2. misc-audio
  3. 1037561496

Hierarchy of upgrade path

Dear members. Recently I have upgrated my system and I am happily rediscovering my music collection. A new search is beginning as I am planing to optimize this system over the next 1-2 years and here is where your input and experiance is requested. I have placed dedicated ac lines, PS Audio ac outlets, PS Audio Lab Cable II to the amp and mini Lab Cable to the CDP straight from the wall. Audio Physics Virgo II are driven by Vac 30/30 MK II with golden dragon tubes, Wadia 860x is the source and JPS Ultraconductor interconnects and speaker cables complete this system. Based on reading past forums I have put together a list of improvements and would like your input on qualitative and quantitative gains one might expect in this system from one or all of them. I enjoy all kinds of music but listen most often to single female and male vocalists, jazz and classical. Any suggestions are welcome however I prefer to keep it simple and not get into vinyl at this time.
1. Nirvana s-x or Audience Au-24 interconnects
2. Audience Au-24 speaker cable
3. Vac factory upgrade to MK III SE level.
4. Great Nothern Sound top upgrade for the Wadia
5. W.E. 300B/other tubes (generaly not recomendet by vac)
6. PS Audio 600 series ac regeneration for the amp
7. REL Storm or Stadium
Thanks in advance for your input and taking the time on this forum
endoit
endoit OP
21 posts
 
Dennis thanks for the tube run down. It will help me narrow down choices when I am ready to roll. The vac is great from the first impression and it was a big improvement over the Manley Stingray which I also enjoyed for 2 years. I will let you know if the 860x mods are worth it once I get them done in the spring. Are you using power conditioning with the vac?
dennis_the_menace's avatar
dennis_the_menace
467 posts
 
just an Ultimate Outlet by PS Audio... honestly, not that big of a sound difference for me. I got some aftermarket powercords also, and couldn't hear much with them either. I'm still pretty new, so I may not be very sensitive. Definitely would be interested in hearing your view of the GNS mods on your Wadia. That's definitely more doable then the signature mod at VAC.

I'm also about to try some RCA grey glass VT 231s. I'll post my impression of these when I get them...
endoit OP
21 posts
 
I found that using dedicated lines helped a lot. I had an electrician run 3 lines of 10 g romex to 3 ps audio wall outlets. When I switched between the standard vs dedicated the noise was reduced significantly, soundstage got biger and there was an improvement with base deeper and tighter. I found similar improvement when I upgrated to ps audio lab cables but not to the same degree. When I used the new power cords back in non dedicated outlets there was a significant drop in performance. I think in my setup power cords do make the music experiance smoother and just relaxed and more musical. There is no fatigue. I used Tice solo av power conditioner in my set up and it did not do much; if anything there was some loss in dynamics and resolution. That is why I like to hear what others experiance with power conditioners before I consider 1-2k investment.
matt413575
19 posts
 
Dennis.

I have followed your threads in the past, specifically your frustrations regarding the BAT player. When did you get your Wadia and do you plan to send this unit to the GNSC for mods.

Matt
dennis_the_menace's avatar
dennis_the_menace
467 posts
 
i got the Wadia about six weeks ago. it's definitely more what i was looking for in a player, but the improvement coming from the upgraded CD player is still much more subtle than the improvement i got from upgrading my amp. i'm pretty happy with how things are sounding... so not planning on anything in the near future. at least with the cd player. i will have a new preamp coming next year from mick maloney.
More to discover