Post by Bigman80 on May 24, 2018 9:06:26 GMT
This topic interest me. As a box swapper and repeat buyer, I have had a few surprises when chopping and changing.
I remember buying a DPA PDM1 series 2 and being amazed at how much it improved my Denon 1520. A year or so later, I had a different amp and speakers. Disconnecting the DPA suddenly made things sound better! I bought the DPA new (£633 in 1991) which is rare for me. I did so because it trounced the Meridian 203 on demo and was even further ahead of the Denon.
A few years later, I had both a Meridian 203 and a PDM1 Seris 2 and I repeated the shootout, fully expecting the same result. Nope; the Meridian was more spacious, rich and engaging.
I also remember an Exposure 7 and 8 being a massive step up from the little X integrated which I didn't really care for. In fact, the little Myst Tma3 blew the X away too. I moved up the Exposure ranks to a Dual 4, 9 PSU and 3 preamp (their best ever IMO). I tried an X for a laugh and it was about 85 percent of the way there! To complete the circle, I also re-tried a Tma3 against my exposures and it was nowhere.
I have had so many of these experiences and it has led me to keep an open mind about most kit because it really does seem to depend on the room and partnering kit as much as anything. It's also taught me to go back to an "upgrade" a few weeks later to see if it still floats my boat. The litmus test is usually whether I have listened more or less since fitting it. Often the "better" item is fatiguing over time, or things that didn't stand out initially have weighed in over time. AB comparisons can and have led me astray so I tend to prefer living with something to see if it's better.
Anyone else found their upgrade to be retrograde at a later time?
I remember buying a DPA PDM1 series 2 and being amazed at how much it improved my Denon 1520. A year or so later, I had a different amp and speakers. Disconnecting the DPA suddenly made things sound better! I bought the DPA new (£633 in 1991) which is rare for me. I did so because it trounced the Meridian 203 on demo and was even further ahead of the Denon.
A few years later, I had both a Meridian 203 and a PDM1 Seris 2 and I repeated the shootout, fully expecting the same result. Nope; the Meridian was more spacious, rich and engaging.
I also remember an Exposure 7 and 8 being a massive step up from the little X integrated which I didn't really care for. In fact, the little Myst Tma3 blew the X away too. I moved up the Exposure ranks to a Dual 4, 9 PSU and 3 preamp (their best ever IMO). I tried an X for a laugh and it was about 85 percent of the way there! To complete the circle, I also re-tried a Tma3 against my exposures and it was nowhere.
I have had so many of these experiences and it has led me to keep an open mind about most kit because it really does seem to depend on the room and partnering kit as much as anything. It's also taught me to go back to an "upgrade" a few weeks later to see if it still floats my boat. The litmus test is usually whether I have listened more or less since fitting it. Often the "better" item is fatiguing over time, or things that didn't stand out initially have weighed in over time. AB comparisons can and have led me astray so I tend to prefer living with something to see if it's better.
Anyone else found their upgrade to be retrograde at a later time?
) and it sounded bland. Glenn offered much help to improve the line stage and I replaced all the valves in any case and he was up for modifying the phono stage to latest spec too, but again, the op-amp fitted IC-150 was better in terms of accurately reproducing the line input fed it and in the last financial crisis, both this and the AVI were sold.