Ben-this is Fast. Good to hear from you. Glad you stuck with the Ref 5s and are now enjoying them. As I’ve said before, they do require patience when brand new but that patience is rewarded within a few months. Sounds like you’ve made some good improvements.
As for my system, I’ve added Isoacoustics Gaia footers. I also had a professional (Sterling Trayle) spend a day positioning my speakers and had a dedicated 20 amp line installed...the latter two things a little over a year ago, just before Covid. I’ve upgraded some usb cables to Wireworld and some power cords to Audioquest Y3. As I may have mentioned, I added a Rega RP6 turntable with Dynavector cartridge (I don’t listen to records very much so I wanted something mid priced but good). Finally, I tried connecting my PS Audio Directstream DAC directly to my Krell power amp and liked it. I went looking for a preamp which would be similar to a direct connection but allow me to use my phono, tuner, etc. and arrived at the Benchmark LA4. I I ordered an LA4 from Music Direct, which allows a 60 day trial. I kept it. I think it’s about the closest you can get to a direct connection with multiple inputs. As a bonus, it’s very reasonably priced for such a preamp.
So how does it all sound? I’m happy and done fiddling, at least for a while. In terms of biggest difference, I’d have to say the preamp and the speaker positioning. I’m still not totally convinced that ultra expensive cables make that big a difference compared to good moderately priced ones (or maybe my hearing isn’t acute enough to appreciate it). The Gaias are a step up over the standard spikes but not a huge one, especially considering the cost. Most of all, I’m enjoying the Ref 5s and...happy I chose them over the many other speakers I considered and, like you, that I stuck with them.
As for my system, I’ve added Isoacoustics Gaia footers. I also had a professional (Sterling Trayle) spend a day positioning my speakers and had a dedicated 20 amp line installed...the latter two things a little over a year ago, just before Covid. I’ve upgraded some usb cables to Wireworld and some power cords to Audioquest Y3. As I may have mentioned, I added a Rega RP6 turntable with Dynavector cartridge (I don’t listen to records very much so I wanted something mid priced but good). Finally, I tried connecting my PS Audio Directstream DAC directly to my Krell power amp and liked it. I went looking for a preamp which would be similar to a direct connection but allow me to use my phono, tuner, etc. and arrived at the Benchmark LA4. I I ordered an LA4 from Music Direct, which allows a 60 day trial. I kept it. I think it’s about the closest you can get to a direct connection with multiple inputs. As a bonus, it’s very reasonably priced for such a preamp.
So how does it all sound? I’m happy and done fiddling, at least for a while. In terms of biggest difference, I’d have to say the preamp and the speaker positioning. I’m still not totally convinced that ultra expensive cables make that big a difference compared to good moderately priced ones (or maybe my hearing isn’t acute enough to appreciate it). The Gaias are a step up over the standard spikes but not a huge one, especially considering the cost. Most of all, I’m enjoying the Ref 5s and...happy I chose them over the many other speakers I considered and, like you, that I stuck with them.