what to upgrade


whats my weekest link,what should i upgrade next?currently i have;acurus a150,p.s audio 4.5,gas thalia,amc cd 8b,vandersteen model 1's.i mostly use the thalia,it's not the best but i prefer it over my p.s audio,too dead.also im looking for a thaedra if anyone has one,fs,dave...
ampzilla747
While i do see room for improvement like any other system in existence, you don't mention any of the cables that you're using, size and acoustics of the room, type of music that you listen to or exactly what is wrong / what you're looking to improve. Throwing out a question as you did will result in quite a few "suggestions", all open to personal tastes and interpretation.

Instead of swapping components out one by one and playing the never ended "upgrade" game, try maxing out the components that you have. Doing this will keep more money in your pocket AND improve any equipment that you currently have or purchase in the future.

As such, i'm talking about taking the time to do the basics. Purchase a decent rack. There are quite a few threads and opinions as to what is decent, but i'll leave that up to you to do your homework. After all, "shopping & learning" is half the fun : ) Get the components set up properly on the rack in terms of various isolation, damping, absorption, etc... Carefully lay out your interconnects and power cords and speaker cables. Experiment with speaker placement, some simple room acoustic treatments, etc...

All of this will add up VERY quickly in terms of benefits to EVERY aspect of the system. The best part about doing "simple" things like this is that most of them can be done by yourself and for pennies on the dollar. Not only do you save TONS of money, but you learn quite a bit along the way.

I think that most people seek out performance by replacing / upgrading even though they never took the time to do the basics or find out what the gear that they already have is capable of. Once you've done everything that you can with the existing components in terms of "reasonable" and "sensible" expenditures in time and money, THEN evaluate the system. This will give you a better idea of what you think is lacking, what its' strong points are and where you need to go in terms of sonics. Doing the basics FIRST is kind of like studying a road map before taking a trip. Sure, you might still get sidetracked along the way, but at least you'll have a good idea of where you're at and what you need to do to get back on course. Sean
>
Upgrading a system like this is a complex undertaking. As has been stated, your system is balanced, components all basically on the same level. I don't see any of the suggestions offered up as being wrong, just a matter of philosophy. I would like to serve up another for consideration. In my opinion, your next upgrade should set the table for what it is you want your system to eventually become. I feel it should be a significant step up from what you currently have. Make it as long term an upgrade as possible. I always think the weakest link should be upgraded, one which can make the most overall improvement. I would upgrade your preamp. I would spend as much as you have in your budget to buy the best preamp you like. One that really takes you up at least two levels. Some suggestions(depending on your tastes and budget) would be Air Tight, Audible Illusions, Audio Research, Blue Circle(really love these), Cary, Electrocompaniet, Jadis, Mark Levinson, Musical Fidelity, Rogue, YBA, etc. The other components in your system will not hung out to dry with this strategy. In the future you may want to upgrade the weakest link to the same level as the new preamp you choose. Good luck!
I second Sean's concept, and I second the other posters' suggestions. 1st get the last ounce of what you have, damping, compenents decoupling, etc are inexpensive and effective. THEN, work on components. Great ideas already mentioned, although I would go first w/ source -- BUT sdcampbell has experienced yr speakers and I have not!

Good luck, you'll enjoy getting there!
Like some others here, I think the speakers are the LAST thing to upgrade. And I wouldn't upgrade a preamp if I only had funds to upgrade one component. First thing to upgrade is your power amp; then your CD player. You should look into getting a CD player that can connect directly into your power amp so you can skip the preamp stage altogether. Really, the speakers are the last to consider. You won't believe how big a difference the power amp and even the interconnects and speaker cables will make in the same speakers. Your speakers are decent. Just my opinion!
I'd start with seriously considering Trelja's comments, Ampzilla. Think about where you want to go with your system over time. However, I agree with South_park and Sdcampbell that a change in your speakers will give you the most immediate and noticeable improvement. If you like your Vandersteen 1's, the 2Ce's will make a very significant improvement in the sound of your system. Your amplifier will easily support the upgrade. The 2Ce's will allow your to tell you a whole lot more about what you're hearing (or not hearing) from the other components in your system, and they will well support improvements you then consider for your front-end. The 1's are nice speakers, but I don't think you will fully appreciate the other changes being recommended to you until you can hear those changes through speakers comparable to the 2Ce's.