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Ugrade-itis - is there a cure?

If, by some "dark magic" you woke up one day and your system sounded the best you've ever heard it - AND - better than the best system you had ever listened to in a high priced audio store, would you still want to upgrade your components?

If the answer is yes - are you...
  1. an "Audio shop-o-holic"
  2. or just curious as whether that new component will make a difference 
If you are #2 - if you bought a new component and it made NO improvement - would you stop uprading?

Just curious :-)
williewonka
bigkidz
3,408 posts
 

Only you can say what you prefer from your system.  BUT once you learn what makes a component sound the way it does, then you can figure out how to improve your system.  Understand different designs SS vs. tubes, how tube sizes make a difference (small, large), tube rectification, tube regulation, choke loaded, transformer coupled, direct heated triode, class A, Class D, etc.  You have to experiment to see what you like.


You also can have an existing component modified that can be the best way to go.  The majority of manufacturers do not use high quality parts so upgrading them can possibly have a bigger impact on sound for much less than swapping out a component.  Better power supply capacitors (think Nichicon), AC filter chokes, output resistors (Shinkoh, Caddock, Amtrans, Vishay), upgrade the volume control, just for starters.

Happy Listening. 

pinthrift
210 posts
 
...40+ years of "the chase."  I've been working my way --backwards-- these days, as the room tuning (#1) the room integration with the speakers (#2) the source (#3) and the hardware (#4) reach my emotions deeply.  ALL the work you have put in to this point will pay back royally in improving your power and grounding, however that is defined in YOUR system.  For me, it meant power company adding a new transformer at the street (complained of power surges)...electrician isolating my sound room at the panel...dedicated 10ga line in...Furutech (or others) outlet and cover.  Furutech (or others) male plug upgrade to my hardwired power conditioner with a shunt in the power conditioner-and, yes, it IS better than the amp straight from the wall.)  Everything you do AFTER they rig is great with make it all purer and more musical.  Happy tunes!   
big_katydid
50 posts
 

I do wonder how much upgradeitis is simple the need for novelty and change like in any hobby collection. I know that I could quite easily upgrade my system but I have toyed with the idea of having several loudspeakers that have entirely different presentations to suit different music/mood/volume needs (steve guttenberg has a similar idea and is posted on his channel). Of course it then down to which speaker (etc) but I can envisage having say 3-4 pairs of $2000 speakers with entirely different signatures and or design helping to prevent that stagnation from having your favourite music sounding the same every time you play it! The counter argument would easily be that an $8000 well chosen speaker might well trounce the 4 cheaper ones.

inna
7,627 posts
 
I will put other arguments aside, and I do have them, one point, I think, is that none or almost none of us has a truly reference system. It is not that it only exists as an elusive hypothetical ideal, there are real reference level set-ups. But we don't have them. Many have very good, even excellent sounding systems but they are not that good. Examples could be that you don't know what a turntable can do until you hear Continuum, and you don't know what transistor amp is all about until you hear Gryphon top separates, and you don't even know what your current system is capable of until you get Studer open reel deck and play quality master tape dubs. So, I am not interested in 'cure' but nor am I obsessed with this stuff. I upgrade rarely and try to do it in as big steps as I can afford. Illness is under control, it would be so boring to be perfectly healthy.
Bill, watch it..
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