Triggered by a reply I put on the 'do I need a DAC' thread (thanks for the idea matthewjh)
What has been your most disappointing upgrade? Perhaps you were initially impressed but once the newness wore off you realised you probably hadn't spent your money wisely
Couple from me:
1) £300 HRT II+ USB DAC I bought in 2012 for my Mac Mini. Funded by a long-service award from my employer, it seemed like a safe bet to improve on the DAC in my Mac Mini, and instantly became the most expensive HiFi product I have ever bought unheard. All the online reviews ran out of superlatives for this little innocuous-looking grey metal box. It was a giant killer; it equalled or bettered the performace of more costly DACs; you will be amazed. But I wasn't, tbh. In fact I was a bit disappointed. Yes it sounded better than the Mac Mini's own sound card, but it wasn't night and day, and unless I directly A-B'd them I couldn't tell you which was playing, especially when level-matched. It wasn't a backward step but it was probably the least effective upgrade I've ever made, and was sold last year with no tears or remorse to partly-fund my current set-up.
2) Mission 794 loudspeakers. Bought them massively discounted from their original £1,000 list price and sold Mission M74s to buy them. Was initially impressed by what I perceived to be a very open and expressive midrange, but after days at home I realised that I'd been fooled by a presentation which over-emphasised the 2kHz-5kHz midband. Sold them to get me out of unexpected financial difficulty, then months later ended up with the EB2s now owned by Al Ears.
What has been your most disappointing upgrade? Perhaps you were initially impressed but once the newness wore off you realised you probably hadn't spent your money wisely
Couple from me:
1) £300 HRT II+ USB DAC I bought in 2012 for my Mac Mini. Funded by a long-service award from my employer, it seemed like a safe bet to improve on the DAC in my Mac Mini, and instantly became the most expensive HiFi product I have ever bought unheard. All the online reviews ran out of superlatives for this little innocuous-looking grey metal box. It was a giant killer; it equalled or bettered the performace of more costly DACs; you will be amazed. But I wasn't, tbh. In fact I was a bit disappointed. Yes it sounded better than the Mac Mini's own sound card, but it wasn't night and day, and unless I directly A-B'd them I couldn't tell you which was playing, especially when level-matched. It wasn't a backward step but it was probably the least effective upgrade I've ever made, and was sold last year with no tears or remorse to partly-fund my current set-up.
2) Mission 794 loudspeakers. Bought them massively discounted from their original £1,000 list price and sold Mission M74s to buy them. Was initially impressed by what I perceived to be a very open and expressive midrange, but after days at home I realised that I'd been fooled by a presentation which over-emphasised the 2kHz-5kHz midband. Sold them to get me out of unexpected financial difficulty, then months later ended up with the EB2s now owned by Al Ears.