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Advice on going from mid level to high end

There are a bunch of advice threads focused on how to assemble your first system. I'm hoping to get some advice on making the move from an established but still affordable system to something that's more high end.

Like most people on this site I've always been interested in music/audio. I assembled my first more serious system about 7 years ago, buying much of my equipment used over several years. I have a dedicated room and my current set up is:

Polk LSi15
McCormack DNA-1
TAD-150 sig preamp
VPI scoutmaster
Cambridge Audio 840C
Cables include a mix of Shunyata, Harmonic Technology, and Analysis Plus

I think it's a great setup but I've been fortunate to hear a number of very high end systems and would love to move up over the next few years.

For those of you who've made the transition from a $5-6K system to a $15-20K system, what advice do you have for the uninitiated?

Many thanks.
e
ethos
steveaudio
331 posts
 
I've read both your posts, & I still have no idea, of what's bugging you about your current system, or what you're trying to improve, or change to a diff. sound, or any new components you're interested in???? It can take a lot of research & buying/selling just to upgrade 1 component successfully, let alone a whole system.

If you asked "what should I upgrade in this system", or upgrading this pre-amp, or speaker, you'd get more responses. Unless it's more of a "theoretical" question.....?
ethos OP
35 posts
 
Steve,

Sorry I wasn't clearer in my original post.

As you suggested, I'm asking a more theoretical question. Before I buy a new component I always do a fair bit of research and will spend time auditioning different manufacturers that make my short list. I'm not terribly unhappy with my current system or looking to upgrade any particular component right now but there are things that I'd like to improve on. For example, I think my current speakers a bit lacking in the lower frequencies and overall I'd like to have a bit more resolution of low-level details since I listen to a lot of jazz and classical. As I move ahead, those will be some of the things that I'll be looking to improve.

Maybe I can make my question clearer with an analogy to shopping for a car. I have a pretty good sense of what to consider when I'm buying a sedan to commute back and forth to work in. I've never bought a high-end sports car, though, and don't really have a sense of what to look for in shopping for a car like that. I'd want it to "go fast" and "handle well" but beyond those huge generalities I really wouldn't know how to go about making a smart buying decision. I also don't have unlimited financial resources either, so I'd want to proceed more deliberately in making what for me would be a big purchase.

So my question is a more philosophical one, what general advice would you give to an early-stage audiophile who's gearing up to go shopping for higher-end audio equipment?

thanks again for your thoughts so far--and to everyone else.
e
bjesien
1,356 posts
 
Philosophical? Okay- Being an audiophile is like being a mosquito in a nudist camp. You know what you want, but have no idea where to start.
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