What’s your latest high-end audio purchase? It can be cables, tweaks, components etc. Also, please share why you purchased, what it replaced, and any additional tips and insights regarding your purchase.
I hoping for this to be enjoyable and educational, so please be civil of other’s opinions and choices.
Denafrips Pontus II + ultra rendu. Love it. Detailed, yet warm. Very close to vinyl sound. Marked improvement over previous Bluesound Node + Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M
by audiogon standards it's mid at best but i just got a pair of AT-540ml cartridges - never had microline carts of my own before. it's a huge step up from the ortofon blues (nude elliptical) i was using as "daily drivers" for most of the last year. early impression is they're nowhere near as good as my nag 200, which is also elliptical shape, but i am very happy with them - they track perfectly and are both more detailed and substantially smoother through the mid and highs than the ortofons. closer in overall sound to the ortofon 2m black.
Lumin T2 streamer/DAC. Used. 6 months old. Picking it up next week. Upgrading my Node 2i which I was running through my McIntosh c2500 tube pre using the Mc built in DAC. it was OK but I’m ready for an improvement. I have Bel Canto Stream and DAC on another system (Sugden/Harbeth) which I’m very happy with so I wanted something at least on a par with that.
Got a pair of Audio Nirvana 8" neodymium coming in tomorrow. I like to experiment with drivers in different cabinets, and these will start out in a back loaded horn cabinet. I may try them in a sealed enclosure, but the manufacturer doesn't recommend it. I have had three different models of this driver where one used a ferrite magnet and the other an ALNICO (it also had a whizzer cone). The third one was coaxial, and I Did Not LIke It. Differences to be sure. This is what I like to do and won't be stopping anytime soon.
Actually happened this afternoon, sold my Krell K300i intergrated amp, and purchased the Luxman L-509x intergrated amp at a sweet price, just got it home and I'm looking forward to the unboxing ceremony shortly......
Nord Purifi Class D amplifier. Still being built but should have it mid October. I don't expect it to exceed the SQ of my Rogue Stereo 90 or EAR/Yoshino 534 but hopefully it will at least get close and I'll be able to lift it without the danger of back spasms.
Congratulations on the AT33Sa! My last cartridge purchase was its mono sister, the AT33MONO (50th anniversary edition). It also sounded thin in the beginning, and then the body came out. Went through the biggest transformation during the first 25 hours, but kept steadily improving for hundreds of hours.
The best thing with it is that it can keep up with component changes extremely well. Upgrading phono stage, turntable - and it will keep up with it at an astonishing degree, given their relatively modest prices.
Bought a used Rane GE215 graphic equalizer (2 channels @ 15 bands per channel) for $65 on eBay for room equalization. More a "pro" item than "high end," but it works good and I am happy with it.
Lindemann Limetree Bridge replaced my Sonore Micro Rendu, much more stable and reliable certainly no loss in sound quality probably better. The mR seemed to particularly dislike my Denifrips Ares ii, another fairly recent purchase I am exceptionally pleased with.
I replaced my Wyetech Labs Jade preamp which had served me well and sounded great for the last 15 years with a Bankert Labs Rhumba 1.3 Extreme. That changed the sound of my system to a more detailed and faster one. The extra gain from the 1.3 brought new life to my ZMA, Wyetech Topaz SET and PASS Labs XL 30.8.
I upgraded my Linn LP12 table from a std sub chassis and Akita arm to the Keel and the Ekos SE arm. Really nice upgrade, increased the level of detail and transparency. I really love the way one can cost effectively move step by step towards the top-of-the-line. Great product!
DCS Rossini Apex and Rossini Clock. I upgraded from the Bartok. There are layers of detail and nuanced dimension that I’ve never heard in familiar music. Live recordings are blowing my mind with stadium “being there” moments. The pedals in the piano - Jimmy Paige’s vocals on “Kashmir” at the O2 - Blood Sweat and Tears first album sound gorgeous. Zero fatigue - Worth every penny. It really compliments the ARC REF 6, ARC 160s and Sonus Faber Serafino’s. I love it…!
Don't know how high-end it is considered, but I just bought a new Audio-Technica AT33SA moving coil cartridge last week. I am at the 20 hour mark of the recommended 30 hour burn-in. When I first got it set up and started listening to albums, it sounded a bit thin. As the hours of listening increased the cartridge really started warming up nicely. Right now I am happy as it is sounding really nice. If it sounds better after 30 hours, then that is just a bonus!
Just received a new power supply for my Node N130. It made an immediate difference and a couple of days later I changed the power cord going to it and that made a further difference.
Small Green Computer optical isolation bundle to clean up the ethernet cable signal from wifi extender to streamer. Subtle improvement, nothing major, in clarity and sense of space. For $350, it was worth it to me. Probably similar improvement to etherregen for half the price and in stock now. However have not tried etherregen so don't take my word for it.
REL Carbon Special. Replaced a REL S/510 for no particular reason other than opportunity. Soon as I set it up, I had a WTF did I just buy moment. It’s a beast and I thought for sure it would be too much for my room. Turns out that it’s absolutely fantastic. Zero regrets and I’m loving it.
Experimenting with Class D Hybrid Integrated Amplifiers right now. Picked up a smoking deal on a Rogue Audio Pharaoh II and I am really enjoying the heck out of it. The improvement's the folks at Rogue have made to this unit are not subtle (stock for stock).
The Queen said it sounds very nice and that I should keep it.
i finally got my van alstine preamp a few months ago. i heard it for about 25 minutes and haven't been able to get back to listening to it since. makes me very sad.
Netgear Broadcom chip based modem, replaced Arris Intel chip modem, also has external power supply vs internal with Arris, allows use of linear power supply. Intel chip modems have much higher jitter. Substantial improvement in sense of ease relaxation, especially in consideration of relatively low cost of modem and lps.
The other recent purchase was Duelund CAST PIO tinned copper caps replacing Audyn True Copper Max in custom build 300B monoblocks, the CAST PIO relegates all other audiophile caps I've used to distant second place.
"high-end audio"? Define your term ;-) . A plain ol' audio purchase isn't good enough? I don't like the term audio anyway, it's too general. Hi-fi has more meaning, in terms of the reproduction of music, a very specific thing.
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