Improve my system, 7k budget

The single best thing you can do is room treatment, it will account for about 40% of your sound quality!!! bass traps in the corners is a must!!!

 

Phono & cart

 

Zesto Andros 2 phono. And the Dynavector 17 DX Karat cart. A few hundred over the 7K.

 

As a former owner of Triton 1 (a bigger brother of Triton 2) it is not easy to find on a cheap speakers which will be much better.. But possible.
If you have enough space to push speakers 3-4 feet from the back wall I would recommend you to look at various PureAudioProject speakers )). They will not replace Triton 2 in HT environment without a sub, but for music, especially analog and styles you prefer, very well may. I got them this year (probably a little bigger version then you need) and they completely changed my system for the better like no other component... You definitely can do at around 7K..
The other option is to concentrate on cart/phono pre. for 7K your options are superb. Of course I can recommend (as everyone does here) phono pre I have (Gold Note PH-10/PSU-10), but if you are not playing with cartridges and have only one tonearm there are so many fine options.. as well as cart )).

 

I agree completely. Single biggest sound improvement is a properly treated room. See posts of my room from my last house in DC linked above.

 

Just browsing the Pureaudio project website..wow, those are some amazing looking speakers. Hopefully will hear them at an audio show post covid....

 

the art9xi is also excellent at a higher gain than the xa. the xa has air core non magnetic design for less distortion, more defined bass as well as a shibata stylus.
the xa has less output at .2mv but the clean power of the sutherland at 64db gain is up to the task.
slightly more detail and refinement than the xi.
the xi is probably more powerful sounding as was the art9 i had before.

 

I just now bought a Sutherland 20/20. Step one. Have you compared the Hana SL vs the Art9xa/xi? the price different is not that great, wondering if it would be a big step up?

 

Well, you can find SL discounted now around 550, art9xi probably will be twice as much.. So price wise they are quite apart

 

Other great thing about them they are tweakers delight. You can very easy rewire them, install even more exotic crossover capacitors, even change main driver..

 

where can i find a new Hana SL for 550? All the dealers show 750 which is what i got it for....

 

I don't know now.. hot it last year new for 540.. from Canada, in a package with some other stuff

 

i have heard the newer hanas briefly.
they can't touch the refinement and dynamics of the art9 series.
i just replaced a $2k ortofon cadenza with a new art9xa and they sound very similar and overall the AT sounds better. more focused, better bass, more spontaneous, clearer midrange, absolutely no coloration, perfect channel balance,
ultra clean and refined, low groove noise.
the xa is more neutral, the xi more forgving.
dynamics courtesy of a very short boron cantilever.

 

Sorry for hijacking this thread for a second, but what gain are you using for XA?

 

64db. perfect. we are talking about it in the last few pages of the "ART9 Real Deal?" thread if interested.

 

Any chance you remember where the AT discount you referred to is? Thanks much.

 

Ok folks, thanks for all the suggestions, the main system now is:

AT-Art9xi cart--(1,290--from Music Direct)
VPI Prime turntable
Sutherland 20/20 (used on Agon for $1,400)
Parasound Hint 6 integrated
GoldenEar Triton 2 speakers
Magnepan .7 ($1400 from Pearl Audio, Portland,or)
SVS SB2000

So, i have spent 4k of my 7k budget leaving me with 3k....(and hopefully more soon if a certain ETF keeps moving in the right direction!). The Maggies were not part of the original plan but i had the opportunity to in home demo them thanks to Pearl Audio...and have always wanted a pair....so for 1400 bucks i had to do it.

In terms of improvements to the sound, yes my sound is overall better. It is incremental though and not night and day.

The At-Art9xi was immediately more detailed, dynamic and holographic than the Hana SL. However, not incredibly so. I still find the Hana a very, very good cart for the money and one most anyone would be happy with. The difference is there between the two, but is is not vast...as it was going from the Ortafon 2mred to the Hana. That was a dramatic night and day difference. This is an "improvement." An improvement i am certainly pleased with and one that is worth it to me given my situation.

The least bit of difference came when i replaced the Arcam Rphono with the Sutherland 20/20. Note that i have only heard the Arcam with the Hana, not the AT. So, with respect to use with the Hana the difference between the Arcam and Sutherland was slight in my system. I believe the Sutherland is a bit more resolving...but again, not by much.

Moving forward, my next choice is to upgrade the speakers or the integrated. I am keeping the Maggies and intend to use them on occasion as they provide a completely different sound. They are an awesome and fun change of pace from box speakers. What they do, they do well...some recordings sound amazing on them.

So, next up, Integrated and box speakers. Need lots of power for the Maggies so not getting tubes. For speakers, am intrigued by Revel, Joseph and a few others.

 

Yes, see my post above regarding adding the maggies.

Yes, i do like them. I will say i have experimented ALLOT with placement. I am in a rental place with a room that is not very good....but at this point i can say they sound really really good for vocals and jazz. That is what i have done with them mostly at this point. I did have my wife blown away last night when i put on rebecca pidgeon doing "spanish harlem" for her with the maggies. Of course that track would likely sound good on most anything.....

 

I don't know man, you're looking pretty solid to me. Why replace the Parasound Hint? Enjoy with your Terrapins!

 

OP I also have a pair of GodenEar (Triton Ref) and the HINT. Pairing the speakers with Benchmark AHB2 and DAC3 gave a *significant* improvement in sound. But if this setup is for vinyl then I dont know.

PS - Out of that 'significant' amount of improvement, I'd say amp/DAC roughly contributed 50/50.

 

I listened to every GE speaker and tried to like them but they just do not sound natural. Bass is incredible on the powered models including yours but the sound just isn't there overall.
I love the sound of Harbeth speakers and that is what I recommend. Should be able to find the C7ES3 used in budget.
Currently running my Harbs with a Parasound a21+ and they work well together.
You are going to have a hard time beating the Hint with your budget although a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III would be nice.

 

I would look for a good tubed phono stage, and separate pre/power amp pair to replace the SS integrated. With your speakers, probably a tubed pre and SS power.

Never heard GoldenEar speakers, so cannot comment there.

 

FYI your cartridge is still in its early stages of development. The suspension is not yet pliant enough to reproduce its best dynamics or bass response, the stylus is not yet burnished by the lp grooves to be as refined or detailed as it will be.
give it 30 to 60 hours and then plug the hana back in...

 

Right about the Parasound HINT. What i really love about it is how it works with 2.1 having a dedicated sub out and crossovers. Perfect for use with the maggies.

And yes, Go Terrapins (Terps)! ... Class of 93, man!

 

To each there own on speakers...very personal choice......I really like the GE sound. Have had b&w and Tektons at the same time as these and preferred the GE head to head and a/b. They image like a mofo. These Triton 2s are in no way an end game speaker for me, likely will be done with them this year some time, but i really dig them. May even move up to the reference model.

Regarding Harbeth, i have heard them several times. Once at Deja Vu Audio hi-fi store in Virginia: high-end audio system amplifiers, preamps, speakers, digital, analog. ...30.1s i believe with high end tube gear. The sound was sublime. However, have also heard them sounding boring and flat. Not what i am looking for in an everyday speaker, though would love to have a pair in my stable. One day, perhaps, if an attractive used deal presents itself.