New speakers and guidance


I am retiring soon and I am going to reward myself by upgrading some of my equipment.  For a budget, I am looking to keep total cash outlays in the net $20k range meaning that I can go beyond $20k with any subsequent funds resulting from the sale of my existing equipment.   My current equipment is listed below for reference. 

I was at AXPONA last year and I listened to the Daedalus Apollos and Apollo 11s.  I absolutely loved the sound of them.  Compared to my existing system, they felt more dynamic and open which are two things that I am looking to improve upon.  They still retained a strong sense of presence and warmth that I enjoy with my current system.

My question is in regards to how best use said funds.  A couple of options come to mind:


  1. Purchase a new set of Apollos and upgrade phono pre to something like Herron or Coincident.

  2. Buy a used set of Daedalus Ulysses/Argos/Athenas and upgrade line stage, amp, phono pre and turntable. 


I appreciate the combined wisdom and advice from this wonderful forum!

 

Room:                18x21x10

Speakers:          Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors

Amp:                  McIntosh 275 mk IV

Line stage:          ARC LS5 mk II

Phone Pre:        ARC PH5 with GNSC mods

Turntable:          VPI Classic

Cartridge:          Dynavector XX2 mk 2    Enter your text ...
annika
Congrats on the Apollo’s they are phenomenal and far superior to the Ulysses which are no slouch but do not have the new Eton tweeter, latest crossover design and components or the ten inch woofer. All of which are game changers. I know the Ulysses well—a friend owned them with top flight gear. The Apollo’s are another animal and an end of the road speaker—perfect for retirement just sit back and enjoy!
I use Eton drivers in my speakers.  I LOVE them.  Mixed with the right tube amplification, that tweeter will shine like the sun.   

LTA would be a wonderful match.  I have been blown away by how good those amps sound and how cool they run.  David Berning stopped in my room at CAF and we had about a 30 minute discussion about tubes and amps.  One of the smartest people I have ever met.    

Knowing that tweeter well, you could consider running an 845 tube.  The 845 is going to be more linear than a 300B and is going to give you a massive soundstage.  The only issue is that they run hot compared to the LTAs but tube life is long and replacement tubes don't have to be $1100 a pair unless you want them to be.  

I use 45w 845 Push Pulls to drive mine but they have an 85dB efficiency.  Your speakers could easily be driver by a SET with less than 20w.  
And why upgrade? You will have to work very hard and long to find suitable upgrades! Searching could be most of the fun.
@aburnhamuu 
I have been obsessing, er, researching about upgrades for the past couple of years already!  
Once the Apollos arrive and I get a feel for how they sound with my existing electronics, I can start the next phase of evaluating amp choices 😊.  
Yes, the researching is part of the journey... and a fun part at that....
I’m sure your choice will be great, remember, it’s not the,speakers per say, it’s our ears which need getting accustomed to a new pair of speakers.

Give them 250-300 hours of break,in before accessing their sound.







 As said 50x- my,speakers took me 300 hours to really get used to them.Even still, when listening after long periods without listening to my speakers, it still takes me a good 30-45 min to get accustomed to their laid back tone.

2nd system with old early to mid 90 pair of BIC V830’s, have a much more outgoing highs freq.
so when I listen upstairs to my Energy speakers, it takes a bit of listening to get my ears used to them.
once zeroed in,  they are heaven, and listening to the BIC’s is a bit harsh for a while, ago I’ll listen at low volume until I get accustomed to they’re tone.

take your time, enjoy the new speakers and retirement!