so how did your latest upgrade improve your system ?

[Deleted member 188516]

what was your last upgrade and how exactly did it improve the sound of your system ?

has anybody for example started with an entry level priced system including a cd player, integrated amplifier and speakers and then upgraded to the more expensive component / model from the same company ?

an example would be starting with say the rega apollo cd player, the brio integrated amplifier and the bowers and wilkins 606 speakers.

then as a possible upgrade option maybe "upgrading" the speakers to the more expensive bowers and wilkins 706.

what exactly is to be expected when "upgrading" to the more expensive model by the same manufacturer ?

 

[Dom]

Dynaudio Emit M20 with stands. Sounded great but I missed the sound of floorstanders. So I got the M30. It was just what I wanted.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Dynaudio Emit M20 with stands. Sounded great but I missed the sound of floorstanders. So I got the M30. It was just what I wanted.

how did the sound improve switching to the m30's ?

 

[Deleted member 108165]

what exactly is to be expected when "upgrading" to the more expensive model by the same manufacturer ?

I'd say more of the same but better.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

I'd say more of the same but better.

how would you describe as being better though and not just a different sound ?

 

[MeanandGreen]

My last upgrade was from a pair of Tannoy Mercury V4 floor standing tower speakers with an original RRP of £400 to a pair of Tannoy Revolution XT6F towers at a RRP of £1000.

There were definite improvements, but not to the extent that the older cheaper speakers were completely disgraced.

I would say the newer speakers deliver a more faithful representation of what is on the recording. The XT6F allow more layers of the recording to be easily heard in comparison to the V4.

The XT6F Definitely more clarity, space, detail and depth. Low end weight is greater, yet more controlled. Treble is brighter in a way that will reveal a bright recording vs the V4 which made everything sound much more safe and similar by comparison.

The XT6F will very much let you hear how well (or not) a recording was made or produced. In my opinion that is more hi fi. The speakers have made music come alive in a way no other speaker I’ve owned has.

The old V4 by comparison still sounds highly enjoyable, easy to listen to and by no means poor. However if you want to be able to ‘see into’ a recording and really get a sense of the space and scale the instruments, the XT6F are better in that regard.

The difference in build between the two was considerable too, the XT6F are heavier, better finished, made from better materials and look the part.

Sorry if this was long winded, but I think it’s the kind of feedback you are looking for?

I don’t think differences in electronics are any where near the level of transducers. Having owned various CD Players, DACs and amplifiers, IMO the differences are subtle at best.

 

[12th Monkey]

Last upgrade in the conventional sense was going from an MF A3CR preamp to the A308CR. Not night and day, but well worthwhile. Stereo imagery was better and the highest frequencies were more natural sounding, bass taughter, vocals sweeter.

I think the better your system gets (and the closer to 'real' it sounds), the greater the benefit to be gained from small increments can be. That's if you are properly listening - none of this music in the background malarkey...

 

[Deleted member 108165]

how would you describe as being better though and not just a different sound ?

Started off about 9 years ago with a Marantz entry-level separates system. For the first time in my life I heard what a true stereo image sounds like and fell in love with it, no more background listening for me as it's a too precious and beautiful show to miss.

Upgraded to next level Marantz system, couldn't really see where the extra cash had gone as I could hear no difference in presentation or SQ after spending 3x initial outlay. Next upgrade is to something costing 10x initial outlay... hoping I'll hear a difference, maybe I won't... and yes I am asking myself the question on a daily basis "Why am I doing this upgrade?".

Speakers, totally different story, Monitor Audio for 3 sets of speakers Bronze to Silver range. Then the change to PMC... a complete revelation in listening pleasure. Similar story for cartridges. I will add that personally I have never found cables make the slightest bit of difference to SQ.

As M&G states above the biggest differences come from transducers, not electronics, (though I am kinda hoping that there will be a difference with electronics of my upgrade).

