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

@reubent i have been traveling for the holidays, so I’ve not tinkered as I’d hoped but I seemed to have stumbled into a solution on what I thought was a connectivity issue, but perhaps what a clock issue?

The last setting, deep into the app, is a clock-syncing setting.  Once disabled, the buffering/stutter has disappeared.

no conclusions as of yet on what effect this may have had (did I do something to the dac on my node side to accommodate something on my amp (peachtree nova 150, node plugged into coaxially)?  Will report when I know more.🎅🏻

You all are amazing!

Congrats on your mental acuity.

2021 was a blur for me.

I’m sure I picked up a few impressive things, but zero clue as to what it/they might have been.

Even though I would like to think of my system as finished, there were 4 notable changes to my system in 2021. First, I moved away from a MacBook Pro based hi-rez music environment and bought a Node, and with the purchase of the node I really started to explore what's available via Qobuz. I have discovered so much music in the few months since I bought the node- It is, along with other streamers, the ultimate tool for mining music. Next- a subwoofer. Let me state this clearly- I don't need a subwoofer, but how could I turn down a McIntosh PS112 subwoofer for free? I couldn't and now that it is dialed in just so, it only adds to the music's enjoyment. Third- phono cartridge- I had been using the same cartridge for about 20 years- don't really recall if it was 17 yrs, 18 yrs, or whatever, but close to 20 for sure. Still sounded OK, but tracking was becoming an issue. So- I bought a new cartridge, spending more than I thought I would, but it's a hell of a cartridge (Linn Kandid). Ok, so the Node was no surprise, the sub was a no brainer, and a new cartridge was a known eventuality. The surprise was #4- replaced my Linn Lingo 1 power supply with a Lingo 4 power supply. I was skeptical that a synchronous motor would benefit from being tach controlled, but I was intrigued about going from a 120 volt motor to a 12 volt motor. Turns out this was an excellent move-

So I had a hard decision to make this year, get my wife a new car or build a second hifi system, so I bought,

A pair KEF Reference 5’s

A Hegel H390

Several AQ, digital cables

A pair of AQ XLX cables

AQ speaker cables

some starter sound defusers

and last but not least, a Denafrips Pontus ll

Believe it or not, my wife still loves me… I think😆

Additions:

*Nobsound springs under everything, including my speakers

* I reinstalled my Marantz HDCD-1 to replace using my Oppo 105 as a transport for red book CDs

Subtractions: (these 2 paid HUGE sonic dividends)

* Removing Harbor Freight dollys from under my speakers

* 2 SVS powered subs: 10+ years old, never designed to compliment a hi-end system