Next upgrade - DAC or something else ?

[danny86]

Hi,

My current setup is:

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC

Atlas Element Interconnect

Simaudio Moon i.5 AMP

Cheap Speaker Cable (Copper)

Monitor Audio RX6 speakers

Does it make sense to upgrade the DACMAGIC or should I plan on another upgrade ? (RX6s did not even break-in yet).

Overall it sounds great but I wonder if it could sound even better without outrageous investments.

Thank you,

Dan

 

[Overdose]

Hi,

My current setup is:

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC

Atlas Element Interconnect

Simaudio Moon i.5 AMP

Cheap Speaker Cable (Copper)

Monitor Audio RX6 speakers

Does it make sense to upgrade the DACMAGIC or should I plan on another upgrade ? (RX6s did not even break-in yet).

Overall it sounds great but I wonder if it could sound even better without outrageous investments.

Thank you,

Dan

I don't thin that replacing the DAC will give you a realistic upgrade, unless the one you have isn't working properly.

 

[bluedroog]

I think you have found yourself in the same position as many do, you crave an upgrade but appear to have a fairly well balanced system.

How large is your room and what are your listening habits? Is there any particular area you feel the performance could improve? I think you really need to answer those first. I’d imagine speakers are your best route for an upgrade given you have a perfectly competent DAC and nice looking amp (not one I’ve experience of though admittedly). There is nothing wrong with your speakers but it is an area where you would yield the biggest results, what kind of budget do you have and would you have additional funds from any speaker sale should you go this route?

Depending on your room and listening habits you might feel you want to stick with floor standing speakers in which case your budget will dictate where this is possible, if you don’t mind sacrificing a little bit of scale for quality (assuming your room isn’t too big) then there should be many options for you, first we need to establish a little more about your situation.

 

[matt49]

I'd agree with the other guys. The temptation to upgrade in fairly small increments is strong, but it generally doesn't give much benefit unless there's a glaring weakness in the system. In your case I don't think there is.

If it were me, I'd be saving up towards a big speaker upgrade.

Bluedroog makes a good point about floorstanders vs standmounts. Unless you need floorstanders, standmounts might give you more satisfaction as they tend to be more coherent.

Matt

 

[BigH]

Why upgrade, if you are happy? You don't have to keep upgrading all the time.

My experience with Dacs is the are all fairly similar, to get much better you will have to spend lots more money, biggest change in sound will be by changing the speakers.

 

[Al ears]

Hi,

My current setup is:

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC

Atlas Element Interconnect

Simaudio Moon i.5 AMP

Cheap Speaker Cable (Copper)

Monitor Audio RX6 speakers

Does it make sense to upgrade the DACMAGIC or should I plan on another upgrade ? (RX6s did not even break-in yet).

Overall it sounds great but I wonder if it could sound even better without outrageous investments.

Thank you,

Dan

Possibly get a source

 

[DocG]

Why upgrade, if you are happy? You don't have to keep upgrading all the time.

My experience with Dacs is the are all fairly similar, to get much better you will have to spend lots more money, biggest change in sound will be by changing the speakers...

... or their position. Seriously, take your time to fiddle them around a bit so as to find out where you get the best bass respons; then try different degrees of toe in, to optimise sound stage and focus. Might make quite some difference, and it's free!

(having said that, I think Alears' suggestion is also worth considering )

 

[danny86]

Big thank you to everybody which posted, I will relax for a while (3-5 years, preferably).

To my ears right now, the sound is great, and especially for the money spent.

Though about speaker cables but many users suggest it is a waste of money.

I will start saving up for those premium speakers like Piega.

Best,

Dan