Good luck with it
Yep, that happens here and there.
In the past six months I had TIDAL, Quobuz and Amazon Music HD, and I can tell you that it drives you crazy, whenever you think that you have found the better provider, it sounds āa bit betterā on another portal;
I believe
or not
Actually, you canāt really go wrong with any of these providers.
For me it has become a question of the user interface and device compatibility, and at the moment TIDAL has something in front of it.
Hey bro! I am after a pair of ZMF Verite Closed and a ZMF Pendant, and will be making the plunge next month. Excited to reach my endgame. 2021 is gonna be fun!
Iām going to be looking at Headphone Amps. Something small for my Desk.
I know I wonāt pass up on opportunities, so there is that random element.
I am also waiting for someone to realize that one of the things we are doing with our Covid response is āselectively breedingā for a more virulent strain. ( See the UK. ) We need to apply & perfect our vaccines and stop the other pandimic madness.
Mark Gosdin
I think my main focus for 2021 will be to not spend nearly as much as I have this year⦠Iāll have to reduce the overall collection significantly as well, since its started to build up again.
I think the only items that are on my radar for 2021 will be possibly an upgraded portable setup since most of my time is usually spent in hotels away from home. Maybe I should get more marbles?
And secondly the ESX900⦠Both the measurements and impressions make this seem like it would be right up my alleyā¦
Mucho HP amps and DACs there. Love the psychedelic purple vibe.
Iām looking to try tubes. Always been a solid state guy. Have a Freya+ ordered. Maybe Iāll try a tube HP amp next.
Without really planning to, I went way over the top this year. I blame the pandemic. Upgraded my cartridge (got a great used price on a Soundsmith Sussurro II), got a pair of Utopias (again, great used price), tweaked my main system with Iso-acoustic speaker footers, a dedicated AC line and the EtherRegen box, and got a DNA Stratus amp. Oh, and bought about a thousand bucks worth of Wywires cable (taking advantage of their 40% off sale, as well as a very good Audiogon deal on some interconnect that is usually wildly expensive). And some 2A3 upgrade tubes for the Stratus. When I added it all up, it was about equal to what I might have spent had I been traveling all year ⦠which I couldnāt because of the pandemic. I also seem to have blown a few grand on vinyl purchases, especially audiophile fare. So really, I have exhausted any budget for 2021. I rationalize the expense by saying that these are endgame purchases, and I donāt see the likelihood of āgoing beyondā the Utopias or the Stratus or the Sussurro. And the cabling, also, is more than sufficient for my audio ambitions. One of the cooler things I got this year was a BlueSound Powernode 2i ⦠which is not really high-end but really is a lot of fun (using in a third system, after the main hifi and the office computer/headphone/Stratus rig). In a sense, I could be as satisfied with the BlueSound and a pair of good speakers if I had to be.
I actually look forward to selling off some older gear and boosting the bank account towards some home improvements, and may even minimize the office system and move the Stratus into the living room so I can do some pure analog listening (with the turntable and an old phono stage I have, since the integrated digitizes everything). So after over-spending this year, and being super indulgent, I think the 2021 trend will be downsizing, but also refining. Iām trying to keep things minimal and uncluttered which gets very difficult when you have a half-dozen boxes and gizmos stacked on mulitple desks and tables with wires and cables and cords tangled everywhere. So I really expect a return to simplicity (at least the main system resides in a piece of furniture that allows for the wires to be obscured behind record albums and equipment). Anyway, I reached a level of satisfaction with my listening environment that will be hard to improve without much greater expense so just gonna relax and enjoy!
There seems to be a recurring theme and Iām reminded of one of my favorite threads.
Roon Radio for me ended up being the best for auto play, making it easy to find hidden gems. Almost half my saved albums have been from just chilling out letting whatever play.
Yes, I will second that. Roon Radio was an unexpected bonus. Now it is one of the best things about Roon. So many of my discoveries come from Roon Radio. The more you give thumbs up or down, the better it gets. Love it!
