Over the last 10 years I built a Hifi- system that reproduces classical music in a way I find very natural. I am in the lucky position that i can compare live performances with home auditions. Fortunately, upgrading did not cost me an arm and a leg as I started out with superior products in the first place. Trading-in and buying 2nd hand greatly helped reduce the bill.
Here are my 3 cents on the subject of tweaking:
1. foundation is the first priority in any hifi-system, and it will not go obsolete
2. wire loom is the 2nd most important
3. other tweaks
Wow, tweaking takes precedence over equipment choice itself!
Foundation: what does the equipment rest on? How is power supply treated?
Equipment support
Buy decent racks! Mine are from Townsend, but there are many more options. What is important is the great “equalizer”: the A Capella “Fondato Silenzio” base on which each equipment piece rests (including speakers!). There are alternatives (I tried Townsend, HRS), but the A Capellas carry my preference. Buy them large enough and they will last a lifetime: http://acapella-audioarts.com/english/basen.htm Then mount each piece of equipment (except the speakers) on pucks. The Nordost TC Kones worked wonders for me. I still use thin HRS damping plates on the phono preamp and the amplifier. None of the above equipment ever becomes obsolete, most of it keeps fair value.
Power Supply
Buy a power regenerator (I use an Isotek Mosaic Genesis). I have no experience with alternatives. Indeed, the Mosaic also sits on Nordost Kones on an A Capella base. I use the Mosaic in combination with Nordost loom, which is anathema to the latter manufacturer. Spend on cables, starting with ALL the power cords! (buy 2nd hand almost risk-free! Nordost 1st generation Valhalla power cords are amazing value).
Wire loom
I found that the Nordost Tyr loom is the sweet spot in the Nordost collection. There are zillion alternatives. In my experience, stick to one manufacturer for the whole loom for best results.
Spend at least 50% of your hifi budget on the above. Save yourself fortunes: do not upgrade equipment if you have not optimized your foundation and wire-loom. It is hard to believe how much the above “tweaks” boost the performance of any hifi-system.
Other tweaks
And yes, my system is replete with Nordost gimmickry. It all works, with incremental - but spectacularly audible – results. Provided the foundation and wire loom are up to scratch. My latest addition is the Nordost QPoint array. Discrete deployment delivered the promises of an even more 3-dimensional presentation, even more extended dynamics without harshness, even better better flow and air. And that, in a High-End system that was already tweaked to death.
For vinyl-aficionados, I have 2 further recommendations:
1. buy an ultrasound record cleaner (I use the latest version of the Audiodesk Glass; the previous versions had issues, do not buy 2nd hand!) and use isopropyl-alcohol + tergikleen in the water bath: https://theaudiophileman.com/surfactant-clean-vinyl-buyers-guide/
Hearing is believing; it transforms the sound of records
2. use a Furutech Destat3 before playing any side (this is a cheap tweak!)
For cd-aficionados, I have 2 further recommendations:
1. clean new cds/sacds with Furutech PC-Alpha (another cheap tweak); you will be amazed
2. check-out the gobble the gooks Acoustic Revive RIO-5 II (it goes way beyond the Destat3, already a useful tweak, also on cds). The RIO makes demagnetizers and other devices superfluous. I had no luck with the Acoustic Revive RR888 Schumann resonator: yes, it profoundly affects the sound, but in a negative way in MY system.
Finally, for those who dare change fuses, the Synergetic Research Orange fuses are a no-brainer (the Black ones were already impressive, Orange goes a significant step further). In the USA, there is a 30 day money-back guarantee.
I hope some of the above is helpful, and more importantly, brings much pleasure when listening to music. Enjoy!
Here are my 3 cents on the subject of tweaking:
1. foundation is the first priority in any hifi-system, and it will not go obsolete
2. wire loom is the 2nd most important
3. other tweaks
Wow, tweaking takes precedence over equipment choice itself!
Foundation: what does the equipment rest on? How is power supply treated?
Equipment support
Buy decent racks! Mine are from Townsend, but there are many more options. What is important is the great “equalizer”: the A Capella “Fondato Silenzio” base on which each equipment piece rests (including speakers!). There are alternatives (I tried Townsend, HRS), but the A Capellas carry my preference. Buy them large enough and they will last a lifetime: http://acapella-audioarts.com/english/basen.htm Then mount each piece of equipment (except the speakers) on pucks. The Nordost TC Kones worked wonders for me. I still use thin HRS damping plates on the phono preamp and the amplifier. None of the above equipment ever becomes obsolete, most of it keeps fair value.
Power Supply
Buy a power regenerator (I use an Isotek Mosaic Genesis). I have no experience with alternatives. Indeed, the Mosaic also sits on Nordost Kones on an A Capella base. I use the Mosaic in combination with Nordost loom, which is anathema to the latter manufacturer. Spend on cables, starting with ALL the power cords! (buy 2nd hand almost risk-free! Nordost 1st generation Valhalla power cords are amazing value).
Wire loom
I found that the Nordost Tyr loom is the sweet spot in the Nordost collection. There are zillion alternatives. In my experience, stick to one manufacturer for the whole loom for best results.
Spend at least 50% of your hifi budget on the above. Save yourself fortunes: do not upgrade equipment if you have not optimized your foundation and wire-loom. It is hard to believe how much the above “tweaks” boost the performance of any hifi-system.
Other tweaks
And yes, my system is replete with Nordost gimmickry. It all works, with incremental - but spectacularly audible – results. Provided the foundation and wire loom are up to scratch. My latest addition is the Nordost QPoint array. Discrete deployment delivered the promises of an even more 3-dimensional presentation, even more extended dynamics without harshness, even better better flow and air. And that, in a High-End system that was already tweaked to death.
For vinyl-aficionados, I have 2 further recommendations:
1. buy an ultrasound record cleaner (I use the latest version of the Audiodesk Glass; the previous versions had issues, do not buy 2nd hand!) and use isopropyl-alcohol + tergikleen in the water bath: https://theaudiophileman.com/surfactant-clean-vinyl-buyers-guide/
Hearing is believing; it transforms the sound of records
2. use a Furutech Destat3 before playing any side (this is a cheap tweak!)
For cd-aficionados, I have 2 further recommendations:
1. clean new cds/sacds with Furutech PC-Alpha (another cheap tweak); you will be amazed
2. check-out the gobble the gooks Acoustic Revive RIO-5 II (it goes way beyond the Destat3, already a useful tweak, also on cds). The RIO makes demagnetizers and other devices superfluous. I had no luck with the Acoustic Revive RR888 Schumann resonator: yes, it profoundly affects the sound, but in a negative way in MY system.
Finally, for those who dare change fuses, the Synergetic Research Orange fuses are a no-brainer (the Black ones were already impressive, Orange goes a significant step further). In the USA, there is a 30 day money-back guarantee.
I hope some of the above is helpful, and more importantly, brings much pleasure when listening to music. Enjoy!
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