 

[gasolin]

Short 15cm RCA Van Damme Silver Cable Pair Black Sleeved Jumper Amp Interconnect

Clarity

 

[Leon Martin]

I’ve gone through a few ‘upgrades’ within the last 6 weeks or so. Initially I was listening to Spotify via a Sky Q box connected to an LG SJ9 soundbar. After a What HiFi review of streaming services I tried Tidal HiFi, casting from my phone to the soundbar and there was an obvious - to my poor hearing- increase in quality. On a roll at this point I decided to buy a CA CXN V2 streamer. No real SQ improvement this time so I decided the soundbar was the limiting factor. Staying with Cambridge Audio I auditioned their CXA 81 amp and a pair of Dali Oberon 5 speakers at my local Richer Sounds. I was expecting a leap in SQ but disappointingly there was only a mild increase. Maybe the soundbar wasn’t so bad after all... Anyway, having come this far I bought the amp and speakers anyway. Having had the setup for a few weeks now I can say that it’s definitely better than the original Spotify+ Soundbar that I originally had but not the quantum leap that you might expect. Looks nice tho’.....

 

[SteveH72]

My theory is that an upgrade has to be twice the cost of the unit into be replaced to notice an audible difference but this will not be twice the improvement. The laws of diminishing returns rule the hifi world.

 

[Al ears]

My theory is that an upgrade has to be twice the cost of the unit into be replaced to notice an audible difference but this will not be twice the improvement. The laws of diminishing returns rule the hifi world.

You might have a point. There's little point in paying a couple of hundred extra on the next amplifier up the line and expecting massive improvements.
Uprades can often come from a move to a different manufacturer that perhaps you hadn't even noticed before, without the need to actually spend more. By doing this you can often find something that fits into your system / room better than the equipment you already own.

 

[SteveH72]

You might have a point. There's little point in paying a couple of hundred extra on the next amplifier up the line and expecting massive improvements.
Uprades can often come from a move to a different manufacturer that perhaps you hadn't even noticed before, without the need to actually spend more. By doing this you can often find something that fits into your system / room better than the equipment you already own.

I had a Marantz PM6006 UKSE. I listened to other amps at that price point which were slightly different but arguably not better. I know have a Rega Brio. Twice the price and noticeable improvements in detail and dynamics: it just sounds more real. But it isn’t necessarily twice as good. The next amp upgrade would need to be at the £1000 mark for another improvement.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

My last upgrade was from a pair of Tannoy Mercury V4 floor standing tower speakers with an original RRP of £400 to a pair of Tannoy Revolution XT6F towers at a RRP of £1000.

There were definite improvements, but not to the extent that the older cheaper speakers were completely disgraced.

I would say the newer speakers deliver a more faithful representation of what is on the recording. The XT6F allow more layers of the recording to be easily heard in comparison to the V4.

The XT6F Definitely more clarity, space, detail and depth. Low end weight is greater, yet more controlled. Treble is brighter in a way that will reveal a bright recording vs the V4 which made everything sound much more safe and similar by comparison.

The XT6F will very much let you hear how well (or not) a recording was made or produced. In my opinion that is more hi fi. The speakers have made music come alive in a way no other speaker I’ve owned has.

The old V4 by comparison still sounds highly enjoyable, easy to listen to and by no means poor. However if you want to be able to ‘see into’ a recording and really get a sense of the space and scale the instruments, the XT6F are better in that regard.

The difference in build between the two was considerable too, the XT6F are heavier, better finished, made from better materials and look the part.

Sorry if this was long winded, but I think it’s the kind of feedback you are looking for?

I don’t think differences in electronics are any where near the level of transducers. Having owned various CD Players, DACs and amplifiers, IMO the differences are subtle at best.

so you found that a speaker upgrade produced a positive improvement to your system but you have not gained the same when upgrading the electronics.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Last upgrade in the conventional sense was going from an MF A3CR preamp to the A308CR. Not night and day, but well worthwhile. Stereo imagery was better and the highest frequencies were more natural sounding, bass taughter, vocals sweeter.

I think the better your system gets (and the closer to 'real' it sounds), the greater the benefit to be gained from small increments can be. That's if you are properly listening - none of this music in the background malarkey...

you experienced a subtle improvement when upgrading your pre amp by the same company.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Started off about 9 years ago with a Marantz entry-level separates system. For the first time in my life I heard what a true stereo image sounds like and fell in love with it, no more background listening for me as it's a too precious and beautiful show to miss.

