What are your best ever upgrades?

[Count.d]

"Hows your Dynamik upgrade turning out? Would it deserve starring in this thread?"

Good to hear you like it Ami.

I find it a bit difficult to put various upgrades in any order, as the last few have the cumulative effects of the previous to build on. If I had to choose two "box" upgrades, it would be the Keel and the Dynamik board (more than the Radikal upgrade).

[Cymbiosis Expert Linn Retailer]

Glad you are both happy with your December upgrades guys

KR

Peter

[Warren]

Revisited.

Best upgrades (old)

1 (1) Axis to LP12 (Lingo, Trampolin, Akito, K18)

2 (-) 2200 to Twin

3 (-) Cymbiosis LP12 rebuild

4 (-) Klyde to Akiva

5 (2) Ikemi to Sondek CD12

6 (3) aktiv AV5140s (3xKlouts) to Akurate 242 (1xKlout tri-wired)

7 (4) Keel

8 (5) tri-wired to quin-wired Akurate 242 (you just have to do this!)

9 (-) Klimax DS 1 to Klimax DS 2 (finesse unleashed)

10 (6) CD12 to Klimax DS

11 (-) Lingo 1 (1991) to Lingo 2 (2005)


Biggest bangs per buck.

1 (-) Cymbiosis LP12 rebuild (structural integrity acquired).

2 (-) Lingo 1 to Lingo 2 (huge time and space precision upgrade fo £200).

3 (1) tri to quinwired Akurate 242 (huge clarity upgrade for £200 quid for K400).

4 (2) T.Kable (what your LP12 is really doing let out of the box for the first time for £350 quid).

[Tony Tune-age]

Each upgrade to my Sonek was legitimate and worthwhile. The least expensive upgrades with great results were the Trampolin and Chis Harban plinth.

Overall, the Sondek has been the most enjoyable purchase of my system. And it makes the downstream components sound better too

[sunbeamgls]

2 best ones for me:

Bi-amped Keilidhs to bi-active Keilidhs (both with Rotel RB850 power amps)
Sondek/Cirkus/Trampolin/OL DC Motor/Ittok/DV20HX to Akurate DS/0 Dynamik

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(2008-10-02 22:43)billzab Wrote:  

rob29 Wrote:Ku-stones on Keilidhs - worth every penny and then some! Amazing.

Sounds just what I need. Been on the look out for a set of Ku-stones for my Keilidhs for a good while now but haven't had any luck. Have them on my wish list in Ebay but no luck. If anyone has a set that they no longer use, I would love to take them off your hands for a reasonable fee. Please PM me if you can oblige.

My best upgrade based on Wow factor for outlay has to go to the K400 bi-wire speaker cables.

The most likely way to get a pair is to buy a set of Keilidhs with them fitted - they go for just over £200 on ebay. Then swap out the bases and sell the speakers on.

[hodge555]

I'm happy all my upgrades have worked well, the more astonishing were those which emptied my bank balance in favour of Linn kit, which is probably not a surprise to this forum.

Dual 505 Deluxe/Nagoaka MP11B to LP12/Ittok/cheap AT MM
(years before I auditioned an Axis/Basik v LP12/Basic and I knew then there was no way back from getting an LP12 eventually)

Pioneer Pro Logic Surround amp/Paradim & Mission speakers/B&W 1000 sub/QED 79 strand to AV5103/5125/5120/5140s/5150/K400

Denon DCD-595 CD to Karik III/Numerik

LP12/Ittok to LP12/Ekos/Arkiv/Lingo/Linto

Kenwood KT-550L to Kremlin

Pioneer DVD+Karik/Numerik to Unidisk 1.1

Adding 2x Klimax Solo to drive 5140's with 3 channels of the 5125 now Aktiv on the centre 5120 (K600)

Cirkus & Trampolin II

Panasonic PT-AE100 to Panasonic PT-AE1000 projector

[Radarlp]

RADIKAL, Hands down the greatest upgrade of all time for me and worth every penny!

[rad]

Over the past 12 months I have made the following upgrades:

KDS -> KDS1; KCT -> KCT/D; New KK; New Sonus Fabers.

But the most dramatic upgrade was when I changed my speaker cable from Linn K20 to BEL The Wire S24.

I previously was using BEL but needed much longer lengths after moving house, so was using the Linn speaker cable for about 8 months. Now I am back to BEL throughout. This includes interconnects which I prefer to Linn Silvers, plus the aforementioned speaker cable. I am astonished at how good it is in my present setup. Gobsmacked in fact. BEL is a small manufacturer based in the USA, first introduced to me by a hi-fi dealer in Houston who was a BEL aficionado.

[Bugi666]

Most important was:
1) no music to a Linn system
2) Classik to USC
3) USC to Kinos
4) AV5125 to KCT

One of the most significant ones (but unfortunately not the best) was move from Ninka to A242. It's not the A242 that I don't like, but I think they require bigger room that the one I've got, so their performance is somewhat restricted ...
Other changes were less significant, I'd say changing preamps gives me always biggest step up in sound quality, changing amps comes second

[Visoflex]

Old bearing -> Cirkus
Lingo -> Radikal
Akurate CD -> Klimax DS
Kairn Pro -> Klimax Kontrol
Arkiv A -> Akiva
Dynamiks

All expensive at the time, but the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.