Which upgrade first

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schmidtmike76

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Which upgrade first
« on: 8 Oct 2016, 02:11 pm »
Currently I'm using a Cyrus and Sony blu ray for transports into a BDA-2...BP25 and 2.5(3).  I want to  either buy a Pi or upgrade my pre to BP26 specs.  Which would be the most credible move to make.  Thanks Mike.

Samurai7595

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #1 on: 8 Oct 2016, 02:25 pm »
Currently I'm using a Cyrus and Sony blu ray for transports into a BDA-2...BP25 and 2.5(3).  I want to  either buy a Pi or upgrade my pre to BP26 specs.  Which would be the most credible move to make.  Thanks Mike.

Seeing that you already have a good Pre-amp, Power Amp & DAC, I would recommend that you go for the BDP-Pi Digital Player & start getting busy converting your CD collection to FLAC music files!   8)

tie_breaker

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #2 on: 8 Oct 2016, 02:28 pm »
Agreed with Samurai7595, get some Pi.. :)...

schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #3 on: 8 Oct 2016, 04:53 pm »
Pi is ordered my friends.  And thanks!!!

schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #4 on: 4 Nov 2016, 10:29 pm »
Digging up a old thread. 

I can either upgrade my pre BP25 to 26 specs or upgrade my 2.5 cubed to a 4B cubed for slightly less.  Which would be the greater bang.  I did pick up the Pi and love it so far.  Speakers are focal Electra 1027be.

witchdoctor

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #5 on: 5 Nov 2016, 12:18 am »
My advice is don't upgrade components before you upgrade cables and isolation. If you have done both of those upgrade the preamp before the amp. IMO always upgrade from the front of the chain and work your way downstream.

CanadianMaestro

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #6 on: 5 Nov 2016, 12:18 am »
Digging up a old thread. 

I can either upgrade my pre BP25 to 26 specs or upgrade my 2.5 cubed to a 4B cubed for slightly less.  Which would be the greater bang.  I did pick up the Pi and love it so far.  Speakers are focal Electra 1027be.

Agree with WitchDoc.
Biggest bang for the long-term is a good power conditioner.
If you have one already....power amp. The BP25 to 26 in particular seems like a very small change.

schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #7 on: 5 Nov 2016, 12:23 am »
Thank you gentlemen definitely gives me something to think about.

Are you thinking the BIT 20 before any other upgrades.  I have all Bryston cables and am very happy with them.
« Last Edit: 5 Nov 2016, 01:48 am by schmidtmike76 »

pmcd

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #8 on: 5 Nov 2016, 02:43 pm »
ROOM TREATMENT !!!! ROOM TREATMENT !!!!      look on any site and search best bang for your buck and most will say treat you room, you can have $100k system in an untreated room that sounds no better than a $25k system in a treated room.

Most people learn this the hard way by continuously upgrading Speakers, Cables and all other separates in the hope to obtain that perfect sound quality but do all of this in an untreated " Hard Room" as we can call it.   

witchdoctor

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #9 on: 5 Nov 2016, 06:00 pm »
Thank you gentlemen definitely gives me something to think about.

Are you thinking the BIT 20 before any other upgrades.  I have all Bryston cables and am very happy with them.

OK cables are excellent. When I refer to isolation I was referring to vibration control, here is a good article:

http://www.barrydiamentaudio.com/vibration.htm

as for power here is a good article:

http://mrgcustom.com/press/Electronic%20House%20Jan%202016%20Issue%20-%20MRG%20Theater.pdf

My preferred vendor for both is www.mapleshaderecords.com but I understand Bryston offers a power isolation device. The first thing I would change is the wall receptacle. It's less than $100 at mapleshade and will impact everything downstream. If you decide to do vibration control I would start with the speakers. :)

schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #10 on: 5 Nov 2016, 06:12 pm »
I'm probably looking for more power the BP25 is a good pre on its own.  As for the speakers these focal's came with rubber feet that can't be changed from what I see.  The BIT is another piece to look at but when you think the blacks are already black and add a piece like that the BIT you realize.  Everyone is right if your pre is lacking then everything down the chain is limited but power is what makes speakers sing.  I read that the 26 is a upgrade over the 25 but not as much of a impact of moving to more power when the rest is good. 