Upgraded to next level Marantz system, couldn't really see where the extra cash had gone as I could hear no difference in presentation or SQ after spending 3x initial outlay. Next upgrade is to something costing 10x initial outlay... hoping I'll hear a difference, maybe I won't... and yes I am asking myself the question on a daily basis "Why am I doing this upgrade?".

Speakers, totally different story, Monitor Audio for 3 sets of speakers Bronze to Silver range. Then the change to PMC... a complete revelation in listening pleasure. Similar story for cartridges. I will add that personally I have never found cables make the slightest bit of difference to SQ.

As M&G states above the biggest differences come from transducers, not electronics, (though I am kinda hoping that there will be a difference with electronics of my upgrade).

you have also found speakers produce the biggest upgrade.

have noted how you upgraded your marantz kit to the 3x costlier models and felt there was no improvement !

(will be interesting to hear you thoughts on the new 10x the cost units you have ordered).

 

[Al ears]

you have also found speakers produce the biggest upgrade.

have noted how you upgraded your marantz kit to the 3x costlier models and felt there was no improvement !

(will be interesting to hear you thoughts on the new 10x the cost units you have ordered).

To be honest my biggest upgrade went the other way, the source, or more precisely the cartridge in my turntable, and that was a move to a different manufacturer rather than a move up the line from the manufacturer of my previous cartridge. It was also a few hundred pounds dearer.

 

[12th Monkey]

you experienced a subtle improvement when upgrading your pre amp by the same company.

Worded that way it sounds pretty inevitable, but yes. But still well worthwhile though. And I like MF's sound - I think it works well across many genres, and I have highly varied musical tastes.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Worded that way it sounds pretty inevitable, but yes. But still well worthwhile though. And I like MF's sound - I think it works well across many genres, and I have highly varied musical tastes.

did come across a bit blunt !

point i was making though is you found only a subtle increase in performance when substituting the same make (musical fidelity) and same item (pre-amp) for the more expensive model.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

i used to actually own a musical fidelity xa2 amp feeding a pair of audio physic step 24 speakers.

i convinced myself i needed a "better" amp so swapped for the much more expensive mf m6i.

the difference was just that - different...

more bass but it was less tuneful and other than that not much in the way of improvement..

 

[12th Monkey]

I guess I was hoping for more of the same but better, and that's what I got. It also matches the power amp aesthetically and the A3CR didn't. I know that shouldn't matter, but...

 

[Deleted member 188516]

i like matching kit too !

i think the nu vista 800 cd / amp are perfect in that the front panels are symmetrical as regards to button placement and lights etc

(although the small blue led is the only let down!).

 

[Mike Hunt]

My theory is that an upgrade has to be twice the cost of the unit into be replaced to notice an audible difference but this will not be twice the improvement. The laws of diminishing returns rule the hifi world.

This applies to many, many more areas than HiFi.
I spent the first few years of my post-school life in a car tuning shop (in the days of MK2 Escorts and twin 45s). The guy I was working for had a mantra/sales pitch, which he recited to customers, and I'll paraphrase... The first 10bhp increase will cost you £100. Every 1bhp increase thereafter will cost a further £100. Of course, a lot of people were happy with the £100 offering... then there were the powerphiles

 

[12th Monkey]

I got more gain in torque than power, but there were other jobs done at the same time - I wonder whether the bill was itemised so I could work out cost per unit of each...

 

[Pokey]

Not sure if I qualify, but I did upgrade from a B&W Panorama 2 to B&W 805 D3 last year. There were mainly two reasons for upgrading: I didn't want to turn on the TV every time I listened to music anymore, and the Panorama 2 did a "mode switching" thing where it tried to turn on some Dolby stuff when watching a movie, but it did kick in randomly and change the sound weirdly.

SoI weren't too impressed with the Panorama, but I were pretty impressed with the B&W MM-1's I had a few years earlier, so I decided to go to a Hi-Fi store and listen to a few speakers. Simply loved the sound from the 805's and had to buy them when the store offered me a great deal. They're pretty much better at everything compared to the Panorama 2, though obviously they're like four times the price. Now I need to upgrade my amp, the Powernode 2i sounds fine but it's not quite as detailed as I want the 805's to be.