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Thread: £300 to improve my system

  1. #11
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarginWalker View Post
    I guess I could sell the component being replaced to boost the budget somewhat. What do you think would be required to improve on it?
    Speakers. Nowt wrong with the Regas you have and I quite like them but anything can be improved and improving the speakers will make the most difference. Not sure what you would need to spend but if you are happy to buy second hand and have room for something larger then there are bargains out there for not much more than your budget.

    Small speakers tend to hold their value more than big ones, in the UK at least.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  2. #12
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    The TD160 is probably the hardest item to improve on without spending a lot more than £300.

  3. #13
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Should also consider that Rega amp and speaker combos do tend to add up to more than the sum of their parts. You may lose a bit of synergy with none-Rega speakers - or you may not. Something to watch out for though.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  4. #14
    Join Date: Dec 2014

    Location: Surrey, UK

    Posts: 432
    I'm Phil.

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    Thanks for the input guys. I was initially thinking about either a SME 3009 arm or potentially the Kralk BC30 speakers that are for sale on here, but it sounds like I might be better off just spending a bit of cash on some new records, enjoying my current system and saving a bit more cash til I can afford a more significant upgrade

  5. #15
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    If there is nothing that is irritating you or sounds especially wrong with your system now then that's not a bad idea.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  6. #16
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

    Posts: 791
    I'm Svend.

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    Phil, just a thought...I have obtained the biggest bang for the buck by modding what I already own with carefully chosen upgrade parts. If there are any inherent weaknesses in, say, your amp or speakers as a result of the manufacturer building to a price point, then you may be able to make some real improvements by working with a skilled technician who knows what to selectively replace. E.g. op amps in the Brio? Caps in the crossovers and/or the amp?

    In my case, I had work done on a Teac VRDS-10 cd player, which has a great transport but was lacking in the clock chip, op amps, and caps. These were all replaced with a discrete clock board, discrete op amps, and selective cap replacement in the signal path, plus other minor mods. The difference in sound quality was huge, and cost was many thousands less than buying a machine that would equal it in sound quality. Likewise my Sony TA-E86B preamp -- fully modded, all caps replaced, and many other tweaks -- and it now sounds outstanding, whereas before it merely sounded very good. The mods transformed the sound, and for very reasonable cost.

    I am not familiar with the build of your components, but perhaps others here may have insight, or at least can recommend a knowledgeable tech who is experienced with such work. A consult with such a tech may be well worth a small fee, or may even be no-cost.

    Finally, you don't mention if you have any upgraded interconnects or speaker cables. While the improvements here will be more subtle than a new component or the mods described above, they are real and apparent in a good system. And hey, every little bit helps bump you up the ladder. If you're handy with a soldering iron, making them yourself is very inexpensive.

    Good luck in the quest!

    Svend

    PS -- how did your plinth project turn out? What did you end up using for the final finish? Wax or more Danish oil?

  7. #17
    Join Date: Feb 2015

    Location: kabul

    Posts: 1,147
    I'm bob.

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    If you're anything like me, this £300 upgrade will not be the end point, right?

    When I do this kind of thing I try to upgrade something as far as I can afford, so parts of the system leap frog each other So I went from a small pair of bookshelf Tannoys up to a pair of PMC GB1. Then I put a Clearaudio Nano Phono into my Brio3, which was a big improvement. The plan was to at some point move onto a better amp with no integrated phono. That eventually turned into a Croft Integrated Phono which is now probably the best bit of our system.
    Next plan to leap frog is the speakers, but for now they're quite happy being fed by the Croft.

    My point I think is you shouldn't worry about getting something that is going to show up another part of your system because you can sort that in your next upgrade hit.

    If you're lucky (and patient) you could probably find a Croft, or some other amp that would be a decent jump up, at a price not too far off what you might get for your BrioR + £300.

    Or you could find a great phono stage and start plotting your next amp...

    (No point changing the cartridge until the stylus is worn out mind you, as that's an expense you are going to have to deal with at some point anyway)

    Which bit of your system do you think you most want to change, and do you have any bits of kit that you find yourself lusting after?

    R

    Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

  8. #18
    Join Date: Dec 2014

    Location: Surrey, UK

    Posts: 432
    I'm Phil.

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    Thanks, Robert. Yes, my approach sounds a lot like yours as I certainly don’t see the next upgrade as being my end point. I guess I was hoping that someone on here would recommend something that would transform my system for £300 which, in hindsight is a bit naive. I think the speakers are what I would aim to improve on first. I really like them but I would like something with a little more bass. I think I will try to search out a pair of Epos ES11 (which have been recommended to me by a couple of people) just so I can try something different and scratch the upgrade itch. I can always move them on again if I find they aren’t an improvement on the RS1.

  9. #19
    Join Date: Dec 2014

    Location: Surrey, UK

    Posts: 432
    I'm Phil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Svend N View Post
    Phil, just a thought...I have obtained the biggest bang for the buck by modding what I already own with carefully chosen upgrade parts. If there are any inherent weaknesses in, say, your amp or speakers as a result of the manufacturer building to a price point, then you may be able to make some real improvements by working with a skilled technician who knows what to selectively replace. E.g. op amps in the Brio? Caps in the crossovers and/or the amp?

    In my case, I had work done on a Teac VRDS-10 cd player, which has a great transport but was lacking in the clock chip, op amps, and caps. These were all replaced with a discrete clock board, discrete op amps, and selective cap replacement in the signal path, plus other minor mods. The difference in sound quality was huge, and cost was many thousands less than buying a machine that would equal it in sound quality. Likewise my Sony TA-E86B preamp -- fully modded, all caps replaced, and many other tweaks -- and it now sounds outstanding, whereas before it merely sounded very good. The mods transformed the sound, and for very reasonable cost.

    I am not familiar with the build of your components, but perhaps others here may have insight, or at least can recommend a knowledgeable tech who is experienced with such work. A consult with such a tech may be well worth a small fee, or may even be no-cost.

    Finally, you don't mention if you have any upgraded interconnects or speaker cables. While the improvements here will be more subtle than a new component or the mods described above, they are real and apparent in a good system. And hey, every little bit helps bump you up the ladder. If you're handy with a soldering iron, making them yourself is very inexpensive.

    Good luck in the quest!

    Svend

    PS -- how did your plinth project turn out? What did you end up using for the final finish? Wax or more Danish oil?
    It’s looking good Svend, thanks. I applied a tiny bit of wax after the oil and I’m happy with the result. I have the new dustcover coming on Monday so once that arrives it will be all done for the moment.

  10. #20
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

    Posts: 791
    I'm Svend.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarginWalker View Post
    It’s looking good Svend, thanks. I applied a tiny bit of wax after the oil and I’m happy with the result. I have the new dustcover coming on Monday so once that arrives it will be all done for the moment.
    Nice! Great to hear that you're happy with it and it turned out well. Enjoy.

    BTW, in case you didn't know of this site, here's a wealth of info on all things Thorens, incl. the 160: http://www.theanalogdept.com/thorens_td_160_dept_.htm
    Lots of stuff on suspension adjustment and tweaks. Maybe there are recommendations for tonearms that are a good match.

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