Those Amphions are impressive, very similar design philosophy to the Buchardt S400’s with the waveguide. Shall be looking closer at those.
I have no direct comparison, as I only replaced the standard switched psu with the Farad. But that was a (for me) very relevant step up in SQ.
Replacing the Sbooster at the Matrix SPDIF-2 a month later with another Farad just made a very small improvement compared to the change on the EtherRegen.
Another data point confirming that the results can only be evaluated in practice and not in theory.
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A lot has changed the past two months!
On Speakers
I decided to keep demoing more speakers beyond the Alta Audio Alec. I’ve demo’d Wilson Audio SabrinaX, Vivid Audio Kaya 90, Egglestonworks Emma, Stenheim Alumine TWO and THREE. I had a Spatial Audio X5 on order, but decided to cancel them in favor of a set of Stenheim Alumine THREE that should arrive next week.
I think this the end of the speaker upgrades for a few years until I pick up the Stenheim Reference Ultime (a guy can dream, right?).
On DAC
Unfortunately there was a problem with my HOLO Audio DAC order and the vendor and I agreed to cancel the order. In its place, I’ve done a set of customizations to my PS Audio Directstream Sr: new external Farad 12v PSU and the XS4400 transformer upgrade. Simply put, these two changes have transformed the DSD and I feel no need to go further.
On Tonearms
It turns out the SL-1200GAE has a 1" shorter version of the same extruded magnesium tonearm found on the Reference SL-1000R, which has measured extremely well – so I won’t be upgrading this anytime soon.
On Cables
The RAL HDMI-i2s cable finally came in, but not without some pain. I wrote in to the vendor after many weeks and didn’t hear back for many more weeks, so I decided to file for a Paypal refund. Last week, the cable appeared in the mail and the claim was closed. The sound? Well, I suppose I didn’t expect HDMI cables to make a difference, but they do. The sound is tighter? tauter? I like it.
Thanks for various forum members, I’m now on a full loom of Iconoclast cables. That’s OFE XLRs from DSD to Pre, SPP to Pre, and Pre to 300s. I tried a set of Silversmith Audio Fidelium Cables, whose performance I felt was close (transparent, fast, revealing) to the Iconoclasts, but ultimately decided to keep the Iconoclast SPTPCs in the system as I preferred the Iconoclast sound.
The only place I don’t have an Iconoclast cable is the low signal cable from the SL-1200GAE to the SPP. For that, I have a cryo’d Anticables Level 6.2 RCA with phono shielding.
On Tubes
The newer Psvanes went bad with one side ringing – that set is getting replaced under warranty. I popped in another set of new, but previous generation Psvane 12AU7 and all is good. Rather than NOiSy tubes, I’m now preferring new, low noise signal tubes – the PSvanes measured ~6dB lower noise floor from the tweeter than NOS.
On Tweaks
I’ve placed a steel doorstop over every transformer in my system. Hard to say they make a difference given all the rapid-fire changes to my system, but I like the idea of tying up all those loose magnetic fields into a bun.
On Power
I’ve been moving my two PI Audio Buss-STOP devices around and have settled on placing one on each phase of my home circuits. They have a noticeable impact reducing hash on the lines and so I’m using them as sort of “noise” sinks to prevent HF noise from making it into my dedicated lines.
I’ve also added a Shunyata Research Sigma NR as the main cord running from the 20A to P20. Everything else between P20 and devices are Pangea AC-9SE.
Overall
I’m very happy with how this system has come together and appreciate all this forum members’ willingness to share knowledge. I started with a living room Denon Dolby Atmos setup with B&W speakers a few years ago to a living room BHK250 + DSD stack with Ulfberhts to a fully dedicated room and full PS Audio BHK + Ted Smith stack and the above changes.
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Very nice summary. There sure a lot of high end speaker manufacturers. That is a small insight to how physically big the world is.
I have the X5’s and really enjoy them. Of the speakers you listed the Wilson’s are the only ones I have heard of and will probably remain out of reach unless I could find a deal used.
I do have some interest in the T+A 1000-40’s but those are also outside the budget unless a smokin’ deal comes along. They are really made for a bigger space than I have but it would be interesting to find out.
Nice job hot rodding the PSA DAC!
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I worked with Danny Ritchie at GR Research to replace the caps and resistors in my little ATC SCM11. He did the measuring and design, I did the work. The inductors are already fine quality. I’d be all done but he forgot to send the Miflex bypass caps for the tweeter!
More time to enjoy my backup speakers.
He made a video of them and said they are some of the best drivers he seen in a good long time. ATC makes all their drivers in house. Too bad they cheaped out on the moderate caps and sand cast resistors, wire and binding posts but they are all too common even in speakers costing more. I’m not a fan of the tube connectors he likes/sells because I’m not reterminating Iconoclast SPTPC cables and I doubt they would fit anyway. Sticking with the Cardas rohdium copper I put in some months ago.
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Cool, I watched this video. I enjoy his videos.
Business has skyrocketed since he started doing videos in earnest right about the time the lockdown began. He’s hiring more people and yet he remains super calm and easy to talk to about ideas…
I’m impressed with the quality of the ‘no-rez’ damping plus foam he sells. I’m confident it will help the cabinet resonance.
I almost bought a kit from Danny but just couldn’t see being able to make time to ever put them together. There is still too many things in my life that demand time not working on hobbies. He is a super approachable no BS nice guy.
