Another upgrade & another increase in performance!

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
When I joined 5 years ago I had nice mid-level audio system and I was very happy with it. I never really gave much thought to upgrading then. I was perfectly content with what I had as the music always brought great joy and pleasure. This despite the fact I had heard many wonderful high-end systems and saw some beautifully crafted and sounding gear at various audio shows. But slowly, and as timed passed, my curiosity started getting the better of me. I began to think and ask what if. So I started paying more attention to gear and their reviews, plus the opinion of users on products that I could afford. Since I'm just an average Joe with a commensurate income to match, it took some time to slowly start building toward a system I could call high-end.

The first piece I bought was a Nottingham Analogue Horizon SE with a Rega RB250 tonearm and a Grado Reference Platinum cartridge. Soon after, and due to an accident, the Grado was replaced with an Ortofon 2M Black. The progress and upgrade path had now started. I made a few small changes, including the purchase/trade of a PS Audio 4.6 preamp, and then came across a deal on a pair of Genesis G7.1f speakers. It was a deal IMO that I could not refuse, so my beloved Totem Sttaf speakers had to find a new home. The Genesis speakers were a tough marriage at first, because I wasn't used to the detail and didn't really know how to play them. This is where Gary Koh came in and offered me plenty of great advise as to how to get the most from them. So after a while of experimentation with placement, outrigger height, toe-in, proper use of the rear panel tone controls and moving them into a slightly larger room, I had found the sound I was after.

About a year or so thereafter I found a nice deal on a McIntosh MC122 Power Amplifier, which I bought to replace a vintage Pioneer SA-9500II Integrated Amplifier. I was using it as a poweramp with the PS Audio 4.6. The improvement of the McIntosh was quite apparent, due to the lower noise floor it brought. My system was starting to take shape and I was having a great time. The time I spent listening to music increased substantially, and I was also listening critically with more regularity. But then I came across another deal! This time it was the Marantz Reference PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier. I knew when I saw the ad that I had to have it. From the very first time I heard the Marantz Reference line I have been a major fan. I really, really like their product and I think they offer tremendous value. So I bought it and again, an increase in performance. Being a fan of midrange and warmth this IA proved to be what I was after. Little did I know that there was more in store for me.

Jump ahead approximately another year or so and the urge to buy a new turntable hit me. I had decided to retire and wanted to get a TT that would be with me for a long time. It's not that I was unhappy with the Nottingham, because I wasn't, but I guess I wanted a retirement gift for myself. So I started to look around, listened to a few tables, read reviews, asked for opinions, and then just threw all that out the window and bought an Oracle Paris Mk V. I didn't do this blindly however. I was quite familiar with the sound of the Paris and also the Delphi (out of my league unfortunately) and I knew their build quality and reputation as a manufacturer could not be refuted. I also bought a Grado Reference Sonata1 cartridge as I wanted to hear that wonderful midrange lushness they are so famous for. I had originally planned for a Grado Reference Master, but another deal came my way. I found an almost mint condition Pioneer RT-909 reel-to-reel and I wanted it. (ok, call me selfish).

Which brings us to today and my first real listening session since my move to Calgary several months ago. The Oracle Paris/Grado Sonata combo has upped the level of performance some more, and not by an insignificant margin either. I'm hearing music with the Pearl, Genesis and Oracle/Grado combo that I've never heard before. It's almost like listening to my LPs for the very first time. I'll try and provide some specifics in another thread or a post here in the very near future as to its attributes and what specifically has blown me away. I have not yet played with the RT-909, but I'm looking forward to that in the coming weeks, although it could be a little longer. I need to focus on the room first.

So there you have it. My story/journey about the upgrade path towards a system that I can now call high end. Is this the end? I doubt it, but the future won't be as dramatic. I think it'll be more about finesse and fine-tuning, although a dedicated phono stage is definitely something I'm seriously considering.

Hopefully I've been able to show that with time, due diligence, some great deals and patience, it's not that difficult to step up your game if you really want to play it.

Thanks for reading!

JV
 
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Atmasphere

Industry Expert
May 4, 2010
2,336
1,837
1,760
St. Paul, MN
www.atma-sphere.com
All this and no tubes yet either!

A nice place to start might be the preamp section. A friend of mine has a very modest system (1970s Pioneer amp, Technics SL-1100 tt and Sansui loudspeakers) and somehow he managed a Dynaco PAS-3 which he had me refurbish and update. So he is using the Pioneer as a power amplifier; he says the difference (improvement) is so profound with the PAS-3 that he finds it difficult to listen to the preamp section of the Pioneer at all.
 

Chop

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2020
227
275
135
England
Nice story John, well done
 

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