2025 Audio System Wish List Time!


I’ve been doing this for years now- and it’s time for our 2025 wish list!

In 2024, I added a new power supply for my turntable- a Radikal power supply for my turntable. 

My goal for 2025, as it has been for a number of years now, is to explore and add more music. Streaming has been a fantastic way of exploring new to me music, and in some instances after streaming an album, I also wound up buying it on vinyl.

What’s your audio goal for 2025? A new preamp? A DAC? More music? 

Enjoy 🥂

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Since I retired, I usually don't "plan" to do much of anything. 

That being said, when it comes to my audio system, two things that recently became top of mind are fixing my room acoustics and buying new speakers.

I am pretty handy, so the room acoustics are a fun DIY project, but because brand new speakers are not in the budget now. That means that I will keep my eyes open, keep reading this forum and selected reviews and hope I can find something on the used market. 

To sell the roomful of audio equipment I have that is no longer used, and then put together enough money to make up the difference for the purchase of a pair of Clarysis Audio minuets and a Don Sachs / Lynn Olson designed Raven pre amp from Spatial Labs. 

 

2025 for me will be a move to a better streamer.  I am looking at the Innuous Zen MK3 or the Aurrender ACS10; I would like a CD ripping capability for I have several hundred CDs collected over about four decades, including some purchased in Europe at performances.  I may also upgrade my preamp from the Rogue Audio RP-7 to either the RP-9 or McIntosh C2800 as funds permit.  Other than that, I am quite pleased with the sound of my current system, which I have upgraded from my 1980s & 1990s system over the past three years.

This year, we should complete a move into a place where  I can have a larger dedicated listening room.  This will allow me to purchase larger speaker (perhaps Joseph Audio Perspectives) and enjoy the task of optimizing the room acoustics.  I currently listen in smaller dedicated room with a near field set up, so I am excited about a larger space.

I’ve been using the onboard dac in my Hegel H390 after discovering my Aqua LaVoce was introducing fatigue. The Hegel’s AKM based dac sounds pretty good but I lost both detail and bass reach/definition in the process and would like to find a dac that restored these while still remaining musical/organic. If funds become available, this will be my top priority. I’ll be looking for a used Bricasti M3, Merason DAC1, Mojo Mystique XSE.