I went for the Furman P1800 PFR Power Conditioner. Plug it into your separate circuit. Plug everything into it! Done
Furman specs here
https://furmanpower.com/product/15a-prestige-power-conditioner-w-power-factor-technology/
On sale here
Help me upgrade my beginner system!
So I’ve been an entry-level audiophile for a while - I’ve never spent a large amount of money to put together a truly impressive system. Currently, I have the following gear:
- Elac Discovery Music Server
- Technics SL-1700 Turntable w/Pickering XSV300 cartridge
- Peachtree Nova 300 Integrated Amp
- GoldenEar BRX Bookshelf speakers
- NHT SW2P Subwoofer (w/MA-1 amp)
I also have a bunch of gear I inherited from my brother (all from the 1990s) that I will be trading in to a local stereo shop. That’s where I need help. What should I add/replace to improve on my setup? I’m not sure what I’ll get for the traded-in gear, but I suspect I’ll be able to purchase around $2 - $2.5K in new gear.
I’m personally leaning towards a DAC to improve upon the one built into the Peachtree, and maybe a good power conditioner (although I’m currently using my brother’s old Tice Elite AC Conditioner). I’m very hesitant to replace the Elac Discovery because it comes with Roon and works with both Tidal and Qobuz. Anyway, would love to get your thoughts on this!
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Thanks for all of the advice so far! It's clear the most prevalent suggestion is to upgrade the speakers. @curiousjim I LOVE the GoldenEar floorstanders but unfortunately the ones I want are out of my price range. I do like the BRXs a lot but I think I will audition speakers that my store carries. They deal with PSB, Sonner Audio (I fell in love with these at AXPONA), Audio Physic, Dali, Focal, and KEF - so if anyone has any recommendations of a model you think would pair well with the Peachtree, I'd appreciate that. Cost will probably be a factor but I may pitch in some extra dollars after the trade. In terms of my room and what I listen to - I've converted a small bedroom (12x14) into a dedicated music room. I listen to pop, rock, electronica, jazz and classical. The next upgrade suggested was an integrated amp and/or DAC. I'm actually considering this in lieu of a speaker upgrade. While I like my Peachtree, I wouldn't mind upgrading to something else - in particular the NAD M33, which my shop carries. I lose the Elac Discovery w/Roon this way (more trade-in $$!), but I've read that NAD's BluOS ecosystem is very nice. In terms of a DAC, my shop doesn't carry anything new that jumps out to me as a must-have, but they do have a lot of used gear so there may be something in the back room that might make sense. @yoyoyaya and @bluorion, I have an older Cardas digital coax cable going from the Elac Discovery to the Peachtree, Morrow Audio SP3 speaker cables, and an Ice Age Audio Copper-Silver power cord going from the Peachtree to the Tice. I think I would do well getting an SBooster for the Elac instead of using the native wall wart, but that's an easy fix. Unfortunately the Technics turntable interconnects are hard-wired in, so I'd need to have someone service it to upgrade those. |
dvujovic nice write up about your cartridge https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Audio/Archive-Stereo-Review-IDX/IDX/70s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1977-02-OCR-Page-0040.pdf
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@OP. I'd be confident that linear supply would improve your Elac, so that's an upgrade definitely well worth considering. I'm not familiar with your cables. The best option there is to borrow something from your dealer. It will at least give you a point of reference for our own cables. One cable at a time though. First rule of audio upgrades - never make more than one change at a time! |
- 47 posts total