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$1000 upgrade. Opinions?

What would you do? I am prepared to consider all opinions no matter how strange they may sound.
I listen to different kinds of music; no big orchestras, no opera, no country, no rap. The system should be able to play well both jazz/rock and female vocal and various world beats from Brazil to Middle East by way of Ireland and North Africa.
The only two things that I don't consider upgrading now is speakers and cassette deck.
The room is relatively small and rectangular, about 150sqf. But I may move soon enough so I have no intention to acoustically treat it unless I could use this stuff in another room later.
Here is what I have:
Nottingham Spacedeck/Spacearm with Dynavector 10X5 cartridge.
Acoustech PH-1 phono stage, good for both MM and LOMC.
CEC TL5100Z belt drive cd player.
Nakamichi 682ZX deck.
Audiolab 8000LX integrated, original made in England. Quite powerful for 60 watt/ch/8ohm. Has pre-amp out.
Michael Green Audio Revolution 80i free resonance floorstanding speakers.
Purist Audio Colossus speaker cables, Maximus interconnect.
Custom Power Cord Co. Top Gun power cords for the phono stage and the Audiolab; model Hi Value for the player.
Furman 1215 voltage regulator/conditioner.
Boston Audio, Polycrystal, Audiopoints, Isoblock footers. Polycrystal spikes for speakers.
What would I like to improve? Well, everything. Also, I have no idea how these speakers would sound with tubes.
inna
prophos
9 posts
 
This thread is a bit old for now and I don't know if you upgraded your stuff or not... However, here are some things coming to my mind...

If you listen to turntable A LOT upgrade the cartridge. Dyna 10x5 is essentially one of their entry level carts so if you like Dyna sound you can get a Dyna Karat such as 17D2MKII or other. This should be a huge improvement.

If you listen to cassettes A LOT get your NAK 682 ZX tuned up/brought to specs by a pro. There are small companies doing this, such as Will Herrmann or ESL, or individuals who could do the same for less. I serviced my Dragon with one them and I’m very happy with results.

If you listen to CDs A LOT, consider upgrading your CDP or better get someone tweak it to improve performance. I tweaked my Cambridge Audio 640 V. II and was pleasantly surprised with results.

Here is another, “shortgun” approach that works if you live in a large metropolis area, have some funds to spend and adventurous mind. Look at LOCAL ads in Craigslist, Audiogon etc and found a piece of gear that you like for some reason and which fits your budget. Buy it and audit in your system; keep it if you like and sell if you don’t.
inna OP
7,296 posts
 
I didn't upgrade anything yet.
I do listen to my Nak a lot and I did have it fully tuned and aligned by Willy Hermann less than a year ago. So much better than before.
I of course listen to the table too and make recordings on the Nak.
CD player does not see much play time.
I am not so sure that I like Dyna sound really, it is yes/no situation. In any case, I decided to upgrade the cartridge for now; it appears most logical. So it might be Karat that you mentioned or Lyra Dorian or perhaps I will try better MM.
Upgrading amp is tough, that's expensive. It'll take some time but I will get Rowland Concentra 1 or 2 or older Rowland separates, but I am looking here at $2500 at least. Maybe Gryphon integrated but they are very rare. Perhaps older Audiolab separates before Rowland, but again they are very rare.
inna OP
7,296 posts
 
If anyone still interested, I just upgraded the Audiolab.
Was very lucky and got Redgum RGi120 integrated for under $1k. The difference is really big. Next steps-upgrading power and cartridge.
coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
744 posts
 
I just read the thread and my first thought was why not upgrade the Audiolab for a really nice tube integrated. Melody SP7 is but $600 currently on AG. Looks like you were channeling my thoughts even before I found the thread. Great minds think alike. Enjoy!
inna OP
7,296 posts
 
Coltrane1, I wouldn't want cheap tube amplification. $1k would be barely enough for a set of tubes, if you are lucky. Tube gear done right is expensive. So is SS but less so.
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