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Advice for upgrading my system

I have been on Audiogon for about 6 months and I enjoy the expertise and reading the conversations. I am hoping to receive guidance to upgrade my 2 channel stereo.

I am now ready to upgrade and I have budgeted $30k to do so.

My current system is the following:

McIntosh MA 6600
McIntosh MP 100 Phono Preamp
Marantz super audio CD Player SA-11S2
Micro SeikiDD-40 Turntable
Denon DL 103D Cartridge
2-Monitor Audio PL - 100 speakers
1-Velodyne HGS12BGII Subwoofer
Sonos for DAC

My room has been acoustically treated in the
walls and ceiling by a company that specializes in this. 

I primarily listen to jazz, classical, and 70’s music.

Room dimensions are:
  ⁃ 30’ 6” long
  ⁃ 14’ 6” Wide for the first 12’ 4“ of the length and then
  ⁃ 10’ 4” Wide for the last 18’ 2” of the length

I consider the main listening area to be the 14’6” x 12’4” section.

I am looking forward to hearing your feedback. Btw, I live in Denver Colorado.



bhc148
knotscott's avatar
knotscott
1,032 posts
 
You've got some really nice gear by most people's standards.  Depending on what specific characteristics you want to change, I'd be looking into speakers and cartridge change.  Nothing wrong with either of those in your system, but that's likely where the biggest sonic changes are going to come from.  If you find speakers you love, consider an amp change that's a great match for them (if your Mac is not).  
rego
378 posts
 
@bhc148, given the list of gear and listening environment you already have a good base line to make good decisions for yourself.
What do you like and dislike about the system ... ? ...
erik_squires
16,436 posts
 
Interesting mix.  I haven't had a chance to hear every piece of gear, but it's interesting that you have speakers I consider warm to laid back, along with a lot of electronics I consider quite bright.

Since I haven't heard a turntable in years, my suggestion might be to explore your digital side.

Also, what do you want out of your system??
bhc148 OP
3 posts
 
What am I looking to improve?

Ultimately I have been influenced by hearing some incredible systems. As an example I listened to Brubeck's Take Five and I felt like I was sitting in the band and every instrument was clear, crisp and balanced. Mind you this particular system was way out of my reach.  My question is how do I approach that sound with my budget?

- Improved clarity and separation of the instruments
- Better sound imaging
- Speakers that sound great and that can handle to power of the McIntosh 



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