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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!

dvujovic
yyzsantabarbara
4,912 posts
 

I just saw this online.

Peachtree GAN-1 unboxing & video review | Darko.Audio

Have not watched it but the stock unit is not as good as what I have. The difference is rather big.

 

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,682 posts
 

I also owned a Peachtree Nova 150 a few years ago. Ditching that amp and going to a modestly-priced Parasound A23 was a huge jump in sound quality. If you can afford it, look into Parasound HINT 6 Halo integrated amp. You can also search for used models as they are very popular and show up in the used market often. I am confident you will love the ’upgrade’.

Your speakers are quite good and will scale with better downstream components. If I was in your shoes, my upgrade path would look like this ...

1. Get rid of Peachtree Nova and replace with something like Parasound HINT 6 Halo integrated amp and DAC combo.

2. Replace your subwoofer with REL -- preferably T7x if possible. Again, readily available in the used market. However, after upgrading the amp you might not even feel the need to upgrade the sub.

3. Replace speakers ... this should be the last option. IMO, you should space out the upgrades with at least 4-6 months in between, i.e. get the new amp and live with it for at least 4-6 months, and so on and so forth.

mahler123
3,373 posts
 

A decent surge protector is different from a power conditioner and yes we all need one.  We just had a power outage that tripped the protectors in all 3 of my systems.

Everything survived, thankfully 

brownred6
19 posts
 

Definitely NEED to replace the cartridge. But most importantly you should spend all the rest of the money on new or used better speakers. Power conditioner is a total waste of a plug at your level. 

dvujovic OP
5 posts
 

Very appreciative of all the passionate advice! I'm going to contact my local store and send them my trade-in list and go from there, as well as get their recommendations. At this point, I've not ruled out room treatments, a speaker upgrade, and/or an integrated amp upgrade.

This will probably take a number of weeks to work through but I'll definitely report back on what I got and the results.

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