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Remarkably better sound possible with just 1 system component change?

I could have posted this discussion to a few other categories but chose this one because discussions related to 2 of the 4 components in question belong here.

So it's been ~2.5 yrs since I purchased my current system. I did a lot of research at the time here on audiogon, but no auditioning, and put together a system that sounds very, very good to me.

While I have no complaints, the itch to upgrade has surfaced recently.

I am curious as to whether you guys think it will be possible for me to replace just 1 of my primary 4 components and obtain significantly better sound as a result. The more discernible and obvious the sound improvement, the better obviously. I am not looking for a marginal upgrade - I want dramatically better sound. And I am not looking to replace more than 1 component at this time. I am hoping to get a few ideas/candidates and then may decide to audition some of the recommendations before making a decision. Hopefully some of the upgrade paths are such no-brainers that I may even be able to take a leap of faith without auditioning. Note also that acoustic room treatments are not viable in my current listening location.
 
My current 4 part system:

1. Lumin D2 - 100% of my listening is streaming via Tidal
2. Mcintosh C2600 preamp
3. Mcintosh MC452 amp
4. Focal Kanta 2 speakers

Cables are Cardas Golden presence RCAs from the Lumin to C2600, Cardas Clear Cygnus XLRs from the C2600 to the MC452, and Kimber 8TC speaker cables to the Kantas.

Soundstaging, dynamics, imaging and overall clarity are all great. I have to say I love the Be tweeters. And the bass is punchy, tight, fast and certainly sufficient for my needs. Vocals and overall sound are warm, liquid smooth and analog-like, just the way I like it. (Forgive me if I've botched some of the characterizations - I'm no expert at this). The only thing I can think of that could use some improvement is the sound quality at lower volume levels, although that is not terribly important to me since most of my listening is in the 90+ Db range. Would be nice, though.

So while I do love the overall sound, surely dramatically better sound can be obtained via a 1 component swap? Budget is ~10k. Or will I need to spend more, or upgrade more than 1 component to achieve the desired result?

Thanks in advance for your time and thoughts.

chandybe
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,304 posts
 
I’ve put a system together that I like over the past year, and have already felt the itch, myself. But as un-sexy as it is, and as "fixed" as I thought my room was, I now admit that nothing has improved my set up as much as adjusting listening position and speaker position. Doing this makes it clear how to seek out treatments for deficiencies which cannot be eliminated.

Some of the suggestions I got on this forum I rejected as not possible. "Move you bed" (I’m listening in a guest bedroom); "Lower your seating position"; get everything on the short wall and get those speakers out; get those reflective surfaces off the wall and out from between your speakers; move your sub around; consider multiple subs; measure with REW and then get treatments.

As someone who really enjoyed buying nice gear (and shopping, I’ll admit) all of these ideas seemed as un-sexy as could be. And yet they have already started to show that these answers are correct. Let the needs of my ears and the room dictate everything else, and the sound will improve dramatically. Otherwise, it's deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic rearrangement.

And don’t worry: you can easily spend $10k doing this. But if changes to the room are a no-go (as you said), then I think accepting that nothing major will change is something you should consider is a real possibility.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,445 posts
 
Audio nowadays is no more electronic enginering first but acoustical engineering first....

A good electronic design is easy to buy, an acoutically dedicated room not so.....

Ignoring this simple fact is throwing money to the street ....

Anyway the street need it also.....

But..............


tecknik
487 posts
 
Your listening  through streaming, tell us about your Ethernet set up.

Linear power supplies on the router, switch or switches. 2 Is actually better then one, FMC,s  (fiber optical, ) dc cables from lps to devices 

Router, switches FMC should all be on good footer, shelf’s.

All this and more well have a profound impact on your streaming.

golfmd2
27 posts
 
Room correction with room treatment are the biggest dramatic changes you can make. Anything else not even close, even new speakers. If you can’t or won’t treat the room I’d look into room correction with something like minidsp with Dirac or the antimode products from Dspeaker. Correcting the bass will have the largest impact and will help with the lower volume level listening issues the most.

If your willing to swap amps, go with a lyngdorf amp with room prefect room correction.  Awesome
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