What have been your biggest wow moment upgrades?

Reflecting on this not long after having purchased the CDX2/202/200 we  upgraded with a XPS and swapped out the 202 for a 282.   The XPS had a very significant (positive) impact the 282 was definitely wow!

Biggest WOW here was UnitiServe/DC1/NDAC/XPS to NDS/555/UpnP streaming.  The music really 'came alive.'  I attribute 98% of it to the NDS/555 hardware change.

T38.45 posted:

Source first WOW applies here... spend crazy money and time to find out my ideal DAC / digital frontend with Playback Merlot and MicroRendu ( had NDX, NDS, HDX, Linn DS). No loudspeaker upgrade could touch this improvement (had Ovator, B&W, Focal Sopra now)

Second WOW moment was the pre-amp. NAC 282,252, Linn, Mcintosh and now Nagra. Never thought that this could lift the musical presentaton in such manner. 

A nice WOW was Linn Keel which brings more soundstage and a darker backround in the flow.

So thinking back, I still would spend most of the budget in source, preamp and than poweramp and speakers.

 

ralf

 

Hi Ralf, I am currently thinking about the Merlot myself and by chance met one of the Nagra top guys two days ago :-) Two questions -if I may- given the brands you currently have selected:

1. Did you compare the NDX as digital transport out to Playback Merlot using SPDIF versus the microrendu using USB?

2. Given that Playback and Nagra share the DAC design (A. Koch) but probably Nagra has a better know how in the analog stage design did you consider or try the Nagra Classic DAC (the HD one is twice the price so probably out of reach...)

thanks in advance,

Greg

Interesting thread. I find it a bit tricky to reply since:

(a) as others have said above a “wow” moment is not necessarily the same as a ”most important change moment” as it must include an element of surprise. I guess this is a reason why so many responses are related to cables. 

(b) I have tested almost all of my components at my dealer’s first so somehow my “wow” moments were not at home.

Given the above my most “wow” moment at home  was realizing what one can do with streaming and a humble Unitilite (my dealer was not using NAS UpnP, just USB). A more recent (and I am afraid controversial) “wow” moment was how transformative a Nordost Odin power cable could be.

My top “wow” moment is however listening to Mahler’s 2nd Symphony last (choral) part at the Munich 2015 HiEnd on a full dSC Vivaldi stack drving Wilson Alexias (if I recall correctly) with VTL monos. All of us were speechless - and a few of us in tears. 

I think my starting point was as a student in mid to late 1980s in Belfast where I bought a starter system from Lyric Hi-Fi - Rega Planar 2 (I don't think I could stretch to a 3); Creek 4040; Heybrook HB2.  Without a doubt the single biggest WOW moment I have enjoyed was changing the Rega over to a new LP12 with second hand Ittok arm and K9 cartridge.  The difference was incredible.

My next WOW was more subtle - swapping the Creek out for a Nait 2 - there were alternative amps at the time which seemed to have more sparkle, but the little Nait just seemed such a perfect match for the LP12.  It didn't play particularly loud, but within its power limits, it was just great.  I still have it.

An Arcam Alpha 8 (still resides in my bedroom stereo with the Nait!) was my first cd player and my next major WOW came with the introduction of a CDS3 - I was overjoyed at the similarity in presentation it had with the LP12.

My further journey into Naim was a disappointment - I bought a 102/180 pairing which, whilst more powerful, never really did it for me.  The importance of proper auditioning was established.  the 102/180 did offer me a major WOW when I traded them in for a 252/300, a pre/power combo with a sensational synergy.

Final WOW I would like to report was a DIN-DNI Hi-Line for the CDS3 - the improvement made a major impression on me.

Loads of changes have followed over the years, but these were the changes which really grabbed hold and made me say WOW!!

Peter

Moving from an AT440MLB to an Ortofon 2m Black (second hand, low hours), that was a really big change; there was a lot more detail in the music.

The next big change was replacing the 2m Black with a new (remanufactured) Kontrapunkt h and adding an Elevator EXP to the Reflex M phono stage.  This really pushed the noise floor down, even on old vinyl.

Replacing my speakers with a pair of SBLs and going active (at the same time) was a big step.  Not sure if it was as big as changing the cartridges though, or at least not so immediately obvious.  Maybe the amplifiers/SNAXO took time to warm up/settle down and come on song so it wasn't quite so night and day as when switching a cartridge?

Sometimes though, when I put on the right track (maybe Bjork, Like someone in love) and I'm actually listening to music rather than multi tasking I just get lost in the moment and wonder 'when did it all start to sound so good?'

Nova to NDX/Supernait2, that was WOW!

Adding a 555PS to my CDS2 was the eye opener for me.

Second best was adding the Superline with the Supercap..

CD555 and the rest was behind these two.  Initially at least.  

I have come to love the CD555 as my favorite everyday source.  It is right up there with the Superline Supercap and my wife loves it the most.  She hears the difference but she doesn't care.

I had an Arcam cd transport feeding a Deltec PDM 1( mr rob watts of Chord Hugo fame designed it). It was a really nice set up playing into a nac82/250/SBL,s. Then along came the Naim CDS, it was to me a game changer, that was my wow moment.

So many to choose from but somewhere up there would be:

NAP135s driving Linn Saras.  The first time I'd ever heard Linn Saras sound right, which was slightly embarrassing as I owned a pair driven by a 32.5/hicap/250 at the time.  I ended up selling the Saras and buying the then new EPOS ES14, which I adored.

Strapping an XPS2 on to a CDX2.  I'd auditioned a bare CDX2 3 times and really tried to like it but just couldn't.  But with an XPS2 on it - wow.  Ordered both there & then.

3 years later, I heard what a 555PS could do to a CDX2.  Oh, that was expensive.  But so worth it!

Comparing a Nottingham Analogue Hyperspace to a (my) Linn LP12 and a Xerxes 20+.  I'd never heard resolution of detail like that Hyperspace with NAS arm & Dynavector XX-2 managed.  It was genuinely way ahead of my LP12 or indeed the Xerxes.  Unfortunately, it was utterly uninvolving to listen to.

Finally, hearing a Vertere turntable.  Gosh.

Best regards, FT

I had one ‘inverted’ wow moment. After having the system on a high end audio rack for almost two years, moving the system back to an old Quadraspire rack made me realise how much difference the furniture makes, and how good the quadraspire is - even my actively indifferent spouse noticed the increased clarity and tightened low frequencies of the much cheaper setup.

For me it was the Hugo over the NDAC/555PS and NDS/555PS, I wrote quite a lot about it on the forum at the time, and more recently the arrival of my 552

adding a 555PS to my 272 - I won't repeat the various impacts that others have described in much better terms than I am able to muster but for me it was like everyone on the every track had taken a massive step closer to me. The presence of the bass was a specific, pleasing improvement but without overpowering everything else in the mix. Wow indeed.