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RE: Bluetooth/Apt-X w/ built-in DAC OR Hardwire? Base Metal + Plating? Which Upgrades/Order for Tight Budget?

Posted by jmunky3 (A) on August 23, 2016 at 03:21:33

In Reply to: RE: Bluetooth/Apt-X w/ built-in DAC OR Hardwire? Base Metal + Plating? Which Upgrades/Order for Tight Budget? posted by PAR on August 22, 2016 at 17:36:09:

Thanks for you help. I do need to replace or buy (either don't have needed size, numbers or item at all) most of the items I mentioned regardless.

Old speaker wire, speaker inputs and part of old crossover will be used for bi amp of 25w rms Alnico Speakers. Old RCA IC cables are too short for adding new tube preamp, 2nd amp to bi amp plus Sony Amp and my CD player and Recorder (which I want great cable to record to via preamp, I can select a couple different rates and formats including digital or analog 44.1 for copying music for CD use in vehicles, DAC on/off, line, mic on/off and level, etc.) New longer cable from phone to preamp (other is a tad short and 3.5mm plug is starting to breakdown after 3 years, cable is a Schosce?)

I have 2 new pairs of speaker (Eton Silk Tweeter 19SD1 3/4", Audax Aerogel HM100ZO 4" Mids (still have to redo x over and install all 3) to be paired with stock Sony Paper Cone Woofers and EV Alnico Speakers) that require new cross overs to go with stock woofer. I also am adding 2 vintage E.V. 12" Alnico Full Range Coaxial Speakers I plan to bi amp.

The current IC and speaker wire were just some 10-15 year old poor quality stuff that was lying around when I got original stereo setup around 15 years ago ($5 for pack of 6 pair of 2 foot RCA and $17 for 100 foot roll 16 awg speaker wire)

So things I must buy regardless are:
2 pair Speaker Cab Posts
2 Crossovers/Parts
2 sets long Speaker Wire (16ft per side)
3-5 IC cables (1 4-4.5m, rest 0.5m-1.5m)
1-6 Power Cables ($13-$30 each)
PCX Power Center ($70)

Optional:
2 or 4 pair Speak Posts for Amp
HiFi Fuses 1-9× (Amps, CD Player, Pre-Amp)
Bybee Quantum Purifier for Power Center for all components power
1 better quality wall power outlet ($30)
Better RCA F jacks for input to Power Amps section on Sony/Bi Amp, CD Player Recorder Input, 1-3 pair of Pre-Amp Outputs and 1-2 pair Inputs
Better quality RCA M for IC ($60-$100 per 4)
Better quality AC cable plugs ($25 each, $50 pair plug/IEC)

Go from UP-OCC Copper IC wire to ACElectrum Silver with Gold IC wire for IC at/under 1.5m length.

BT Reciever or hardwire (the BT Receivers with built-in DAC, from my understanding, specifically only use the DAC to upconvert/OS BT signal to better quality, unlike what the many better R2R NOS non Sigma Delta DACs do)

Upgrading stock parts/options for Pre-Amp: Tube Adapter/Expander (1 small tube like 12AX7 converts to 2 large tubes like KT66) $100 CAD or 2 adapters (4 large tubes vs 2 small glass tubes) for $200 CAD, Output circuit upgrade ($200 CAD), transformers/choke upgrade, PIO Caps/Parts upgrade, etc. Or go up a model or 2 with few to no added upgrades. CAD exchange rate to USD is pretty good.

So for items I must get, is it worth while to spend on getting pure copper or Tellarium copper base metal over high Copper brass?

Most have plating for at least oxidation, options are mostly Gold, Silver and/or Rhodium plated or a combo of those. So I kinda have to choose at least 1 type of base metal and 1 plating to go with for:

Speaker Wire termination-
Amp End:
Speaker End:

RCA M:
RCA F:

Speaker Posts Terminals:

I just have no idea if spending the little bit extra here and there on the various metals is worth while or not.

Main concern is soundstage, musicality and warmth/harmonic richness. Natural balance too.

I've compared my old Sony to new Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon, etc and some older Pioneer, Kenwood, etc. and haven't found anything I like even close to my old Sony. NAD, Rotel, Rega and the like I might be able to do, but that removes getting new speaker wire, IC, doing proper x over to match new speakers or going with Tube pre-amp or anything else really. Plus there's really no where even somewhat nearby (within 2 hr drive each way) where I could listen in person to any of them to see if they are in my wheel house sound wise.


My smartphone/Phablet is a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (will likely get Note 7 within 6 months) which seems to be more invested in music and quality then most... Stock has EQ, some basic Sound Processor/Filters and a few other things for stored music. The phones DAC (for headphone jack) is head and shoulders above any other phone, laptop or tablet I've heard, and on my system currently there is hardly a noticeable difference over CD if any at all when hardwired to amp. Just maybe a tiny dab more detail and depth. Vs BT to newest Marantz amps I tried, there's a big big difference in sound quality and characteristics and it's not a good one. Very sterile and kinda harsh, no depth or musical sound/warmth.

The app I use for most music is Slacker Radio Premium, streaming tops at around 320kbps, which isn't fantastic in comparison to non streaming. But I also usually have playlists download to phone (slacker let's you use phone hard drive or load to removable drive unlike many other apps) and play directly from storage over hardwire cable. As far as what the files are and format for phone, I'm not sure. I don't have many that aren't via slacker app. Plus most of those are converted songs from Internet you can't get anywhere else. In a couple years I'll likely have a High Res/Def Music player like AK, Sony or Pono in which case I'll have to buy many of the songs again and or load the 600+ CD'S I still have.

But for now, I'm actually decently happy with quality of sound from Headphone jack of phone, especially with earbuds. I just want to maximize what I have while also hopefully having decent enough stuff throughout for when I do move up to better quality source material so I don't have to change out a lot of what I just added. I like to find something and stick with it for a while (usually min 5 yrs and avg up to 10-15 yrs)

In the future, once more of all these newer apps/hardware/formats for low loss/high res streaming and wireless have fleshed out more clearly/definitively and more affordable... then I'll make the switch over to those.

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