Help with figuring out what I should upgrade next.

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Sad Squid, Feb 24, 2021.

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  1. Sad Squid

    Sad Squid Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Auburn, AL
    Hey everyone,
    I’m new to this forum and I’ve heard it’s much more helpful than r/audiophile, so here I am. My current set up is:
    • Klipsch RP-6000f
    • Cambridge AXA35
    • Topping D50s DAC
    • Raspberry Pi w/ Allo DigiOne SPDIF Output HAT
    Ever since I've gotten it I've loved it and I've experimented with speaker positioning and room treatment and I've found that what draws me to HiFi so much is the detail and soundstage/imaging.

    I now have around $1500 to invest in my system and am looking for advice on where to best utilize it. I have thought about the Decware Zen Triode and an SVS SB-1000 subwoofer. The issue is that I have no experience with tubes and I do not know what to expect. Will it be fast enough? Will the high-frequency information be impacted? I know that my system is relatively budget for most people, I am just very unfamiliar when it comes to gear with a decent price tag on it and am looking for guidance in the right direction.
     
  2. Apesbrain

    Apesbrain Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Coast, USA
    Interesting that you mention the Decware amp as it would work well with your Klipsch speakers. "Soundstage/imaging" is what those flea-watt SET amps are supposed to be all about. Unfortunately, they charge a 10% restocking fee if you return it (plus you're on the hook for return shipping). It's a risk, but should be interesting.

    Just curious, what software are you running on your RPi?
     
  3. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Cayin - A-50T MKII Integrated Amplifier

    dont fear the big bad tube amp!
    this one is excellent and has a great reputation for being a high value product.
    an excellent match with your speakers, doubtful the decware would be a good match with your speakers, klipsch speakers are less efficient than their specs and sound much better with more power.
    you will get a full range sound with this amp. the benefits are that they sound better. more refinement and the edginess harshness that you may be used to disappears, the sound becomes more open, transparent and real. also the sound stage with tube amplifiers is huge.
    ask @Helom about cayin amps...
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2021
    Sad Squid likes this.
  4. Dennis0675

    Dennis0675 Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Is that Cambridge a 35wpc amp?

    I’m a fan of Klipsch but the ones you have will not be the last pair of speakers you will ever have. Taking your $1,500 to music direct and getting a pair of floor standing ELAC’s would be a great upgrade. With that said, a 35 wpc SS amp isn’t a good match for the speakers you have or the ones I just recommend. I know Klipsch speakers have very high sensitivity ratings but their measurements aren’t easy to replicate outside of a laboratory. 100 to 200wpc is where the copper colored klipsch speakers want to be.

    you can get a pair of speakers that are a better match for 35wpc and then start looking at tube amps If that’s where you want to end up.
     
    fish likes this.
  5. fish

    fish Senior Member

    Location:
    NYS, USA
    I had a Decware Select (Insanely modified, end cost was about $2000) running a pair of Klipch RP bookshelves maybe 15 years ago.
    I then got a custom pair of Parker Audio 95se's with ribbon tweeters made for me costing about $1500 at the time. He's not around anymore. They are very similar to Decware Speakers.
    Although the Klipch are considered to be highly sensitive speakers (more so than the Parkers) the crossover-less Parkers produced nearly twice volume and Much more of everything else.

    Parker Audio 95MK II Loudspeakers Reviewed - HomeTheaterReview

    The Decware SET is very hard to beat for sheer detail and soundstage at its Price Point. One would need to go with a First Watt amp or similar.

    Still, Id start with the Amp. Then Source.

    Short Story.... A friend has a near $80k system. For fun he put a chap pair of speakers on it ($500), the sound was astonishingly great. His esoteric system was able to make a rather blah cheap speaker sound 10-times its value. The system (and most notably the Amp) has Incredible control over the speaker and can make it perform well beyond what the average buyer of the brand would ever hear. Also Klipch speakers very much tend to reveal the nature of the system. It won't improve it much, just let you hear what's there and that is where you are looking to make a change. Dont start with the speakers just yet. When the entire system is upgraded to your liking then upgrading to a better performing speaker will be a pleasant surprise but you need a better foundation first.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2021
  6. fish

    fish Senior Member

    Location:
    NYS, USA
    True but I believe there is a waiting list a few months out. he could likely sell it on Steves own site for what he paid because the buyer doesn't have to wait. Maybe the wait list is shorter now but after Gutenberg fell in love with the Decware amps they have been selling them hand over fist!
     
  7. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    I tend to agree with the other folks who mention speakers - can you describe what it is about the Klipsch's that pulled you in to begin with, and maybe what else you may have been able to try but didn't like as much?

    And especially recently - if they're all you've ever really listened intently to, that's completely understandable. It sounds like you have a solid start to a very good system but my take is that you want to get as good a speaker as you can afford so that it can be what you build around. If that continues to be the Klipsch - great! Just have to know what's pushing you to upgrade is all, besides just money burning a hole in your pocket (which I do all the time, so no judgment).
     
  8. Sad Squid

    Sad Squid Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Auburn, AL
    I use the Volumio OS since it is so cheap in comparison to using something like ROON. The mobile interface can be a little odd and my friends have trouble using it but I realized it can be used to Airplay music so when they want to play something I just tell them to do that.
     
  9. Sad Squid

    Sad Squid Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Auburn, AL
    The money burning a hole in my pocket is definitely a factor, hahaha. I visited a high-end stereo store a few months ago and have really been wanting to see where I can take my system after that, but what drove me to purchase Klipsch originally was the fact that I had heard so many good things about the RP-600m. Klipsch also has a large brand presence so the name wasn't unfamiliar to me like some other speaker brands.
     
    toddrhodes likes this.
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