witchdoctor

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #11 on: 5 Nov 2016, 06:58 pm »
I'm probably looking for more power the BP25 is a good pre on its own.  As for the speakers these focal's came with rubber feet that can't be changed from what I see.  The BIT is another piece to look at but when you think the blacks are already black and add a piece like that the BIT you realize.  Everyone is right if your pre is lacking then everything down the chain is limited but power is what makes speakers sing.  I read that the 26 is a upgrade over the 25 but not as much of a impact of moving to more power when the rest is good.

OK, here are some things to consider to audition, if you don't like it send it back for a refund within 30 days.

For your preamp you can consider a better power cord or an isolation platform. That article i posted shares how to make an isolation platform, I use the mapleshade isolation one.

As for speaker isolation I know of two for towers. Isocaoustic stands can be placed under towers, subs or book shelves. Email them your speakers and they will reccomend whicj one, about $100.

The mapleshade plinths are another level and more expensive. I use the isoacoustic stands in my destop for JBL bookshelf and the mapleshade stands for HT, Here is a link to the plinths for your towers. Remember, all these vendors offer 30 day returns and will talk to you about your system.
Here is a link to the plinths:

http://mapleshadestore.com/feedback_maplespeakerplinths.php

and the isoacoustics. Frank Fillipettis uses them under his JBL M2 floorstanders:

https://youtu.be/c5ptvPya7Mc





witchdoctor

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #12 on: 5 Nov 2016, 06:59 pm »
my isoacoustics




schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #13 on: 5 Nov 2016, 07:13 pm »
Does anyone here stack components I have my dac on top of my pre amp and the power supply way below alone those.

witchdoctor

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #14 on: 5 Nov 2016, 07:29 pm »
Does anyone here stack components I have my dac on top of my pre amp and the power supply way below alone those.

That really degrades perfowmance IMO, better to have them on stands or on a rack.

CanadianMaestro

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #15 on: 5 Nov 2016, 10:28 pm »
Does anyone here stack components I have my dac on top of my pre amp and the power supply way below alone those.

No issues here, with stacking Bryston components on different shelves. BDP-1 on top of BCD-1. BHA-1 on top of BDA-1.




schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #16 on: 5 Nov 2016, 10:34 pm »
I've seen a lot of bryston stacked and I don't want to point fingers but Ive seen bryston stack there gear and never said anything about sound quality issues etc.  The only one thing I have seen James say is about the mps-2 being above or below the pre amp. 


PierreB

Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #17 on: 5 Nov 2016, 10:37 pm »
Does anyone here stack components I have my dac on top of my pre amp and the power supply way below alone those.
Me too, i don't see problem with that since your power supply is way below your components.
Also, have you think to try a new CD player like the new Bryston or a Simaudio Néo 260D. Your preamp and amp are great components and your Focal 1027Be are superb.

schmidtmike76

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #18 on: 5 Nov 2016, 10:46 pm »
I went for the Pi instead of the BCD3.  I would think in different leagues but I'm really happy with the Pi especially high resolution files.  I just didn't want to part with the BDA-2 and be limited to cd, which is uncharacteristic of me.  These focal's are superb Iam very fortunate to have these. 

CanadianMaestro

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Re: Which upgrade first
« Reply #19 on: 5 Nov 2016, 10:57 pm »
For whatever reasons, European speaker mfrs have always impressed me with their artistry and sonic values. I have a pair of Vienna Acoustics Mozarts, and they are simply terrific value for a medium-sized room like mine. They won't blow the roof off with Led Zepp, but for most genres like classical, vocals, and jazz/acoustic, I can't think of better speakers at normal listening volumes. Will have to check out Focal and Sonus Faber sometime; their reputations are stellar. Then there's Acapella horn spkrs, which are crazy expensive but are supposed to sound really divine....

 :thumb: