying off. I was truly moved. I didn't want to say anything to my wife about and luckily, I didn't have to, she chimed in on her own to tell me how great it sounded and asked to hear Division Bell after The Wall. 

I hope you have enjoyed my story. Have I dined on that sweet melon yet? Maybe not but I hold it in my hand.