cal. audio ikon mkII power boss upgrade

No-Money: The system other than noted is: Musical Fidelity X-A1, Kimber 4VS (one run) with the same wire used to replace the stock jumpers on Castle Acoustic Isis speakers. It is a modest but nonetheless good sounding system. I assume that you crave more definition and detail which the upgrade will supply. I just feel that the sound is too mechanical for my personal taste. I have auditioned Transparent Wave speaker cables but have never tried their interconnects. I would suggest that you try the Homegrown assembled Super Silver IC's (which have a 30 day return policy) for next to "no money" which will add speed and detail to the player's sonic presentation without adding harshness. This may be all that you will need to hold you over. The Homegrown's and the Pro 11 resurrected the CAL for me in my system. Carl may have some opinion's on the Homegrown IC's in the next couple of weeks as he is now auditioning my extra pair. My next step up may be a used Theta Miles (for it's speed and dynamics) and I would also like to audition either model by Audio Resolution as well as the new Sony SACD player (out of curiosity). I have a very specific sound that I like and it is one that favors lack of glare vs detail in all cases as I audition with the thought of listening to the sound for long periods of time. I have far too much time on my hands. Good luck and it's nice to talk to another relentless tweak it til it bleeds poster.

No-Money, Hello- When I had my Icon upgraded it was 4 years ago, at the time I had found my investment of $400, more than worth the cost, the HDCD alone is great, not to mention the powerful bass you get, the power supply upgrade in the Icon is killer. I have never found in my system the glare problem that you guys are mentioning. The rest of my system is Audioquest Python from the CD player to a Audible Illusions M3A with all the latest upgrades, going into a Ayre V3 power amp and Maggie 1.6's. Other interconnects inlude more Python, and speaker cables are Alpha Core Goertz MI2. All preamps and amps have Luxor Custom Power Cords Model 11, going into 20 amp dedicated lines. I also have a Basis 1400 with a Rega RB 300 and Dynavector 10X4 cartridge, with an outboard Phono preamp (EAR 834P) of which i find myself using much more that my Icon. I still think that until the prices come down on the new formats, that the Icon for the money is a great player. All the best in your quest! Gary...

Gary: I believe you that there is no "glare" in your setup. Your preamp (my favorite to date by the way) has a lot to do with it. I listened to the boss upgrade through the Plinius Integrated and the CL-15 through some Rotel seperates contraption neither of which are in anywhere near the same ballpark as the AI M3A. A good friend of my wife's has the Modulas 3A in his system and his tuner, 5 year old cheap Parasound CD player and reel to reel all sound better than my Icon II, his vinyl is to die for. I beleive that it has something to do with the preamp. The mod also went up to $600.00 per CAL one month ago.

Dekay- I think you hit it on the head...Interaction between components plays a major roll over how the entire system sounds. I know I'm stating the obvious here, but it always takes alot of playing around to find that great match. I have to say that in the past year vinyl has been quite a joy. You have to thank ebay for all the great vinyl deals we are able to get our hands on. Lets not forget Music Direct and Acoustics sounds! Also as of the past six months the addition of the Luxor power cords in my system have made an amazing difference, much more authority, also deeper insight into the detail of the music and a blacker background. An upgrade that really made a big difference. Best-Gary

I am running mine through CJ pv10a pre, Proceed HPA 2 amp and ML aeruis i speakers, not getting any glare and I enjoy the sound as it is, but you know how it is allways have to wonder what you might be missing. I used to have Transparent wave connecting everything then traded up to the premium line, it really was like night and day. Thanks for all the input Dkay and Gmele.