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Products you added to your system in 2021 that made most impact to your music enjoyment

As 2021 comes to an end, just thought it would be cool to share some of the most impactful audio upgrades in your system this year?
Here’s my top 5 list…

1. Pass Labs XP-12: Upgrade path was from Rogue RP-1 to Rogue RP-5 and then to Pass XP-12 that was the final touch. Huge improvements across the board. Mates well with my Rogue ST-100 tube amp.

2. Phono Cartridge: Goldring E3 MM to Hana EL MC. Clarity, presentation, dynamics in spades!

3. Phono Pre: From the built in phono pre in RP-1 and RP-5 to MoFi UltraPhono to Sutherland KC Vibe MkII. Lowered noise floor, increased resolution, dynamics. The KC Vibe MkII is almost double the cost of the MoFi and it’s the one of the few upgrades where an improvement was proportional to the cost difference. At least in my system. Records that seemed noisy become more listenable. A great little phono pre. 

4. Audience AU24sx speaker cables. These speaker cables are a clear window into a recording. Nothing hidden, nothing exaggerated. 

5. Power Cords: Acoustic Zen Gargantua for preamp and amp. Lower noise floor, increased resolution, natural sound, expanded soundstage

Honorable mentions:

1. Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper interconnects. In my opinion the AZ cables don’t get the respect they deserve on these forums anymore, overshadowed by some of the “flavor of the day” newcomers (without going into specifics on brands).

2. Puritan PSM156 power conditioner. 
3. Supra Cat8 Ethernet cable.

4. Lumin U1 Mini

5. MoFi LP#9 Stylus Cleaner. Better than the Onzo ZeroDust although I still use the Onzo between the sides. 

128x128audphile1
rixthetrick's avatar
rixthetrick
1,060 posts
 

A solid +1 for Puritan PSM156 power conditioner in my system.

A pair of Quadratic diffusers, that's my big improvement this year. Room treatments that Agoners have been stating make a significant difference, they are correct, and I first hand know it now too.



@akgwhiz - next year I'll hopefully have my two shelf spring isolation shelves in my system. Burl Mesquite, and it's DIY too bro. I heard millercarbons Raven amplifier, very good.

alfau7's avatar
alfau7
72 posts
 

Many cables swapped for better ones but the high fidelity reveal power and interconnects were an amazing Surprise about how the system improved! Very recommend, I don't see in my audiophile future not having s high fidelity cable somewhere in my system, it just add something that any other cables can do and I have tried quite few.

jl1ny's avatar
jl1ny
419 posts
 

I made several upgrades in 2021, the most significant has been going from a REL T-Zero III to the REL T9X 

desperado915
18 posts
 

Magnepan 1.7i’s and an IFI iPhono 3 have made a nice impact for me in 2021.

sat7
23 posts
 

Two changes to my system this year that eclipsed many changes I had made in the past. These two items were purchased sight unseen, and not auditioned prior to purchase.

The first update was to my DAC I purchased the Denafrips Venus II DAC unheard. This is an amazing DAC that catapulted my system sonic's into otherworldly levels of sublime. I remain flabbergasted. The impact to tonality, timbre, dynamics channel separation, wow. While I wonder how the Terminator II would have sounded, it's hard to imagine how much better it could have sounded.The Venus II DAC just put's more "there there" ... .

The next upgrade item was to my Line level Preamp. My Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 was shelved in favor of the new PrimaLuna Evo 400 Line stage Preamp. The Evo is performing so well. Dead quiet, blacker blacks, more bandwidth, and better channel separation, musicality. The build quality is matched only by my Dialogue 7 mono-blocks. Synergy is a real thing,

Two admittedly big changes and I am enjoying music reproduction that is leaps and bounds of sonic improvement over the other. My system is now advanced into the modern era. I am very happy.

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