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Which Component Should I Upgrade?

Lots of POV's, lots of good advice with plenty of past experiences. Pay heed.

You've listed some of the genres that you presently listen to, but these will probable change in time. They have for most of us. There are certain speakers for example that tend to favour specific genres, with some overlap.

Take your time and listen and read...lots! This issue of yours has come up countless times with as many feedbacks to match. (pun not intended)

You've not mentioned budget as to what you plan/can spend on your intended improvement. This may limit you in some respects as to the level/calibre of gear that you will be able to obtain.

Then you have the listening environment to take into account, which may or may not be within your control or cost factor. This could be a costly venture if done correctly...maybe the most expensive..

What ever you decide, you can build one step at a time, saving for quality along the way. Most suggestions I've come across stress the speakers to start with, as this seems to be the most logical piece of gear as the sound ends there. If a great grade of speaker is applied on the onset, the rest of the components can be noticed as you improve the source feeding into them.

I've not been specific, but that will be your ear that makes the final choice.

Good luck on your venture/adventure in improved sound.

Q
 
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Welcome to AK! :)

At this point, we really don't even know what cartridge you are running, but a lot of folks want you to change it out. ;)

Do you have a digital source? Have you heard of 'first reflection points"? Posting a picture of your room might help...
 
Rob Hamner said:
I have been struggling with the decision of which component to upgrade for maximum benefit, or if something should be added, like a sub woofer. Music tastes ranges from cool jazz to indie rock and punk.

My system consists of the following:

Yamaha S-AS1000 Integrated Amplifier
Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB Turntable
Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 Speakers
Cheap interconnects
12 AWG O2 Free Speaker Wire

Thanks!
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Interconnects, cheap ones can de-grade the signal of even the best equipment.
 
Looks like the consensus here is a turntable with cartridge and stylus. I agree. You did say or add to right? So then if it were me I would then go with a tube preamp buying the best one I could afford. If all you can do is one of the Chinese ones to start and then change out the tubes go for it. Your system will sound much better for it with a warmer more full sound and better sound stage from the vinyl. Cables at the same time as you put in the preamp. But that's just me. Good luck and have fun.
 
I have been fooling around with my AT lp-120 for some time . Original at95e cartridge and was not happy. I removed the pre-amp , better still not happy . I bought an Ortofon 2m red plug+play and AT heavier counter weight , set to 1.8 g and am quite pleased with the changes .
 
I'll come out and say it I am predjudice against Yamahas. Seen to many fail in the shop, been on to many service calls where they failed and for a long time didn't like the sound they produced. in the 90's and early 2000's. The older units I would prefer Sansui or Pioneer every time. I even prefer the old 4000 series of Mac integrated units. In fact the only Quad units I could stand were Sansui. But that's ancient history. Mac stuff is expensive and less you are willing to make a long term investment not a good choice for most folks. There are some great Mac integrated units preowned you might like. Check Audio Classics website. They warrant what they sell.
 
bberkom said:
To me, it's the turntable and/or cartridge. If you listen to a lot of vinyl, that could make a big difference. The amp and speakers are a good bit ahead of that turntable in my opinion.
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Hi there, do you work on turntables? or know of a good repair guy for TTs in the n'ville or hendersonville area???
Thnx Don
 
I would agree with @JD#7 that perhaps one of the least expensive and easy upgrades would be to try a different cart, or at least a different stylus for your existing AT95--there are lots of different stylus options/profiles for your existing cart.
 
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Thanks for all of the thoughtful responses. I took the advice of many and upgraded both the turntable and cart, selecting a Rega P3 with an Ortofon Bronze cartridge. The improvement is dramatic - better bass, better treble, better stereo separation, less surface noise and artifacts. With the LP120 and AT95E cart, I was having all sorts of problems surface noise, pops, skips, etc. - even with new vinyl. I’m guessing maybe a worn stylus.

My system now consists of a Yamaha A-S1000 integrated amp, a pair of Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 speakers and the Rega P3. My guess is that the consensus would now be that the Yamaha is the weak link, but I’m not sure I’m willing to spend the dollars required for noticeable improvement.

Some asked about a digital source, and I have two - a Marantz CD6005 CD player, and an Echo Dot for when I’m feeling lazy and want Alexa to cue the music. The CD player gets the least use.

As an aside, I bought the TT from a brick and mortar store in another state that offered a discount on request, and free shipping. I was happy to support a neighborhood audio store and avoid sale tax.
 
Rob Hamner said:
Thanks for all of the thoughtful responses. I took the advice of many and upgraded both the turntable and cart, selecting a Rega P3 with an Ortofon Bronze cartridge. The improvement is dramatic - better bass, better treble, better stereo separation, less surface noise and artifacts. With the LP120 and AT95E cart, I was having all sorts of problems surface noise, pops, skips, etc. - even with new vinyl. I’m guessing maybe a worn stylus.

My system now consists of a Yamaha A-S1000 integrated amp, a pair of Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 speakers and the Rega P3. My guess is that the consensus would now be that the Yamaha is the weak link, but I’m not sure I’m willing to spend the dollars required for noticeable improvement.

Some asked about a digital source, and I have two - a Marantz CD6005 CD player, and an Echo Dot for when I’m feeling lazy and want Alexa to cue the music. The CD player gets the least use.

As an aside, I bought the TT from a brick and mortar store in another state that offered a discount on request, and free shipping. I was happy to support a neighborhood audio store and avoid sale tax.
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My guess is that you'd never get the same level of consensus for the amp, that we saw with the TT/cart, which was an easy call as weak link. The A-S1000 may be your weakest link now, but if so it means you have a very nice system, imo. I get good results from the more modest A-S500 in my bedroom system even though I am spoiled by the main rig higher-end integrated. I think you have an excellent and well-matched system now. Good for you on your choices!
 
I been more or less in the same place as OP - with weaker amp and speakers I guess. Now looking forward to add a sub. Found a few useful hints here so thanks everyone too!
 
Rob Hamner said:
. . . As an aside, I bought the TT from a brick and mortar store in another state that offered a discount on request, and free shipping. I was happy to support a neighborhood audio store and avoid sale tax.
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Congratulations on making improvements to your system. I've had the older RP3 for several years and continue to enjoy it very much.

As for avoiding sales tax, you'll likely find that your state has a use tax that you need to pay on items purchased out of state. I know that's true of my state, Washington, and one site I looked at said that every state that has a sales tax also has a use tax.
 
Rob Hamner said:
I have been struggling with the decision of which component to upgrade for maximum benefit, or if something should be added, like a sub woofer. Music tastes ranges from cool jazz to indie rock and punk.

My system consists of the following:

Yamaha S-AS1000 Integrated Amplifier
Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB Turntable
Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 Speakers
Cheap interconnects
12 AWG O2 Free Speaker Wire

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I would suggest upgrading the speakers if you’re not satisfied with the sound.
 
this is what i would get:

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-yymp2...0jLaS48IWclm9EXq8oU9b6WJ2re5zpF8aAhw5EALw_wcB

it still has a standard detachable headshell and allows you to participate in the hobby by learning to mount a different cartridge and align it with a downloadable alignment protractor from enjoythemusic.com .

OR:

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Techni...argid=aud-643574997066:pla-435767177485&psc=1

this may actually be better for you, its direct drive and maintains the aforementioned detachable headshell.
 
There are a couple of free alignment protractors on the vinylengine site. You have to sign up but it's free.
 
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