Upgrade recommendations based on current analog setup?

Hi everyone,

I have set up a very basic entry level <$2000 audiophile system and now I'm looking for the next step to upgrade it, and I'm looking for advice to get the best bang for the buck.

I listen to literally all genres of music. Truly everything from Mozart to Thelonious Monk to Mastodon to Joni Mitchell. So I'm not looking for genre-specific recommendations, just overall.

I have:

Project Debut Carbon turntable with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, replaced once.
Marantz Integrated Amplifier PM6004
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf speakers (pair)
Polk Audio PSW450 Powered Subwoofer (150W)
Audioquest X-2 Semi Solid Copper Speaker Cable (2x14AWG)

Other miscellaneous:
Cork mat for platter (replaced felt that came with Debut Carbon)
Heavy speaker stands (I forget the brand, but there is no noticeable vibration, so I'm happy with them)

Observations about this limited setup:

• No power conditioning or high quality cables
• Turntable is built for quality, but lacks some nice features. No auto shut-off. Cannot adjust speeds; LPs only, though I don't care much about 45s.
• Cartridge is supposed to be a very good entry level <$100 cartridge, but there is room for improvement.
• Amp is nice and I like the Source Direct that bypasses all the processing in the amp to avoid coloring the tone, but
  • no tone knob for mids
  • no discreet sub out (if this is important; I hear if I upgrade the speakers I could just ditch the sub; I currently run the output from the amp through the sub and then out to the bookshelf speakers, which might be blasphemy.)
• The cable is very high quality compared to anything else I've ever used, but again on the inexpensive side, so I'm not sure what I'm sacrificing.

Alright everyone, have at it!

 

Obviously the first question here is budget. If you have a $5K budget, you'll get different ideas than a $500 budget. Overall though, you have quality entry level gear so you can start making bigger steps with each piece. I will say that you shouldn't expect anything to make a really major jump at this point unless you get speakers or a sub of a completely different design/caliber. It's going to be refinements until you're ready to invest a couple thousand at a time.

Personally, I'd start with an external phono stage. I was really impressed at the difference I was able to hear fairly quickly when I went from an internal phono to the iPhono2. More importantly, I think the iPhono allowed me to fully take advantage of a recent cartridge upgrade, and I wouldn't have gotten as much out of that upgrade with the internal stage. I know that because I did also try the new cart with the internal phono on my amp. Having a stage you can dial in gives you more cartridge options as well, so that's something to consider for future changes down the line. A $300-500 budget presents a good range that should be a noticeable step up. The biggest differences you'll likely notice here are possibly a lower noise floor, a larger sound stage, and possibly a little more bass.

If you need a lower dollar upgrade, I haven't heard of anyone being let down by upgrading to the 2M Blue stylus. Again, I think you'll get more out of that upgrade with a new phono/pre, but it is low hanging fruit if you want to tinker sooner than later. Probably your cheapest option that will make any real difference coming in under/around $200. Here you'll likely see a little more bass, less piercing highs, and more detail overall. Other cartridges are an option too, but this is as easy as an upgrade gets.

If you want a noticeable and intimidate difference in sound, I would think a going up a class or two with the sub would be pretty noticeable. A jump to something like an SVS SB-2000 would likely make a pretty big difference. I personally just jumped on SVS's black Friday sale - SB12-NDS for $400 delivered. That's a killer deal if you want to go out that route, but you'd better hurry.
Specs wise it's about double the frequency range of your current sub, more than double the power, a smaller footprint and you won't find many negative reviews of these units. I was shocked when I demoed the NDS next to other subs last year. I didn't think they'd be that different, and the SVS stood out by a mile compared to others I looked at in the under $1000 price range. There are others that are equally well reviewed, but that was my personal experience.

Beyond that, the sky is the limit, but that's where I'd start depending on what your looking at financially and what improvements you'd like to make.

 

One improvement you could do for free is to connect the main speakers to output A on the amp with your good cables, and the sub to speaker output B with any cables, doesn't matter, it's just line level once it gets to the sub, then set the amp speaker selector switch to A + B.

 

Upgraded speakers and cartridge are likely to make the most difference.

 

Thanks @Davey - I like "free" recommendations Unfortunately, what I didn't mention is I also have the B output dumping the signal to a splitter that sends out to speakers mounted throughout my house. This was a pretty sweet setup I inherited with the purchase of the home, not something I did myself. But I do worry that whatever processing happens in my powered sub is doing nasty things to my signal before it hits my Wharfedales. Hmm maybe I could hook the sub up to one of the outputs on my signal splitter box, which would be pretty much like doing the same thing, but would take the sub out of the middle of the chain.

And thanks for the well thought out response, @displayname. The "Blue" is already on my wish list. And I didn't realize a phono stage could be so much better than an integrated amp. I decided to dip a toe in and got myself a used Pro-Ject Tube Box S for $350. While I was at it I updated some more of my cables and cleaned and tuned the turntable. The phono stage is getting delivered today, so I'll report back on my verdict after it's hooked up and I give it a spin.

Thanks all!

 

I don't think any processing will happen in the sub for the speaker output, the cable is just passed through as a convenience so people can connect it like you are doing. It just adds the extra cable and connections in the chain. You could always do the same thing with just two wires from the A terminals to the speakers and sub, like bi-wire cables. One point I made above is that the "extra" cable from the amp to the sub doesn't need to carry a bunch of current since it is just a line level input.

 

AVI DM5 active speakers and a simple preamp. Here's someone else's review from PFM....

AVI DM5's Review

 

Enjoy the new pre-amp! I haven't dabbled with tubes yet, but that also opens up a whole new world of experimenting and fine tuning with different tubes. I've read that tubes need a little time to heat up before they really hit their full potential, so your 3rd hour of listening may be a little different and possibly better than your first 15 mins. But take your time with it and be sure to report back on how you like it!

 

@displayname So the "tube box" moniker is a little misleading. It's really a solid state pre with tubes in the output stage, which isn't really "true" tube-driven sound, according to some sources I've read. I was also kind of looking at the Musical Fidelity V90-LPS, which is solid state and also very well reviewed at only $199. I only sprung for the Tube Box because it was $100 off list, and the reviews I was reading made me feel like it was a great choice. I'll make sure to reserve judgment until after I burn it in.

That Iphono2 you recommended looks awesome, though!

 

You said you got it used right? Should probably already be burnt in if so. Just needs a little warm up time I'd imagine. Either way you'll have fun with it and hopefully get to hear some of your music in a new way.

 

Upgrade turntable first.

 

... along with room treatments