Have you ever downgraded deliberately?


At the start of my Audiophile journey i had a Marantz PM8004 with a Proton D1200. Klipsch RF-82 Speakers and Marantz CD player. I had entry lv Cardas speaker wire. The system sounded very good and very musical.

If i’m honest i still miss that pre amp - amp combo. At the moment i have 2 Higher Fidelity 138 monoblocks and a black Threshold fet 10HE modded. Wadia 9 classic dac and Wadia transport. Soundwise it’s much better than before. But still i think about that suberb Proton and Marantz. Maybe i’m becoming a bit jaded with the hobby..... I sold Both components with a heavy heart. And wonder what would happen if i downgrade to a similar system (better speakers ofcourse).

I want to hear some downgrade stories of fellow Audiophiles. Why they did it, where they came from system wise. And if they are more happy with a lesser system.

PS
A couple of months ago i heard some Apogees "Duetta sigs" It rocked my world. Because most speakers are ugly, and sound mediocre. This was totally different from a design and sound point of view. It was perfect in my book. Never had that before. I'm trying very hard to scrounge up the $ to obtain it.

My gf also liked the Proton D1200 looks. What if i sell most of my stuff downgrade and Buy that Apogee with the Proton amp and a cool looking CD player? Looks are very important in my living room i guess. Maybe more than audio nirvana


128x128jouri_knegt
Downsizing and simplifying are totally different. My dream system is reel to reel deck, monoblocks, speakers, and a few cables. Best performance as well.
Downgrade I'm not sure about but space limits made me get rid of my B&W 801 S2's. Not really fair putting SVS gear up against the Beemers but they are rocking my smaller space and sounding very musical and fun. I'm missing nothing.

Tv and movies sound incredible too which is a nice bonus, my old reference system never touched a tv...I should of. 
Years ago I sold my amp and speakers to a friend, and have since had many higher end pieces of gear, and I'm quite happy with the combo I have now, but damn if the original combo doesn't blow me away every time I visit him. For the record, it's a NAD 326BEE amp, and Monitor Audio GR10 speakers, and for whatever reason they are just a perfect match, and sound way better than one would expect for the price point. If I ever did have to downgrade, at least I know what I would get.
Although I don't regard it as downgrading, I do maintain a couple of systems made up of components that I have had for many years as well as some old gear I acquired more recently.

I have one system with Martin Logan CLS (original version c. 1986, driven by period amplification.

And I would happily have a system using original Quad speakers driven by period Quad amplification. There is a magic there that is hard to emulate with more modern gear.