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$3000: upgrade Tyler Linbrooks or amplification?

HI,

I am going through my 2-3 year upgrade itch, and was looking at ways to spend $2000 to $3000 into my system. My question is this: should I be looking at a $3000 speaker upgrade, or should I be spending that money on amplfication? Where do most of the benefits come from? Honestly, in the several years I have been doing audio, the biggest benefits have always come from speaker upgrades, assuming the associated electronics weren't crap (and mine aren't).

Currently I am running the Tyler Acoustics Linbrook signature speaker, a McCormack DNA-125 revision Gold amp, and a borrowed Dehavilland Superverve (C-J PV5 was in my system). I was planning on throwing a bunch of money at the preamp, but the Superverve sounds nice for the price, so am likely set there for a minimal upgrade cost. That leaves $2500 in my budget. For that, I could likely:

1) get a nicer set of speakers. That gets me close to the new Tyler D1's, or another very nice speaker. There is a dealer nearby selling the Devore Gibbon Nines that I could afford (hoping to get them home for a test). The Tylers are very seductive, so I would obviously be interested in his new D1 as well, or anything else I could get for $6000-7000 (Merlin maybe)?

2) upgrade amplification (take my amp to Platinum status for another $700), get something even nicer than the Superverve preamp.

3) Keep the money, in case the economy really goes down the toilet. System sounds great as-is (but it can always get better, right)?

I am also budgeting another $300 for room treatments. I can't go too crazy there, as the listening room is also the living room, and my wife hates the look.
dawgcatching
newbee
4,767 posts
 
Can you improve the 'sound' of the Tyler's? Absolutely, but they aren't that bad and unless you have some specific goal you can do a lot worse for more money. I had a problem, I had a goal, and I moved up successfully. But, when I bought the Tylers, my goal was more asthetics than anything else and the urge was to get something new. Frankly I succeded and failed. The Tylers looked better, but overall their predecessors sounded better. And the sound was more important to me.

IMHO, you need to develope some specific goals. Don't buy new amps if you think the Tylers are leaving. Don't buy new amps unless you have a problem with the Tylers you want to correct and you are reasonably confident you can do so. OR, if you plan to get new speakers (out of curiousity) then be prepared to get a new amp to compliment your new speakers. What you have may not work to your satisfaction.

And, if you just want to up-grade something, just to do something (which we all do sometimes), spend your money on sources and/or a pre-amp, tubes or SS depending on your inclinations, which could easily survive the ultimate purchase of new speakers and amps.

FWIW, I never buy new speakers without assuming first that I will be getting new synergistic amps as well. It always seems to work out that way.............:-)
stltrains
845 posts
 
Hey Newbee i have D1s on order to most likely replace my LLS. I should have them in January. If you havent made a move by then i will chime in and let you know my feelings on the two. Good luck and i understand what you mean by itch. I am most satisfied with my LLS sound wise. So much so i got the itch to take it up a notch and hear what D1 is all about in my system and room. I got one good reply in another thread on D1s at RMAF.
dawgcatching OP
139 posts
 
Tyler was pretty modest when he described the improvements of the D1 to me, but that is probably a good thing: he is a very modest person in general, and his product sound very, very good, so I am excited to hear how the D1's sound. So many people in this industry hype their product as "the best ever" and then the product fails to meet expectations.

He did seem very excited about the quality of the new product, but definitely thought the D1 was the upgrade to the LSS for a bigger room, not the D2.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
Stltrains, I'll be looking forward to hearing about the D1's, especially since you will have the LLS' on hand for an A/B comparison. I suspect from the generalized description that Ty may have made a couple of important changes. They sure look better IMHO.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
It replaced a highly modded over many years ARC SP6B Which uses 6 12AX7s. But this pre was just an ARC by nameplate. The guy I bought it from was a fanatic -he wanted a wire with gain. I thought that's the ticket the proverbial wire with gain. I tried it in my own system at home and was impressed with it's nuetrality.
About 3 months later I started thinking I could use a little warmth and a more tube responsive pre. The gain was ridiculously high. The legendary phono stage caught every nuance that a note of dust can... it sounded like firecracker. If any one wants a......
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