If I was still in my former bigger house, I would build his 7’ tall open baffle line array speakers. NX-oxtica I think. Alas those days of big houses are over for me but I have so much time to do hobby stuff, I love it. The xover desolder/solder job only took about an hour. Easy when only replacing parts on a through-hole PCB.
If only I could do the transformer upgrade on the DS…
The tall ones are NX-Treme. That is what I was going to buy back in the spring but he was out of drivers and covid shutdowns had them backordered. I’m not yet in a position where I am looking for projects. During the wait time I realized that they would probably not go together in the foreseeable future.
I ended up getting Spatial X5’s which are also OB’s but not a line source. Glad he was able to help with your upgrade. I don’t care much for the tube connector for the same reason but they do have great science (large contact area) behind the design. His cables seem to be OK but not as well thought as the Iconoclast design.
Agree on the DS xformer. That rev is way above my pay grade.
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Stellar Gain Cell DAC & a Cocktail Audio X50 ordered. Sony SACD delivered. ALL because I accidentally ordered the SACD Octave release Otis Taylor instead of the DSD download…
OK, kinda accidentally. It’s hard to get through the day without a good justification… 
Merry ho to me! When I open them I’ll say to myself:
“Oh, I SHOULDN’T have…”
As Les Nessman as my witness - I thought you I could extract files from an SACD…! 
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My upcoming upgrades are peripherals:
AQ Robin Hood speaker cables to replace Rocket 44
HD Plex 300w LPS to replace SMPS in Roon Nucleus Plus and Link Sys router
Hifi Tuning Supreme 3 Copper Slow to replace stock fuses in P15, Stellar Phono and BHK Pre
Melco LAN cables to replace cat 5e Monster cables.
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How are you liking those X5s? What did you have before that? I’ve read some great things about them, but they’re impossible to demo without ordering them outright – which is what I was doing. I also read they offer capacitor upgrades as well, but I imagine that makes the units non-returnable.
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I really like them. It took a few hundred hours to get them to loosen up but now they are keepers. I have been trying the lineup of Iconoclast speaker wires for the last month or so. I have been back and forth a dozed times or more and keep going back to the TPC variant (as of this minute anyway).
I had D&D 8c’s before. They were “good” sounding but I never could get them to be “great” sounding. I was also hoping for roon integration which they are still working on a year later.
I was originally going to have a “big” system downstairs and the “small” system with the D&D upstairs. My wife had a medical issue which needed my constant attention for some months so the D&D went into storage and I put a set of BHK 300’s where the D&D 8c’s were and added the X5’s to replace the 8c’s.
For the money I think the X5’s would be hard to beat. It took a few months for Clayton to get to my set but I knew that going in to the deal. Clayton asked why I would consider his speakers over the D&D. I told him I was looking for room filling sound at low volume levels (as my wife sleeps a lot) and he said the X5’s would do that. He was right. There was an updated set of externally mounted caps available as an option but he managed to find an equally well made set that fit inside. I am really a big fan of these OB speakers. They sound very very good in this room which has no treatments except for curtains on the windows. They did have a 30 or 60 day money back (less shipping) guarantee but I could tell right away that it wouldn’t be needed.
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My newest upgrade: a Rega Aura phono stage. I’ve had a rotating door of SS phono stages in and out of the system for upwards of two years. Been wanting a SS phono stage as a 2nd alternative to my mighty Modwright PH 150 - when I get the urge to swap something for a change just for the sake of a change. Some folks have more than one power amp, or more than one line stage, or more than one pair of speakers for the same reason. I collect phono stages.
The Rega Aura is one very serious piece of SS phono stage kit. Highly specialized for low output MCs and sounds like it. Have had it in my system for about a month. I still don’t have a complete grasp of everything it can do (it has a remarkably long break in period despite what Rega claims in the manual). My SS phono stage merry-go-round may finally have stopped. Have also had the SPP in-house btw. Excellent effort by PSA, but can’t compete with the likes of the Aura for the category of cart I prefer, low output moving coils. The SPP is sold.
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Decware CSP3 headphone amp
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New tubes. Figure it’ll be around $1K or so. Currently have 1947ish Sylvania Nickel base NOS. Don’t think I can find them again. My tubes have a ridiculous number of hours on them. Maybe they suck, sound amazing to me. It’s just time.
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Sonore opticalRendu to replace the Bridge II in my DSD. I already have the fiber bought (have a straightforward run of about 60’) and would use the etherRegen for the optical conversion. Also, likely to get Sonore’s version of the matrix (ultraDigital) and the Uptone JS-2 (dual output) power supply for the Rendu and the ultraDigital.
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New DAC if PSA’s DSD replacement is priced right. Looking forward to seeing it! Likely wait a year of so after it hits the market. I assume it’ll employ i2s.
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SBooster LPS for my Lumin U1 Mini.
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Auralic Aries 2.1 other than that I am going to be in surplus sell off mode.
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First of all, I hate all of you. I swore I would not fall into the audiophile trap, but that ship has long sailed.
Anyway, I’m trying to decide on my next upgrade. I have three in mind, 1) upgrade all cables to Iconoclast (going with Iconoclast because I live about 3 miles from BJC), 2) upgrade DAC to a Holo Spring 2 KTE (the pimped out version), or 3) upgrade my transport to Jay’s Audio. The cost of all three is roughly the same.
My current system is a Stellar stack (SGCD, 700s, SP3), a Cambridge CXC transport, and Monitor Audio Gold 200 speakers. Cables are mostly BJC or the equivalent - nothing fancy.
What should I start with?
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