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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
invalid
1,168 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..............
I can't believe it no imbed or imbedding in this post this must be some kind of special occasion.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,118 posts
 
Audio nowadays is no more electronic enginering first but acoustical engineering first....

I think that is an accurate statement. It’s not hard to acquire really good gear that works well together these days at all. Streaming in particular makes it a breeze. Audiophiles tend to live in the past and make it all seem much more complicated than it need be these days.

However, getting things to sound best or even good in one’s room is almost always a challenge still and very much worth becoming educated about. Nothing new or different there. That should be about 90% of the battle I would say.  Maybe more if you are really on your game.   The rest is largely subjective and largely based on always widely-varying personal preferences

Maybe that’s why headphones are so popular? Portable and no room to deal with to boot. You will get some consensus there about which ones are good or not but still little consensus about which are truly the best.


sokogear
1,093 posts
 
+1 to Scooter.

$10K will get you a very good turntable/cartridge/phono stage/cable and some records, and will sound better in most cases as long as the records were recorded well and the pressings are clean.
avanti1960
1,468 posts
 
Not a fan of the unnatural sound of the Kanta.  
Spendor D9.2 in a heartbeat.  
clwinbe's avatar
clwinbe
39 posts
 
I know your itch. I’m always scratching. I’ve ended up with three very large systems, with dozens of other speakers and amps in storage. I swap them around every so often. I found equipment is sort of like wine. Many different types to try, different flavors.....all fun. 

I think I my have a problem......
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