Help me spend $100,000 on a new system

ronres, it’s hard to state conceptually what I’d like to accomplish. What I can do is listen to some of the higher priced equipment some of you are suggesting and then figure out how and why it is sounding better or not. then figure out if the improvement in sound is worth the financial outlay. I haven’t heard a lot of higher end systems, but do know some sound more three dimensional, almost in person live and that’s a direction to move towards. Dealing with room size, design and acoustics will push me in that direction as well as buying better recorded CD’s and records.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

bobby phischer, I’ll look into the brands you recommend. I did start my audi0phile journey with JBL speakers, their original (now reissued) Century 100’s if I’m remembering the model correctly

laoman, I’ll look up the Parasound JC3 phono stage you recommend. Thanks.

macg19. I’ll definitely pursue synergistic equipment as a number of you have suggested, and can hopefully avoid expensive mistakes by asking advice and careful research.

inna, some more excellent advice from you, thanks. I usually avoid used, but it’s hard to imagine how cables could be misused, so probably a safe bet there outside of possibly getting fakes. $25 -$40,00 sounds like a pretty good price range for speakers to demo. I agree with your idea of seeking brand names with a good track record, especially thosr that have been around a while, and not too esoteric.

mapman, I’ll look up those MBL Omnis, as well as the KEF’s and Ohms you mentioned. Thanks

terry9, I love DIY, but am afraid of getting in over my head with audio gear, and auto mechanics for that matter. I wish they taught those subjects when I was school age. I will hang onto to those cables as you suggested earlier.

crustycool, I’ll check ino omnidirectional and dipole speakers as you suggest. Any particular models you might recommend looking into? I would like a bigger room next time than my current 14 x 28 with 12/12 pitch cathedral ceilings, so yours is a good idea in that regard.

loomisjohnson, at 71 I’m also not into the saving for the future approach either, or avoiding risk taking. At age 71 the future is now, so why not go for it. A high end DAC sounds like a good idea. Any suggestions in that regard. 

Again, thanks all for every ones replies,

Mike

Mike, to clarify, laoman wasn't recommending the Parasound JC3 phono stage, quite the opposite.

Personally, I use the Goldnote PH10 with their PSU 10 linear power supply which I think is very good for around $3K and will run pretty much any MC/MM cart. It has balanced XLR outputs which I was only recently able to utilize with my new BAT VK 3500 and the difference between RCA and XLR was significant (I a/b tested exactly the same brand/model of cable in both RCA and XLR).

FWIW I have been told by several high-end audio dealers that I would have to spend roughly double to beat the Goldnote. Others here may have a different opinion of course.

@mahgister I always enjoy your posts and find them insightful.

@skyscraper Congrats. It is hard for others to build your system because it depends on the type of sound you like and the music you listen to. Big money can be spent on a system that does not pair well with your music style or taste for sound profile.  There is great advice in this thread. I would spend some on improving your room both the acoustics and just to make it a place you really enjoy being. I am fighting my room right now even though I have spent a good bit of money on components.  My next spend will be on room treatment. Plus, for me, part of the enjoyment is being in a clean, comforting, relaxing space.

I would not start from scratch, but swap out a few things. I would also hold some money back for upgrades down the road to improve the sound or mix it up. I also encourage you to try streaming. It opens up such a vast amount of new tracks, again, part of the fun at least for me.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

but do know some sound more three dimensional, almost in person live

@skyscraper , if I had the financial where with all, this would be my goal also.

As it is, I know my limitations, and for that reason have never tried to listen to anything that I knew I couldn't have.  I am not saying that logic is good for everyone, but I know myself, so I know that hearing something that was approaching The Holy Grail would not be good for me.

Earlier in this thread I alluded to a work friend of mine who, going on 30 years ago, bought a pair of Cary 805s and some other gear.  I never went over to his place to listen to the system that he bought because I felt the need to be happy with what I had at the time.  But what he was always telling me was that "It is like being there."

And that is what I have always heard about the SET stuff, particularly the higher powered SET stuff, and for that reason, if I could afford to buy it, I think I would want to find a way to hear it in action.

On another note, getting into the later '90s, after I had made a few equipment upgrades, I bought some NOS tubes to retube the new stuff with from Andy at Vintage Tubes.  In the course of a few conversations via telephone, we wound  up discussing gear.  I remember him speaking almost orgasmically about what 200 watts of pure class A push pull power sounded like.  I remember him using the term "liquid fire" somewhere in that conversation.   Tht would also be something I would like to hear if I could afford to buy it.

Hey, You have really nice components. I would upgrade a couple of things like your speaker cables. I like Cardas, but try before you buy. Make sure your cartridge is setup correctly in the VPI. I would go with a tube preamp like a VAC or an Audio Research Ref 6se. Make sure it is SE version. It will work better with SS amp.  You can use the amp in your Luxman  integrated or go to the Luxman M10X amp.  The most important thing before you swap any equipment in your new place is treat the room. Probably $20k or less. Acoustic Fields. This will make a Bluetooth speaker sound amazing. Maybe, just maybe the room treatments are all you need. I am not a fan of Mark Levinson preamps. They convert all to digital even the phono. Total of everything above is about $80k. Maybe you get a couple subs and have them setup properly in the room. The best thing about the system above is you can listen at very low volume with full dynamics. I have Ref 2se with a Luxman M10X and Revel Studio2 speakers and two JL Audio F110 subs with the external JL Audio CR1 crossover. I can listen to my system on volume 1 out of 100. At 5 out of 100 I have full range of sound. My speakers are not efficient. Maybe 86db at 3.78 ohms. Similar to your speakers. I hope this helps.