Upgrading my audio system.
A little history on my audiophile journey and a few small steps to improve my system.
Earlier this week I sent off my Rogue Pharaoh II for their “Dark” upgrade. I’m a huge fan of Rogue Audio. After a year of listening to my Denon DP-300 record player on an Onkyo home theatre receiver, I knew it was time to enter the rabbit hole. After a lot of research, I felt the best way to get the most out of my money was to purchase a Rogue Audio Sphinx II. This upgrade, along with a jump from an ortofon red to blue had me feeling like I had entered true audiophile territory. So before I get to the next upgrades, I want to make sure I make it a point to stress that this is the best way to enter the hobby. Start small. If you have the money, I can understand wanting to start your journey at the top, however I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to level up from one receiver to the next, one cartridge to the next, one pair of speakers, etc. Not only will you repeatedly think that your new system sounds like the best thing ever. You also learn SO much about what sounds good to you, and what doesn’t. Anyway, after some time with a Sphinx II and a pair of Pioneer HPM-60’s, I upgraded to some Zu Audio Dirty Weekends. Again, a massive improvement. (During one particular listening session, I decided that listening to the song Dr. Feelgood at 75% volume with the Sphinx and the Zu speakers was definitely the one of the best experiences I had had listening to a home stereo.). So as I enjoyed my Sphinx, I started to chase that “in the room” sound. When I listen to my system, if it’s an excellent recording, I want to be able to close my eyes and feel like the artist is in the same room performing. I have an old pressing of Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedos. This album shined on the Sphinx. I knew that if this record could sound this good on this modest system, what would the next level sound like? So the next few years I went from the Denon to a Technics SL-1200. From the ZU DWs to some Mofi SourcePoint 10s, from an ortofon blue to an ortofon bronze, and finally from the Sphinx II to a Chronus Magnum III. The Chronus Magnum did not stay long. For some reason I just couldn’t get the bass dialed in. It was too warm / too muddy. I tried a lot of different options, but I eventually traded the Chronus for the Pharaoh and it turned out to be a better fit. So now, if you want to hear Mick Jagger sing to you in my room, come over and listen to Angie off of the deluxe version of Goats Head Soup. The Pharaoh delivers everything I like: the warmth of the tubes, the detail of the instruments, and the 3D effect that fills the room. For the time being it’s my endgame tube system. Will I get double the upgrade if I pay double the price and buy something like a Macintosh or similar system? Until I hear different, I won’t make that investment. However, I did invest in upgrading this current system.
As I said, I just sent off my Pharaoh for the Dark upgrade. What is the Dark upgrade? Rogue Audio has a list of improvements listed on their site that includes upgrades to the power supply, tubes, caps, resistors, and binding posts. I wish I was smart enough to tell you how this is going to improve the sound. I’m not, but I trust Rogue and am excited to listen to the results. While I await my integrated amp, I decided to upgrade my speakers too.
Technically, I’m not following my own advice here. I should upgrade the amp first, then listen to the results. Then upgrade my speakers and listen to the results. But these new Mofi crossovers can easily be set to their original settings. Last summer, Mofi announced a Master Edition of the SourcePoint 10s. Some people complained that the tweeters measured a bit high on the SP10s. Andrew Jones admitted this was true and explained the reasons for the design. I heard what people were complaining about when the speakers were toed-in to form that perfect triangle so many systems seek. However, when I towed the speakers slightly away, or used the low sling stands, that brightness disappeared. So Mofi made these new crossovers that can be adjusted based on your room. The photos attached show me replacing these crossovers and you can see the new ones are quite a bit larger.
So now I wait and look forward to posting the results. Along with my system upgrades, I am also changing my setup. The picture at the top of this post shows my old Pangea Audio Rack I really like the design, but right now my space is too cramped and I need more room to set out my albums when listening. I plan to post reviews of all my equipment once I get it together. If you share any experiences with the equipment I’ve shared, please comment below. Thank for the read!
"Toed" in.