My biggest desire for audio in 2021 is: a secret slush fund.
Definitely do it I just did because I have a feeling yearly and lifetime prices are going to increase soon. Like you and @SleepyRhythms said, Roon Radio has been responsible for so many new discoveries. Lets just hope they start adding features that customers want and have been requesting over the years
That would make my new years great!
Honestly, a really good DHT SET amp that doesnāt cost as much as any individual part of my body that I can get with relative ease here in the Philippines, haha. Had the pleasure of chatting up an amp craftsman based not too far from where I live when I was looking for a place to get a ZDT Jr. repaired, but heās a proper hi-fi guy and his amps arenāt necessarily optimised for headphone use; also, theyāre well within DNA and EC-tier pricing, which is kiiiiiinda intimidating just now, haha.
Good goal. Let us know how this story ends. For your consideration.
I like the concept of outlining what we are trying to do for 2021 audio wise.
Receive End Game AMP:
I have an order in for the DNA Stellaris that should be arriving in March. This will probably mark the end for my amp exploration. I say this, but goal for 2022 is probably trying to find an Eddie Current amp to add to the collection. But we are talking about 2021 so incoming Stellaris.
Upgrade DAC:
This is a possible. I am not sure if I will want to do this, but I will probably end up upgrading the DAC I have. Yggdrasil works, but I have been looking at some of the Holo stuff, as well as the Rockna DACs. Still unsure if I will upgrade, and hoping to find someone to let me use on loan before I make the jump. Again this might be a 2022 goal.
Try more IEMs:
I donāt have much experience with IEMs, but wanna get more experience with them. MEST and U12T are the the top of the list for me.
Upgrade Cables:
This is probably the most realistic goal I have this year. Now that I am approaching a high tier in terms of my gear, I wanna invest in affordable, yet upgraded cables for my chain. I have been using Amazon Basic cables for all my audio chain interconnects, but will probably upgrade them to something a little better.
Try not to spend too much money:
The final thing I am going to try and do is not spend too much money. Yeah most of these goals include spending alot, but my ultimate goal is to try and not do any of these goals and just be happy with what I have. This is probably the hardest goal of the bunch, but one I am striving for!
Thank you @MRHifiReviews for this excellent topic.
2021⦠Besides the obvious ā World Peace, End to Covid, My Lost Youth
Acceptance ā Learning to be happy with what I have, which is probably too much. Iām not at the levels that some of you are, nothing is top of the line, but I find it hard to get rid of things. I need to bundle my DFB+Jitterbug, and an IEM like the Kanas Pro or Sennheiser IE 40 Pro and just give it to someone, or auction it, or try the Buy &Sell here.
Time Management ā More time to listen, less time wondering if I should consider a ZMF, or something else.
Maybe upgrade from the Rectilinear III Highboy Speakers ā Trusty beloved friends since about 1974. They still sound great but are showing their age. Can I fit a Magnepan 3.7i in the living room? Will the cat think itās a toy? Can I, should I consider the Wilsonās I love without causing a round of upgrading?
Helping some young person down the audio rabbit hole ā Itās so fun when you first show someone what sound they can get when not wearing the earbuds that come with their phone. Itās also good to find out what they like to listen to, once theyāve graduated from Disney Channel.
Wireless ANC something ā Maybe the technology will come of age. Iād like to see it in a Koss Porta-Pro size and weight package. Shame nobody has figured out 4th Dimensional Foam Pads to send incoming sound into sonic limbo.
I have a couple of pairs of Quad ESL 57s over in England. Iād like to ship a pair over here to the US but I worry the cats will turn them into scratchers.
I hope you succeed to fail, or is it fail to succeed .
My biggest goal is probably to find an endgame that can top the Sony CD900st in vocal presentation. Iām starting to run out of options though.
To set and forget cans/amps/pads/tubes/speakers, and focus on exploring/enjoying source: streaming/CD/vinyl.
To attend live performances again (okay, at least one given the global situation) in a variety of venue types.