Has your system evolved in the past 10 years?

I was already in the process of turning from ribbon / planner speaker systems and a very details up front sounding system (I called “reference”)… to more natural musical sounding system. So ten years ago I had: ARC preamp and Phono stage, Pass x350 amp, Sim Moon DAC + external power supply and Sonus Faber Olympica speakers.

With this in place… indicating to me that i was the right path forward I swapped or upgraded all components to Audio Research Reference. With that incredible DAC in place… upgraded my streamer several times from a MacBook to the flagship Aurender and speakers to Sonus Faber Amati Traditional and upgraded my turntable from VPI to Linn. By an order of magnitude the biggest sound quality improvement I made in the last 50 years.

Now that I think about it, my whole system has changed to a much better one in the last ten-twelve years. Got rid of Dynavector Contour 5.4's, and custom built Tannoy HPD 315's, have fairly recently bought the last, and best tube amp I will have (a 3C24 amp built by Paul Birkeland).

I just bought the biggest improvement I've ever experienced, a Herron VTSP 3/A 360 r2 preamp, it's brought me to the promised land (it's there if you can find it). I built a Garrard 401 turntable with Dyynavector 501 arm, it serves me well with a Modwright SWP 9.0 SE phono stage and Audio Technia ART9 cartridge. 

Even with my 75 year old ears, my system is about as good I've heard anywhere, so I am very pleased these days.

Regards,

Dan 

Circa 2012:  Naim UnitiServe server, Decware ZLC DAC, Manley Jumbo Shrimp preamp, Mahi Mahi mono blocks, Decware Silver Stix speaker cable, Decware ICs, Merlin monitors on Sound Organization 24” massed stands.  All equipment on Quadraspire SVT stand.  Appropriate PCs and power conditioning upgrades.

Circa 2022:  Naim Core server, Weiss 501 DAC/preamp, Nordost Valhalla 1 digital cable, Wireworld Eclipse 8 Silver IC to ATC 40As with Gaia footers, equipment all on Quadraspire Reference X stand, Decware power conditioner.

You decide.

Only preference for SET amps and high efficiency speakers has remained over the long term. Not much remains of my system from 10 years ago, some IC's, power conditioner, dedicated listening room and AC lines. Sometimes I wish I could time travel, compare my system from all those years ago directly to present system.

I have long kept audio journal, looking back at entries up until around seven years ago I see I was one frustrated audiophile, revolving more than evolving. Still, all that circling round was learning experience, couldn't have arrived here without those experiences.

The majority of my audiophile journey has been in the last ten years.  I still have almost all of my original gear (speakers, SACD player, subwoofer, and home theater receiver), but have had several stereo amplifiers along the way with my current Pathos being the keeper.  In the last year I've fallen down the black hole of tube rolling and cable upgrades (e.g. power cords and interconnects).