[wilsonhines]

Hi there,

I'm from the great Pickle Capital of the world, Mount Olive, NC; home of the Mount Olive Pickle Company.  Now, I am a 49 year old fuel truck driver extraordinaire with a wife who is a nurse administrator. 

My system is as follows, for the moment:
Klipsch Fortes (1), Mofi UltraDeck turntable, Anthem MCA 225 ga amp, Schiit Freya+ preamp, Schiit Bifrost 2/64 DAC, Schiit Skoll phono-preamp, Blue Sound Node Streamer, Niagara 3000 for power, Audioquest Thunder power cable, various custom made and AQ power cables to the components, Audioquest Water RCA and XLR cables, Audioquest Rocket 33 speaker cables, Audioquest Diamond USB from the BSN to the DAC.

I like Schiit products because they punch heavily above their weight.  Most who have spent time with the Freya +/N preamp and any preamps in the $2,000-$5,000 range will tell you that the Freya +/N is highly comparable for roughly $1,100, depending on congifuration.  Same thing with the DAC's and amps.  So, I like my Schiit, but I am open to higher end products. 

I like Audioquest products.  I have heard a remarkable difference in everything I have purchased when compared to what I originally had in my system.  I started out just upgrading the USB from the streamer to the DAC and noticed a flabbergasting difference.  I immediately started upgrading, but buying "open box" and some new and some used AQ cables.  Even with buying mainly open box and some used, I have spent a small fortune on cables, but I like what the difference has been in my system. 

As far as the Niagara 3000, you would be exactly right to say the 3000 is way overkill for the components I have in my system.  Well, I would agree.  I was looking a Niagara 1200, which price wise would have been more fitting for my gear's capabilities, but then found an open box 3000 and saved a whopping $2,300 (60% of a $3,900 MSRP).  With the Niagara 1200 at the $1,200 price range, I decided I had to reach up and get that open box special and I am extremely thankful I did so. 

The Mofi UltraDeck has been a true joy.  I bought it in November of 2023 with my Christmas bonus.  It replaced my first TT, the Technics SL-B2 and I am astounded at the difference in an old TT and a new TT, especially this TT.  It is indeed a tad bit finicky, but once you get used to its idiosyncrasies, it's amazing.  One frustrating thing about the UltraDeck is that there are TONS of YouTube videos and blogs for the UltraDeck's junior sibling, the StudioDeck, but hardly anything out there at all on the UltraDeck.  It's a damn fantastic TT and other than the $1,500 difference between the StudioDeck and the UltraDeck, I don't know why anyone would not jump on up to the UD.

Anyway, that's me!

[adminRH]

Welcome to AudioCircle, Wilson!

imo You are already well into HiFi - whatever that means.... LOL 
What matters is how much you enjoy it and you obviously enjoy it very much!

Rich
Cary, NC

[Phil A]

Welcome to AC!

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome tô AC

[kd4ylq]

Hey WilsonHines,
                         self-abasement isn't required to join the Circle, you've clearly got the "fire in the belly". Don't denigrate your gear as mid-fi and assume that you will get much better and/or more pleasing sound reproduction by spending a whole lot more money. Trading gear can be fun, but you'll probably find many purchases become "sunk costs". There's an awful lot of money you can and surely will waste on the search, so take your time, do your research and make improvements incrementally; be sure you are getting good value for your dollars and by all means try to involve your spouse with the listening. It's always better if you can do this as a team IMO. Glad to hear you are in NC; as a fellow Tarheel, welcome to the circle! It's a very friendly group and very open, so join the fun & happy listening in the New Year!

[toocool4]

Welcome to AudioCircle wilsonhines

Enjoy what you have. 

[VinceT]

No double clutching with that system 

[mick wolfe]

Hey WilsonHines,
                         self-abasement isn't required to join the Circle, you've clearly got the "fire in the belly". Don't denigrate your gear as mid-fi and assume that you will get much better and/or more pleasing sound reproduction by spending a whole lot more money. Trading gear can be fun, but you'll probably find many purchases become "sunk costs". There's an awful lot of money you can and surely will waste on the search, so take your time, do your research and make improvements incrementally; be sure you are getting good value for your dollars and by all means try to involve your spouse with the listening. It's always better if you can do this as a team IMO. Glad to hear you are in NC; as a fellow Tarheel, welcome to the circle! It's a very friendly group and very open, so join the fun & happy listening in the New Year!

Well said. First step is to lose the term "mid-fi". You don't have to mortgage the house to put together a very satisfying system. Trust your ear. Some of the best systems I've heard were put together by folks with a "light wallet". The difference was that they had a good ear above all else.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC Wilson   

[morganc]

I agree with posters above….more $$$ isn’t always better!  I don’t have anything like your system so I won’t throw out anything other than to say check out upgrading your speaker crossovers with GR Research and Fredrick (he builds them and ships them to you). Tyson here had the Fortes for a long time and talks about his upgrades for them extensively as well as the components he used with them that had great synergy.  My $.02 : Don’t listen to advice from people that don’t know your speakers and musical tastes.

[JLM]

Personally I'd dump the Klipschs.  Speakers make the biggest difference in any system but are a very individual decision.  And I'd move your rack back against the front wall as anything between the speakers block the soundstage of the space they occupy.