The biggest single difference I heard in my system was due to changing the power cord on my preamp. I was so impressed, I bought more of that same cord (a Transparent HPPC) for everything that didn't have a captive cord. A 1m goes for $250, so it's not outrageously expensive. I'm content with my speaker cable and interconnects, so no changes planned there.
I agree with getting to know the sound you have, then trying one change, assessing any differences, and go from there. After the preamp change, I did the power amps then the sources. Changes in sound were less dramatic but noticeable with the power amp change, and with the sources even less so. But if I'd started with the sources who knows? THAT may have produced a similar effect. But the preamp affects everything, not just one component, so it made sense to start with it because I thought it would make the greatest impact on the system's overall sound. It did.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
Last edited by prepress; 05-27-2018 at 06:09 PM.
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