Help me spend $100,000 on a new system


I’ve recently been considering moving and downsizing my home. While exploring how much I might sell my house and land for, I was shocked that I might have an excess of $100,000 after selling and buying a smaller new home with less acreage. I’m 71 years old and can’t take it with me, so I’m trying to figure out how to spend that potential resource.

One possibility would be to purchase a new stereo system with all that cash. I would like to demo a system costing that much to see what sound quality you could get for a stupendous amount like that. But I don’t have any idea what brand/model components to look at. Perhaps you could suggest components you might consider if you were setting up a system at that price point. Also how would you budget the total amount per component including wiring.

I am not interested in adding streaming or anything else I might not already have to the system. I would be open to buying separates to replace any single component such as the integrated amplifier. Maybe a separate DAC, phono stage, preamp etc. Please tell me what you would do.

Following are the components I already have to upgrade. My system consists of Magico A3 speakers, a Luxman 507uX MK2 integrated amp, a Marantz Ruby KI CD/SACD player, A VPI Classic 2 turntable with a Fatboy tonearm and a Lyra Kleos cartridge. Wiring consists of Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables, and VPI house brand wires that connect to the tonearm. I forget the brands of the other wires and cables, but they are of similar quality to the above.

I also have a Shunyata Hydra Denali 4000 power conditioner with a Venom power cord (I think) that I will continue to use without upgrading.

I would welcome any of your suggestions and utilize them next time I go up to Washington DC to visit dealer showrooms for demos. Thank you much.

It does sound weird to consider spending that much on a system costing over three times what I paid for my first home, so I hope I’m not sounding uppity here.

Mike

 

 

skyscraper

My own journey has been leading me inexorably down a “less is more” path, so higher efficiency speakers with fewer drivers and simpler crossovers, which of course opens up the possibility of lower-powered tube amplification.  I find that this approach connects me to the music more effectively.  I liken it to going to the Big Apple Circus instead of Barnum & Bailey.  There’s an immediacy and intimacy to a small circus that is completely lost in a three-ring extravaganza.

So if you had come up to the Capital Audio Fest outside DC 3 weeks ago, at that budget I would have directed you to the Highwater Sound room, where they were running Cessaro Wagner II horns ($65k) with a TW-Acustics turntable, phono pre, pre and amps; no digital.  Beautiful sounding room.  

I'd hope you've taken into account (no pun intended) capital gains tax, but I suspect you may have already.....if that's 100K$ afterwards, lucky you.. ;)

Yes, consider the new space before you leap  Treat that beforehand with your existing, consider, and then go shopping. 

Enviable position to be in. and sounds like you've got the rest of the 'bucket list' in progress or covered, so's best to enjoy the luxury of having already exemplary gear in hand that could enjoy some 'tweaks' b prior to making 'enhancements' on a larger scale....

By all means, focus on the new space first and foremost.

Then go nutz. *L* ;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@skyscraper , At age 71 and with associated age related overall hearing degradation, you are not going to do a whole lot better sonically with a 100k than what you already have (Magico, Luxman, VPI, etc). Pack/take all your current audio equipment with you to your downsized house, continue to enjoy it and give 50k to your kid or grandkid (might help him buy a house!).

Use the remaining 50k to remodel/acoustically treat/create a great acoustic space for placing equipment in the new house. This would be a much better upgrade sonically than buying the same thing in different chassis/packaging/etc and different wires (over and over...hoping for some sonic miracle).

I’d suggest spending some time in the Chicago area (or similar large market).  With a little planning you could knock out some great auditioning in a couple days to see what you like.  I’ve been able to listen to some great combos there such as Raidho & Absolare, Sonus Faber Stradivari & Boulder, Borresen & Aavik, Dali Kore & McIntosh, and Rockport/Estelon & Vitus Audio.