Been "Gone" 10 Years...What Have I Missed?


About 10 years ago I was immersed in this hobby.

Then, I decided to take-up guitar and have been on that whirlwind ever since.

I did downgrade my gear when I knew the guitar thing was not a fad.

Dateline 2016: I find myself with gear I enjoy, but I would be willing to upgrade if something was out there that would dramatically improve what I've got:

Prima Luna Prologue 2
Lector CDP-7T
Von Schweikert VR-1 and VRS subwoofer

What's driving this? Over the past year, virtually every title I would want remastered has finally been done. I just received all the Styx titles from Japan and the new Crowded House remasters will be coming tomorrow. For me, those were the final two puzzle pieces. The guitar gear is set, it's time to listen again.

The Lector is the only untouchable. Budget would be $2500 per piece (integrated/speakers). Room is long ('17x'14w). I have to stay pretty close to my back wall (18" max). Musical preferences are Classic Rock, some acoustic rock, some 80's hair (usually saved for the car). Patricia Barber and Eva Cassidy were part of my "initiation" to the hobby. Great artists but this time it's about the best match for the music I actually listen to.

After some R&D, I'm considering Vandersteen 1cis.That's the only thing that hit my radar this week.

Any other suggestions?
cbucki
Hello cbucki, what tubes do you have in the PL?  I would try some Gold Lion reissue KT88, Mullard CV4004 and CV4003.  Great upgrade to stock tubes and easily worth the money spent IMO.
One thing you may have missed in 10 years is advancement in cable technology.  You did indicate what cables you are using...  Lately, I am really enjoying what Purist Audio Design cabling has done for my setup.  I have been on the cable merry go round for awhile now and these really impress me with bold lifelike sound, incredibly quiet background, and extreme dynamic capability.  Others may say that money would be better spent on new speakers or a new amp.  I'm thinking you could hold what you got, add the better tubes, a good power cable in the PL integrated, some PAD interconnect and speaker cables.  You may not want for new equipment after that.  At least you will have a better base system for deciding what modern speakers you eventually buy.  Lastly, I am certain you will hear of some more options/ideas from other members from here.  My two cents man, good luck!

Look at a new company called Linear Tube Audio. It is now possible to buy an amp designed by David Berning at a reasonable price. If you can get away with low wattage tube gear you won't be sorry. To be honest this stuff won't win a beauty contest but killer sound.

If I owned a Lector, I probably wouldn't part with it either.  I need a front-loader, so- I own a BAT VK-D5 and found that upgraded tubes in the analog section made a major contribution to it's performance.  The six NOS, early 60's Siemens CCa grey shields I settled on were costly, but- worth every penny.  You're blessed in only having a pair ECC81/12AT7's(much less expensive to experiment with).   You may be interested in what this reviewer noticed, with regards to a power cord upgrade: (http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/lector_cdp7t_mkiii.htm )