Barry,
I've just finished a major HiFi upgrade, in a way that is almost "back to the future" in that I have a mix of old and new technology in essentially new kit.
Starting with the sources...
Linn LP12 that has evolved into a deck that matches the mid range Linn package, but with an Ortofon MC15 2 cartridge.
Tube Technology Fusion CD player, a FGA programmed DAC feeding a class A valve amplifier stage to take it up to line level output
Linn Selekt DSM that is both digital pre-amplifier, web streamer and M/C amplifier.
The Sky/TV/Apple TV boxes are all connected together digitally and I have an optical link from them to the Linn box.
Amplification is provided by a new pair of QUAD II - 80 valve amplifiers.
Loudspeakers are a new pair of QUAD 2912 Electrostatic
I also have a Project Headbox amplifier: the next upgrade will be to replace that with a valve unit.
Overall it is balanced, yet dynamic and revealing system. One interesting quirk is that I can listen to CDs using either the internal DAC in the CD player, or feed the signal from the dec digitally to the DAC in the Linn. Some types of music sound better using the 20 year old FDA DAC, others better with the modern Linn DAC.
I'm going to start trying different types of interconnects between the Linn and Quad amplifiers. At the moment they are Nordost Blue Heaven cables, about 20 years old.
