Advice on Speaker upgrade vs System Component Upgrade
Hi Audiogonners,
I'm getting a bit of an upgrade itch, and looking for some advice about which direction to go. My current system is in my profile - small room 11x11x8 but sounds pretty good. Dynaudio Heritage Specials with DIY Aleph 60s i just built (fun!) - nice warm mid range / bass which i've enjoyed (mostly speakers), also have a Parasound JC5+ which is nice too. I'm tempted by some of the following speakers but not sure on room size being a challenge for full sized towers.
I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bowie - classic vinyl, but mostly on the roon rather than my turntable as my vinyl collection is really small. I love the sound of both digital and vinyl - but my digital is pretty warm with the R2R and the
Looking at stepping up to speakers in the 10-20k range new but buying second hand;
Wilson Audio Sabrina's - $10K ish on Audiogon
Sonos Faber Olympica Nova ii - $7K used at local dealer
Or would i get a better result upgrading something like the DAC or Streamer. I'm just a bit unsure. And yes I know that the two speakers are very different sound character with the Wilsons being super revealing and probably very hard to set up in my small room. I have Kef R11s in the living room with the JC5, which are much more neutral than the Dynaudios, but they also sound great.
Anyway - just looking for some perspectives - I'd like to move up a level with detail / clarity while still keeping that musical mid range..
Thanks in advance
I'd like to move up a level with detail / clarity while still keeping that musical mid range.. Add bass traps in the corners and I noticed the window behind your setup. I know you can close the curtain, which is key. You can get a room kit for a small office from auralex at a decent price. I wouldn't change components until you treat the room.
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I see your dilemma. Looking at your equipment I have to say it is pretty well balanced. No obvious one piece that is really weak compared to the others.
You have excellent speakers, and so are the Wilson and Sonus Faber. But they definitely have a different character. The Wilson is going to be more detailed and descrete image oriented and the Sonus Faber more musical… with great detail… but a bit less in your face (like real acoustic music in real life is). I would think the Wilson is what you are specifically asking for. I am not aware of how old the Wilson’s are. You should probably listen to them and see if the draw to the Wilson is what you want. The Wilson will have much greater presence and authority.
Now, if you make that move… assuming you are putting yourself into a $15K - $20K newish area, then over time you would want to upgrade the rest of your equipment to get the most out of you speakers. So, if you do lots of research and find the best possible gear that has the electronic character you want then you should double your investment in each (or more) and each new component should give you a “wow”. So, thinking $5K per… Streamer, DAC, Preamp, and amp. That system should be at the next level if you have done everything right and will be a hugely better system.
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Thanks for the great advice @kota1 @ghdprentice - really smart stuff @kota1 I have looked at room treatment but for my small listening room/office , i don't really play loud at all ~ 80-85 DB, and often late at night, and haven't noticed any overpowering bass so far. I do close the curtains which were bought as they are a little heavier for sound absorption to avoid the window problems. I did read recently that getting some treatment behind the listening position is maybe the most important for preserving imaging & soundstage - I think i could definitely start there and hang some blankets and see if its a big impact. @ghdprentice - what a beautiful system you have - and a wonderful room to listen in - its certainly something to aim for! I have been in a dilemma with the living situation - the living room is 25*60*8ft, and I have the Kef R11's there in a home theatre setup, but i do most of my listening late night in my office, so i'm trying to figure out if i can get the next level speakers to work there and get my use out of them, or be forced to the living room where i might not get the same amount of use. I'll figure it out. Makes perfect sense that if i decide to the 15-20k level on speakers i'll need to replace the other components overtime - as and when budget permits. But in the shorter term i can get the speakers and i think my components are "good enough" to get a lot out of whatever speakers i get next even if its not the max. I'm leaning Sonus Faber though, because they have the musical mid range and more of the Dynaudios, and they may have more detail - They have better WAF too, so if i move them to the living room at some point, that might actually be a positive from my better half, and finally - I feel like the Wilson's need a really great room to work and would be very hard to get the most out of in my small office. Lol, #firstworldproblems! Thanks - much food for thought
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