I have some money saved up for gear. Where should I spend it?

Have a listen to the Rega DAC. It'll warm-up the system nicely and perhaps get the digital to sound as smooth as the vinyl. A Nitty Gritty RCM is a good investment and will improve the sound of your already excellent analog front end. Both pieces will only set you back about $1700, so you'll still have money for vacation!
-Bill

 

The Bryston 7BSST3 is an incremental improvement upon the 7BSST2, and it's somewhat doubtful that the cost, presumable trade-in, and change in your system would be worth the effort and expense. My point is mainly that your 7BSST2 is already superb.

I also think your Benchmark DAC2 HGC is a superb DAC. The Bryston BDA3 would be a sideways move at best, IMO.

A vacation in London is presecribed by Dr. Agitater. Hit the music venues, hit the concerts, hits the shows and exhibitions in and around the city. Expand your experience and appreciation of live music performances in places other than Edmonton and whatever other cities you visit. When you get back home, you'll appreciate your system even more because of how well it reproduces what artists record.

 

You seem very well equipped already. Put the money in an index fund.

 

The thing I like about threads like these is how you can tell which regulars are hobbyists and which ones are salesmen.

 

No, no, no! No kids, no wife. You want to have a good time.....

 

I second Room Treatment. Start here:

Acoustic Panels | Bass Traps | Diffusors | GIK Acoustics

RealTraps

Lots of information on both sites.

As you use Magnepans the positioning of panels may be different from normal. Positioning and room treatment can make a much bigger difference then new equipment if you already have good gear.

GIK (and I assume Real Traps) will give you free advice.

 

If you're not hearing any notable deficiencies in your system, keep what you have. Save some of the cash for a rainy day and have some fun with the rest.

 

Save up more money and wait. Soon you will know where to spend it, somehow it will be made apparent.

 

VACATION AND HORSE

 

Do you write for a fortune cookie maker?

 

Let's see, I have three 2 channel rigs, a dedicated HT rig and a shop rig. Hopefully that makes me a hobbyist because I'm sure as hell not a salesman.

 

Do you have dedicated 20 amp lines?

 

An RCM if you don't already have one, and although you say you're not interested in upgrading the Oppo, I've heard the 105 is a big improvement over the 103, an improvement you'll no doubt hear with a system like yours. The rest? Music and/or vacation.

 

Go for summer in Croatia

 

Save the cash.

Buy a bottle of Remy.

 

I think unless you hear something that actually makes your head snap up and causes you to think or say something like "Wow, that really sounds noticeably better," you should with save money, buy more records if you need or want to, or sink it into something else but not more equipment.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "dedicated," as all the circuits are connected to the same junction box as in most homes. But yes, my basement has all 20 amp, 12/2 lines and 20 amp outlets. My system is on a circuit that doesn't have any other appliances plugged into the parallel outlet. My home is only 12 years old and I have 200 amp service. I do use a hospital grade outlet for my system.

I used to repair avionics systems for a living, so you might say I have some formal education in electricity. I wanted to believe that fancy cables can produce real improvements, despite the fact that I should've known better. Unfortunately, I concluded that they're a waste of time and money. Yes, I have tried some of them. I feel my system is resolving enough that I would be able to hear a difference if there was any. I'm not saying that coat hangers will work just as well as some good quality OFC copper. However, at some point, one needs to consider real science and how electricity works, especially in regard to speaker cables. Now if you want to discuss the merits of cable capacitance and resistance effects on small phono-level signals, that's a little different.

As others have mentioned, you could mention some of your gear for reference.

I only have about $10k in my one system, maybe your system(s) blow mine out of the water, and that's why you can hear the cable differences??

 

I would be looking for a different DAC, Benchmark has always been clinical to me. The Bryston you mention would be more of the same from the reviews I've read.

I would start demoing everything I could get my hands on. Just throwing some names out there, I've only actually heard 2 on this list. Some are much cheaper than your budget but might still give you a different and/or more pleasing sound.

Wyred 4 Sound DAC2V2 SE
Schitt YGGDRASIL (If you don't need DSD)
Any of the Chord Dacs
Exasound E32
Auralic Vega
Ayre Codex

 

Ok, so you've tried some cables and you couldn't hear a difference. I can respect that. Now, just because you couldn't doesn't mean others can't, so why do you feel the need to "save" those who can?

I tend to think it's self re-enforcement to feel better about your personal experience, which is fine to a degree, such as simply stating your experience, but telling everyone that cables are snake oil is crossing the line.

 

And just how long have you been into this hi-end thing? Because this kind of thinking is not allowed.

 

Ya know, he stated his opinion and you stated yours. He said "snake oil," you said "ignorant."

A guy asks a question about how he should spend $4K and it turns into another freakin cable thread. I don't think this will ever end.

 

Probably not.

 

Hi end audio dealers gotta put food on the table just like everyone else.

 

Save the money. Seriously.

 

No such luck. Simple automotive manufacturing engineer here. Maybe I should apply for one of those positions??